Ballooning takes place at sunrise, which means a pre-dawn wake up with steaming coffee and a chilly drive to the launch. The sense of excitement ripples through you as the great balloons slowly fill with hot air, rising up ponderously above their tethered baskets. Take-off is a noisy, bumpy affair, which adds to the thrill and enhances the sudden serenity when you reach cruising altitude. The noise of the heating flame punctuates the quiet along with the soft whistle of air currents and occasional ‘ooohs’ from your fellow adventurers. Wrap up warmly – it’s cold up there!
The land below you is quiet in the peace of dawn as sunrise unfurls in bright colours on the eastern horizon. As the earth warms up, wildlife starts to move – the cool of early morning is the best time of day for game viewing, and a hot air balloon gives you an especially superb view of the plains. The balloon can fly relatively low over big herds (unlike helicopters and light aircraft), making this one of the best ways to see the full splendor of the Great Wildebeest Migration.
When you touch down on solid earth again, a glorious champagne brunch awaits you, prepared and served on the savannah – the perfect end to an extraordinary and serene safari experience.
