Masai Mara Hot-Air Balloon Safari with Bush Breakfast

The Masai Mara National Reserve from above

The Masai Mara National Reserve covers about 1,510 square kilometres of rolling grassland in south-western Kenya, the northern end of the Serengeti ecosystem, bounded by the Oloololo Escarpment to the west and cut by the Mara and Talek rivers. From the ground a game drive shows one valley at a time; from a balloon at dawn you see the whole pattern, the rivers lined with dark forest, the acacia islands, the lines of animal tracks and the sun lifting over the plains to the east.

The best time to visit the Masai Mara for a balloon flight is the dry season from July to October, when the migration herds fill the plains and the air is clear, though flights run all year and the green season from November to May brings lush colours and dramatic skies. Flights are weather-dependent, and the pilot decides on the morning.

The sunrise flight: what you see from the basket

The launch is timed so that you lift off as the first light touches the grass. The pilot alternates between gentle climbs to several hundred metres, where the view stretches across the reserve to the escarpment, and low passes a few metres above the ground, where you drift silently over giraffe browsing in the acacias, elephant families crossing the open and hippo pods in the river bends. Lions and hyena are sometimes spotted returning from the night's hunt.

The flight lasts about one hour and the balloon moves with the wind, so every route is different. Sightings are never guaranteed, but the Mara in the early morning is as rich as any wild place on earth. Bring a camera with a strap; the basket is stable and the pilot gives plenty of warning before the landing.

The great migration and the Mara River

Between July and October around a million wildebeest, with zebra and gazelle, move north from the Serengeti into the Mara in search of grass, and from the air the columns stretch to the horizon. The Mara River crossings, where the herds plunge through water patrolled by crocodiles, are the dramatic moment of the season, and a balloon drifting along the river gives a view no vehicle can.

Outside the migration months the Mara still holds resident herds of wildebeest, zebra, topi and buffalo, large elephant families, giraffe and the big cats, so the flight is rewarding in any season. The migration timing varies from year to year with the rains, so we advise on dates when you plan a Masai Mara safari around it.

The bush breakfast after landing

The landing is usually a gentle bump in the grass, and the crew arrives within minutes to pack the balloon while a table is laid in the open. The full bush breakfast of eggs, fruit, pastries, tea and coffee is served in the shade with the plains all around, a celebration of the flight that most guests remember as much as the view. There is time for photos with the deflated envelope and the basket.

After breakfast we drive you back to your camp or lodge, arriving in the mid-morning about four hours after pickup, in time for the rest of your day in the Mara. This is a Masai Mara balloon safari for guests already staying in the reserve; it does not include transport from Nairobi, which we can arrange separately.

Pickup areas and how the morning works

The default option covers camps and lodges in the south-eastern Masai Mara around Keekorok, Sekenani and Ololaimutiek, the area near the Sekenani Gate where many properties sit, and the drive to the launch site is short. Guests staying in the northern and far-western Mara, towards the Oloololo Escarpment and the Mara River, should choose the northern and western option so the pickup matches the launch site.

How to get to the Masai Mara for this flight is up to you: a drive of about five to six hours from Nairobi or a flight of under an hour to one of the airstrips in the reserve. We can arrange a private transfer or a multi-day Masai Mara safari that includes the balloon as the highlight of one morning.