Hot Air Balloon Safari in Tanzania . Although the fees are a little pricey, the experience is well worth it. Hot Air Ballooning Safaris in Tanzania are one of the most romantic wildlife safari activities to encounter and view wildlife in various Tanzania national parks. Hot air balloon safaris are popular in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area, while they can also be organized in other national parks such as Tarangire National Park, Selous Game Reserve, and Nyerere National Park, though they are not as popular.
Tanzanian hot air balloon safaris are an amazing safari trip that will transport you to many isolated parts of Tanzanian national parks where wildlife game drives are not possible. It is a one-of-a-kind safari experience in Tanzania, as it provides breathtaking overhead views of the veld, its vegetation, wildlife, rivers, and streams. If you want to get away from it all, a hot air balloon safari in Tanzania is the ideal vacation/adventure sport at any time of year, delivering beautiful vistas, tranquility, and quiet that will leave you with lifelong memories.
What to pack for Tanzania hot air balloon safari?
When compared to other Tanzania safari activities like walking safaris and trekking safaris on Mount Kilimanjaro, the packing list for a hot air balloon safari isn’t nearly as complicated. All you need to remember when packing for a hot air balloon safari in Tanzania is to bring a lightweight long-sleeved jacket and long pants, as well as sturdy shoes for the cool early morning. To get the most out of this highlight of your Tanzania safari tours, bring your binoculars and DSLR camera with you in your balloon. This will allow you to see and photograph more animals.
Comfortable and practical shoes, layers, a hat, and a camera are some of the other items to bring on your Tanzania hot air balloon tour. If you want, you can bring a bottle of water or juice, as well as a few nibbles. Binoculars, a small backpack or bag, and so on. You are welcome to bring additional equipment for your devices, such as selfie sticks, spare batteries, and memory cards. Please keep in mind the limited space in the wicker basket as well as the experience of other passengers traveling with you.
Where to go for a hot air balloon safari in Tanzania?
Only a few national parks in Tanzania provide hot air balloon safaris, and scheduling ahead of time is recommended to assure your spot, as there are only a few organizations that offer this unique safari activity in only a few national parks, such as the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro conservation area.
A hot air balloon safari in Serengeti National Park
The Serengeti National Park is one of the best places in Tanzania to go on a balloon safari. A hot air balloon safari above the Serengeti ecosystem’s grasslands is a sublimely calm way to spice up your Tanzania Balloon Safari with a little romance. Nothing beats the sensation of soaring over the wide-open plains in the morning before landing for a champagne breakfast in the middle of nowhere. If you’re looking for a Tanzania safari, there are a variety of options that cater to different interests in different ways, but the Serengeti hot air balloon safari is the most distinctive.
During your balloon safari in Serengeti National Park, you can fly over the big five creatures: the lion, rhino, elephant, leopard, and Cape buffalo. Because there is no need to drive in the park, this sort of safari is healthy for the environment. A Serengeti balloon tour also allows you to observe the remoteness area of Serengeti which is not accessible by automobile. On your Focus East Africa Tours wildlife safari in Tanzania, a Serengeti balloon safari is a great once-in-a-lifetime event, particularly appropriate for a bird’s eye-view, game viewing experience.
This Tanzanian prime national park (Serengeti national park) offers hot air balloon safaris in three primary regions or areas: central Serengeti, western Serengeti, and southern Serengeti. Wildlife gathers year-round at the Seronera River Valley in the Central Serengeti, where there is always water. Around May and June, the Great Migration comes through.
The Grumeti River, in the Western Serengeti, is the site of dramatic river crossings during the Great wildebeest Migration in June and July, when hundreds of thousands of gnu face the gigantic Nile crocodiles, many of which perish, while others take a diversion to avoid the dangerous river. The wildebeests gather on the South Serengeti plains from December to February to calve, producing over 8000 newborns a day on a three-week marathon, a sight not to be missed experienced through hot air balloon safari.
Hot air balloon safari in Ngorongoro Conservational Area
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is another one of the few areas in Tanzania where you can go on a hot air balloon safari. Visiting the Ngorongoro conservation area is a pleasant experience because you will be hovering above the location where the first hominid species was discovered. A balloon safari in the Ngorongoro area provides an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go past the cradle of humanity to the plains where the world-famous wildebeest migration begins.
Expect to see a variety of attractions during your hot air balloon safari in Ngorongoro, including Masai cultural structures, before moving through the park to see big cats, zebras, birds, lions, black rhinos, buffaloes, warthogs, cheetahs, elephants, and other flora and fauna of the Ngorongoro conservation area.
Hot Air Balloon Safaris in Ruaha National Park
Tanzania’s Ruaha National Park is another excellent location for a hot air balloon tour. The Ruaha Hot Air Balloon travels above Ruaha’s magnificent scenery and fauna, mostly over the Ruaha River and its surrounding plains. 0500 Hours: You will be picked up at 0500 hours and transported to the launch site near Msembe Airstrip, where you will be ready to take off shortly before sunrise (around 0600 hours).
