Picture this…..floating in mid air at the dawn of the morning with a cool and crisp breeze…and lo! below you, are hundreds of wild animals in the plains….you take a shot here and there and continue clicking….excitement rises…what you are experiencing is the sheer thrill of a balloon safari. At the end of it all…you land in the middle of the plains and you are treated to a heart full breakfast with Champaign to gulp up your appetite. Now this is the adrenalin of the Maasai Mara in the air.

A Visit to the Masai mara is capped with this rare excitement of game viewing from a hot air balloon.

The adventure begins just before dawn. The pilot lights up the banners and as the flames flare and the balloon begins to inflate. The first, pink tongues of sunlight flicker across the skies and the balloon fills then rises. Suspended in a basket beneath the rainbow coloured canopy, you’re off for an awesome game-viewing adventure.

One thing that amazes most first-time balloonists is the absolute stillness, the silence as you float above the plains, the forest and the rivers of the Masai Mara. And suddenly you are flown elsewhere and everywhere, you’ve seen nothing like this. The sounds below drift clearly upwards: a lion’s roar, elephants crashing through the bush, baboons perched in the tips of the trees startled and screeching to see something above them.

For an hour or so you drift wherever the air currents take you. If you’re lucky you’ll climb high above for the view of a lifetime. Then your balloon safari finishes with a flourish. In the time honoured tradition of balloon flights the world over, you toast your return to earth with a champagne breakfast. The difference is that this breakfast happens in the bush, wherever you land, and it’s cooked as you see with the burners that minutes before kept you suspended in the air.

Passengers should be able to climb in and out of a basket and stand for the duration of the flight. Warm clothing is required for early mornings. Flights last an average of 1 hour over the Masai Mara. Balloon flights often get booked up in advance, we recommend you book early. Available most of the year round but subject to prevailing weather conditions. All balloon flights begin soon after dawn, it means an early start.

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