The shared flight.
How flights are usually priced.
SHARED · SUNRISEHOT-AIR BALLOON SAFARIS
THE EXPERIENCE / HOT-AIR BALLOON SAFARIS
Float above
the plains.
The ground slips away and the plains open beneath you. A balloon safari is a sunrise flight, ending in breakfast.
Begin your journeyYOUR AFRICA, BEAUTIFULLY TOLD.Discover the experience ↓
THE BALLOON CHAPTER
The plains,
from above.
A dawn flight over the savannah, ending in a cooked breakfast.
Balloons lift off at sunrise and a pilot flies them for about an hour. Flights run in the Maasai Mara, Amboseli and the Serengeti. The wind sets the route; a cooked breakfast follows the landing.
The flight is not the whole price: one Mara operator adds a landing fee and a community levy.
AT FIRST LIGHT
An hour above the plains
THE PILOT'S CALL
Wind or rain can ground it
BREAKFAST IN THE BUSH
Cooked after landing
ONE MORNING ALOFT
Up in the dark,
down to breakfast.
About four to five hours from collection to camp.
- BEFORE
A briefing at the launch.
Collected in the dark, then briefed; one Mara operator will not fly latecomers.
- DURING
An hour aloft.
You stand throughout, knees bent, hands on the rope handles for landing.
- AFTER
Breakfast on the plains.
Cooked breakfast with sparkling wine, back at camp by about 11 am in the Mara.
THREE WAYS TO FLY
Shared basket,
or your own.
Choose the park, then how much of the basket to share.
A private balloon.
Serengeti Balloon Safaris flies private balloons on request.
PRIVATE · ON REQUESTA family flight.
Kilimanjaro Balloon Safaris, near Amboseli, takes children from age 4.
FAMILIES · FROM AGE 4FIND YOUR SETTING
Where balloons
fly best.
The Mara and central Serengeti fly all year; Ndutu, late December to March.
KENYA / THE MARA FROM ABOVEMaasai Mara
Open grassland and river country.
TANZANIA / THE CENTRAL PLAINSSerengeti, Seronera Central
Long horizons and granite kopjes.
TANZANIASerengeti, Kogatende North
Kogatende anchors the northern Serengeti near the Mara River, reached directly by its own airstrip.
TANZANIASerengeti, Ndutu South
Ndutu lies across the southern Serengeti and Ngorongoro short-grass plains, a seasonal focus for grazing herds and calving.A GOOD PLACE TO BEGIN
Ideas to make
your own.
Three journeys where a balloon morning fits.
THE DETAILS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE
A little thought.
A better journey.
Ages, fees and what grounds a flight.
Last checked: October 2026
Where and when
Mara, Amboseli and central Serengeti fly most mornings all year; Ndutu 20 December to 31 March. Serengeti Balloon Safaris also flies Tarangire (not April–May) and Ruaha (June–October). Keep a spare morning: the Mara and Amboseli expect above-average rain to December, lasting into January 2027.
Fitness and age
An hour aloft. Not for limited mobility: climb over a chest-high basket side and stand throughout. If you cannot, a dawn game drive gives early light from the ground. Minimum age varies by operator: 4 near Amboseli, 6 in the Serengeti, 8 and 1.2 m in the Mara (no upper limit if you can climb in unaided). Suits couples marking an occasion and families with children from 4.
What it costs
Governors' in the Mara, per adult: flight US$400–490 plus US$80 landing fee and US$20 levy, about US$500–590 before taxes; add US$5 evacuation cover if you have none. Kilimanjaro Balloon Safaris, Amboseli: US$450 international adult. Serengeti Balloon Safaris: US$599, US$660 from 1 January 2027, park entry extra. Confirm at booking.
Rules
The Mara operator's passengers sign an indemnity and follow the pilot. Operators advise against flying in pregnancy, after recent surgery or with severe neck or back problems. Mara ballooning is contested over environmental damage: a court ruling reported on 15 July 2026 quashed a new operator's county approval and barred any that conflict with the reserve's 2023–2032 plan.
BEFORE YOU GO
Good questions.
Straight answers.
What happens if the balloon cannot fly?
All three operators refund in full if they cancel; two also offer another day.
Can I fly if I weigh over 120 kg?
Governors' asks anyone over 120 kg, hand luggage included, to tell it 48 hours ahead and may require a second ticket.
Do I need a park ticket to fly in the Mara?
Not with Governors' if you stay outside the reserve and leave after breakfast; a game drive needs one. Other operators and the Mara Triangle side set their own rules.
Will the balloon find the herds?
Not on demand, and no animals are promised. The migration guide has the months.
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