Hot-air balloon safari
Best: June to March · About 1 hour aloft
Launch before dawn, drift low over the plains as the light comes up, and land to a bush breakfast.
You are collected in the dark, watch the envelope inflate by burner light, and lift off as the sun comes up. The pilot flies low — often only a few metres over the grass — and the perspective on a herd from directly above is something no game drive gives you. Available in the Serengeti and, seasonally, in Tarangire.
It is expensive and it is worth it. Book well ahead in peak season.
Add this to a trip
Tell us this matters and we will route the itinerary so it actually happens — in the right park, in the right month, booked far enough ahead.
Plan my safariWhere you can do it
Build hot-air balloon safari into your route.
Some of these need booking months ahead, others need only a word to the camp the night before. Tell us which ones matter and we will plan the days around them.