Enjoy beautiful views of hippos or buffaloes moving to have their breakfast near the Ruaha national park river during your hot air balloon safari at Ruaha. Expect to see baobab trees that are over 100 years old, as well as lions. Ruaha boasts 10% of the world’s lions, with over 300 of them, so expect to see a lot of lions on your Ruaha hot air balloon safari in Tanzania.
You’ll also be on the lookout for leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs, elephants, Grant’s gazelles, and other animals. The best time to go ballooning in Ruaha is all year. Even during the rainy season, it rains only in the afternoons and evenings. Enjoy your breakfast after the journey and pick up your Ruaha Balloon Safari Certificate.
Hot air balloon safari in Tarangire National park.
Tarangire National Park in Tanzania has the most breathtaking aerial vistas of any African national park. Tarangire National Park’s scenery features a variety of landforms. Consider Granite Mountains, acacia woodland vegetation, Baobab trees, marshes, and river valleys, all teeming with species such as elephants, warthogs, zebras, buffalo, wildebeest, and tree-climbing lions. Within Tarangire National Park, your Tarangire hot air balloon safari will take you over the Tarangire River, which is bordered by granitic rock, dense marshes, and a deep river valley.
How much is Hot air balloon safari in Tanzania?
Cost of a Tanzania Balloon Safari/ how much does a Tanzanian hot air balloon safari cost? A Tanzania hot air balloon safari costs around USD 600 per person in practically all national parks that offer the sport, including the Serengeti National Park. Transportation to and from your Tanzania safari lodge to the chosen balloon launching and exit point is included in the price. With the $600, you will have covered the $40 TANAPA license fee per person for a balloon flight, as well as the balloon and guide, as well as a champagne brunch at your landing location. The flight is expected to run between 50 and 70 minutes.
Why is a Tanzania balloon safari so expensive?
Operating balloon flights is costly, especially in isolated regions like the Serengeti National Park. Balloons, of course, need to be in good shape, so they should be replaced after around 850 hours of flying. A single balloon can cost more than $100,000. The cost of fuel and staff to conduct the balloon flight must also be considered. Six people are on each crew, plus a certified pilot. Behind the scenes, ten more people (per balloon) work to get the balloon into the air. This adds up to a significant number of people. There are also recovery trucks, transfer vehicles, and backup operations to consider. Finally, conservation fees account for a significant portion of the total cost.
Balloon Safari Experience in Tanzania
Early morning hot air balloon trips are popular in Tanzania. You will be picked up from your hotel by a member of the Balloon Flight Team and transported to the launch site. When you arrive, you’ll be given a safety briefing before the balloon is fired up for take-off. You’ll be flying in a hot air balloon with a bird’s-eye view of the morning sunrise before you realize it. For roughly an hour, you’ll see the last glimpses of flying creatures and wonder at the plains below from your vantage position in the skies. You may even see some nocturnal predators preparing for the day, as well as elephants, lions, wildebeest, and other wildlife.
Most flights will feature sections flown at a higher height to provide you with unobstructed views of the Tanzania national parks like Serengeti; other sections may involve low-level flying with the possibility of seeing wildlife. Highly skilled pilots can glide just meters above grunting hippos or meandering giraffes, following rivers and streams. When you fly low, you can get some amazing aerial wildlife shots. While being tracked from the ground by the balloon crew in their cars, you move across the plains wherever the wind takes you.
After your hot air balloon ride or safari in Tanzania, expect a romantic breakfast. After your amazing hour above the plains, you’ll land in the middle of nowhere for a magnificent champagne brunch. There are few stranger ways to start your day than with a good dinner in the Serengeti-Mara plains, surrounded by acacia and tall grass.
When is the best time to go on a hot air balloon safari in Tanzania?
Balloon safaris are available all year in Tanzania. However, the best time to go for a hot air balloon ride in Tanzania is during the dry season, when the weather is ideal for a balloon ride and your trip will not be canceled due to lack of rain. Balloon safaris are also available in Tanzania during the rainy season, although they may be disrupted by rain, which is not ideal for balloon riding and may result in your trip being canceled.
Again, the greatest time to go on a balloon safari in Serengeti National Park is during the major migratory months of January and April, when wildebeest are calving in the Ndutu area. Also, from April to October, when the migrations begin to move from the Serengeti to Kenya’s Maasai Mara national reserve.
Conclusion, let us tailor Tanzania Safari Tours specifically for you, based on your specifications and needs for a Tanzania Balloon Safari. Focus East Africa Tours provides the finest answers to all of our clients’ Tanzania Safari FAQs to ensure that they get the most out of their trip. Our Tanzania Travel Guide is well-written, and you will not forget any important items or equipment throughout your journey. You can also go on another safari activity such as a game drive after landing on your Tanzania hot air balloon safari because you will still have enough time before the afternoon sets in. After your wildlife drive, return to your accommodation for a rest, then prepare yourself for an evening adventure, whether it’s horseback riding, walking safaris, or canoeing; the choice is yours.
Don’t forget to contact Focus East Africa Tours if you want to go on a hot air balloon safari or participate in any other safari activities in any of Tanzania’s national parks or on the island of Zanzibar, as we are ready to make your Tanzania safari tour unforgettable by exceeding your expectations. When you book with Focus East Africa Tours, you’ll get more than you bargained for.
