Hot Air Balloon Safari in Serengeti
- Duration
1 Day/ Nights Safari
- Difficulty
Easy
- Minimum Age
12 Years Old
Hot Air Balloon Safari in Serengeti
Overview
Hot Air Balloon Safaris in Tanzania are popular in Serengeti. You can stretch our eyes as far as you can see while up the sky. Flights take-off from here because the climate is almost perfect and the winds blow gently and reliably throughout the year. Each balloon flight is a different journey dictated by the direction of the wind, where the sights and sounds rise from the ground to meet you. It is one of the romantic and evocative ways of experiencing the wilderness of East Africa as you gracefully and silently fly over the plains crowded with herds of wildlife in the early morning.
There are things that are worth getting up early for, and a balloon safari is certainly one of them. Rising before the birds and heading out from your camp in Serengeti in the silence towards the launch-site is all part of the anticipation. Perhaps one of the Serengeti’s more indefinable inhabitants will be caught in a hunt by the headlights on this nocturnal game drive to the take-off points.
Normally, a balloon safari begins in the morning, around 6 am and lasts for roughly 1-2 hours floating silently in the sky in a hot-air balloon seeing the bush from above. You are exposed to see the sun rise from a distance and very likely to see the magnificent number of wildlife below, over several square kilometers of the park tramping the savannah. The clarity of the air affords you the views of the Ngorongoro Highlands and sometimes Lake Victoria. From our lofty vantage point, you can appreciate the Serengeti in all its majestic scale, and you have a view freed by the narrow confines of vehicles and roads.
Itinerary
You’ll be asked to wake up an hour or two before dawn, and you’ll be taken from your lodge to the hot air
balloon launching site. After that, your pilot will get your hot air balloon ready and you’ll hop in! The total air
time is approximately one hour. Dawn is the best time for this experience because you get to see the beautiful
sunrise and you get to see animals in their full glory!
After that, you’re brought back down. A celebratory toast is then followed by breakfast in the bushes!
All of the said details are included in the price per person! It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you should
absolutely try!
You’ll get to see a lot of wildlife, and if you visit Serengeti at the right time (July-October), you’ll even get a
chance to catch a bird’s-eye view of the Great Migration.
Your pilot will navigate you to an upper level to give you a panoramic view of Serengeti at times, while at
other times, you’ll be just above tree-tops, watching lions hunt their prey down below!
After a hearty breakfast at the lodge, we prepare our picnic lunch boxes and set off for our next destination: Lake Manyara. Renowned for its iconic tree-climbing lions, Lake Manyara offers a plethora of wildlife encounters that extend far beyond this famous attraction. As we embark on an exhilarating afternoon adventure, be prepared to witness the diverse array of wildlife that call this park home. From majestic elephants and hippopotamuses to graceful wildebeests, buffaloes, and towering giraffes, there’s no shortage of remarkable sights to behold.
Keep your eyes peeled for the captivating sight of pink-hued flamingos adorning the shores of the lake, adding a vibrant splash of color to the landscape. With over 400 bird species recorded in the area, Lake Manyara is a paradise for birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts alike. As the afternoon draws to a close, we transfer you to your lodge where you can unwind, enjoy some relaxation, and indulge in a delicious dinner.
Accommodation: In a designated accommodation as per itinerary Meal Plan: Breakfast, Picnic lunch box, and Dinner
Today may be ‘departure day’, but there will be plenty of time to enjoy another true spectacle, before your thoughts turn to home. Ngorongoro Crater is often referred to as a wonder of the world and your early morning game drive shows you why.
First, there’s the volcanic caldera (the world’s largest), full of grassland, forest and swamp, a setting of jaw-dropping beauty. Secondly, the permanent water of the crater floor supports a resident population of more than 25,000 large mammals. Here you’ll find many of the reasons you chose to come on safari: elephant, lion, leopard, hyena, jackal, wallowing hippo, waterbuck, baboons… even the rare black rhino finds shelter here.
Sharing this awesome space with the animals are the Maasai, grazing their cattle in an area which has been a separate conservation area since 1956 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978. This harmonious co-habitation of man and beast makes Ngorongoro unique in Tanzania and your driver guide will be pleased to explain this incredible co-existence to you.
After your early morning game drive, we have our picnic lunch in the crater before we return to Arusha.