Hot Air balloon Safaris in Serengeti NP

Home » African Safari Destinations » Tanzania Safaris, Tours & Holidays » Hot Air balloon Safaris in Serengeti NP

The Serengeti 14,763km2 of African savannah stretching as far as the eye can see. We fly here because the climate is almost perfect; the temperature seldom falls below 12° or rises above 26°. The wind blows gently and reliably for 349 days of the year. However, the skies above the Serengeti put on a show as diverse as that which plays out on the ground. A dramatic thunderstorm to the west, shafts of light penetrate a shower to the east while the north and south bathe in the warm sunshine. The clarity of the air affords us views of the Ngorongoro Highlands and sometimes Lake Victoria. From our lofty vantage point, we can appreciate the Serengeti in all its majestic scale and we have a perspective untethered by the narrow confines of vehicles and roads.

What to expect on a hot air balloon in Serengeti national park

Some things are worth getting up early for and this is certainly one of them. Rising before the birds and heading out in the silence of the pre-dawn towards the launch site is all part of the anticipation. Perhaps one of the Serengeti’s more elusive inhabitants will be caught in the headlights on this nocturnal game drive.

Your pilot takes you through the important safety briefing ahead of your flight as the sky begins to lighten and the crew inflates the balloon – an envelope of savannah gold and acacia green billowing into the cool morning, lit by the flames of the burners. You climb into the basket and prepare to lift into the dawn.

Each flight is a different journey dictated by the direction of the wind, where the sights and sounds rise from the ground to meet you. We know where we’ve started but we don’t know where we will return to earth. This is part of the adventure. Sometimes the basket will be gently brushing the tips of the grass and then climbing, climbing through the layers of air until you’re high enough to see the curve of the horizon, painted gold and pink by the early sun. Our pilots not only have years of experience in harnessing the African wind but are also interpreters of the wild lives in the ebb and flow of the landscape below. Around an hour or so after you lift into the sky, the basket will return to the plains of the Serengeti. But it’s not over yet.

The Winds have welcomed you with softness. The Sun has blessed you with its warm hands….” The balloonist’s tradition is to toast the flight with bubbly. A short walk or drive from your landing spot will find you raising a glass to your time in the skies. We then seek to take care of earthly concerns and whisk you off by safari car to our special Serengeti breakfast spot.

There is truly nothing to compare with breakfast served under the sweeping canopy of acacia in the middle of the Serengeti plains. Tropical fruit, bread baked this morning, and eggs cooked in the bush, all made more delicious by the location and served on linen, bone china, and Sheffield cutlery in an ‘Out of Africa’ style. Shoulder to shoulder with your fellow passengers, this is a time to soak in the exceptional flight you’ve just been a part of and absorb the moment.

Best for hot air balloon safaris in Serengeti national park

Balloon safaris can be done all year round but they are best during the dry season from June to October and this is when the wildebeest migration is at its peak giving clients some extraordinary views of landscape and wildlife in the Serengeti.

RECOMMENDED SAFARIS