Hot Air Balloon Safari: Masai Mara, Kenya

Rise before dawn and drift above the Masai Mara plains in a hot air balloon as the sun comes up. From a quiet bird-eye view you can watch elephants, lions, giraffes and herds of zebra and wildebeest move across the savannah and along the Mara River. After landing, you celebrate with a champagne toast and a full bush breakfast served in the wild. Flights are run with Skyship Kenya by experienced, licensed pilots.

Rates are quoted in US dollars per person for 2026. Choose your travel period and whether you are flying as an adult or as a child or guide. B Hudson Tours can also build the flight into a tailor-made Masai Mara package with lodge or camp stays, return flights, 4×4 game drives, airstrip transfers and visits to Maasai villages.

What to expect on the day

• Pickup from your camp or lodge at a set time, in a 4×4 Land Cruiser
• Pre-flight briefing, then take-off just before sunrise, depending on the weather
• About an hour in the air, covering roughly 15 to 25 km over rivers, swamps, forests and open plains
• A champagne toast after landing, with a classic mimosa option
• A full bush breakfast on the open plains, a welcome celebration and your own flight certificate
• A game drive back to your camp

The balloon is launched from the ballooning camp at sunrise. Large electric fans cold-inflate the envelope silently, so you can hear the animals, and the pilot then heats the balloon with the gas burners before you step into the basket. On most days the wind carries the balloon south, deep into the reserve.

Best time to fly

Balloon flights run year-round in the Masai Mara. July to October is the best time if you want to see the Great Migration.

Who it suits

• Honeymooners and couples
• First-time and luxury safari travellers
• Photographers
• Families with children aged 4 and over
• Birthdays, proposals and other celebrations

Child policy

• Ages 4 to 11 are charged the child rate, and guests aged 12 and over are charged as adults
• All children flying must be accompanied by an adult
• Children under 4 cannot fly

Health and safety

Flights are weather-dependent and follow strict aviation and park authority rules. Guests cannot fly if they are under 4 or over 75, in the third trimester of pregnancy (26 weeks or more), or have diagnosed osteoporosis or known heart disease. Please also tell the pilot if you have had any injury or operation in the last 6 months, or have any other condition that could risk injury. A guest who is taken off the flight for these reasons is fully refunded. A guest who does not report such a condition takes full responsibility for flying.