Balloon Safari

Today it is possible to experience flying over the savannah in a hot air balloon in many African countries, in fact most of the countries we sell tours in. However Kenya must be considered the birthplace of the balloon safari, today the country has more than 40 years of experience in commercial balloon flights carrying passengers. A wide range of locations around the country offer balloon flights, many of which have a large capacity for passengers.

The balloons used are normally considerably larger than those we occasionally see flying through our skies at home. They typically have space for 16 passengers in the basket, while the pilot, the large burner and the gas cylinders are placed in the center. Balloon safaris start early in the morning before sunrise, when the weather is usually most settled. Before takeoff you can watch as the pilot and his assistants inflate the balloon. Take off is usually just before sunrise, so you can enjoy the first rays of the sun spread a golden light over the plains. It is an exciting and an incredibly peaceful experience to glide silently and wind still over the savannah and its animals, the peace occasionally disturbed by the roar of the burners when the balloon needs to gain height. After landing, you will be served a traditional glass of champagne (usually cava), the assistants on the ground will make sure the guests are transported to a spot nearby where a fine breakfast has been prepared under the shade of a tree out in the savannah.

There are also other spectacular ways to experience an African safari from up in the air - in an open biplane a la Denis Finch Hatton in the film “Out of Africa”. Any people see it all from an acceptable altitude when on a fly-safari, on which guest are transferred between exclusive camps and lodges in a light aircraft.