Hot-Air Balloon Safari

A hot-air balloon ride at dawn over the Masai Mara is one of the great experiences in African travel. Balloons launch at first light, drift over the plains for about an hour, and land in time for a champagne and full bush breakfast served on folding tables somewhere on the savanna. The cost is around 450 USD per person — a significant splurge — but the hour of silence, the low-angle light, and the view of the plains stretching to the horizon give you a perspective on the ecosystem that is impossible from a vehicle.

Balloon flights operate year-round but are most dramatic during the migration season (July to October), when the plains below are filled with wildebeest and zebra. The landing site changes daily depending on wind direction; breakfasts have been known to happen with lions watching from a nearby kopje. Several operators offer flights; Governors' Balloon Safaris is the oldest and most established. Book at least a day in advance, and be prepared for cancellation in bad weather.

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A story
The balloon flights began in the Mara in 1976, when a single balloon was brought in to photograph migrating herds from the air. The operator's name was Anthony Smith, a naturalist who later wrote a book about the flight. By the 1980s, balloon safaris had become a fixture of the Mara experience and had spread to the Serengeti. The flight path — low over the plains, following the terrain — was essentially the same route Smith flew in 1976.