Serengeti Balloon Safari with Bush Breakfast

In the $599

The listing names alcoholic beverages and breakfast as included, and the operator describes a champagne toast and a full English breakfast under an acacia tree after the flight. Pickup from your camp or lodge in a transfer vehicle is part of the deal, the vehicle type is not stated. Your guide for the morning is the balloon pilot plus the ground crew. Languages offered are English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.

One honest note: park admission is marked as not included on the itinerary, and the 2023 to 2024 TANAPA tariff sets a Serengeti conservation fee of US $70 per day for non-East African adults in peak season and US $60 in low season, VAT exclusive, plus a balloon operation fee of US $50 per person per trip. The listing does not say whether that balloon fee is charged on top of the $599, so ask the operator, and confirm before the flight how your park admission is covered.

What to Budget on Top

If you are not already inside the park, you need park admission before you can fly, and the TANAPA tariff also lists a $50 balloon operation fee that the listing does not say is charged on top. You also need a bed for the night before, because pickup happens at dawn. Options range from the 3-day Serengeti camping safari at $770 per person to the 10-day Serengeti migration safari at $7,112.83, and the Serengeti fly-in safari at $2,750.77 gets you to the park by air.

More fee detail sits on the main comparison of Serengeti safari tours.

A Single Dawn, Step by Step

There is no set departure time on the listing. Pickup happens at dawn and the exact time is fixed when you collect your tickets the day before at the Seronera Visitors Centre, Kirawira, Ndutu or Kogatende office. That collection step is not optional, the operator needs your camp or lodge location and the ticket visit to confirm the booking.

The launch site depends on the season. Seronera in the central Serengeti flies all year. Kogatende in the north flies from 15 June to 15 January per the option descriptions, though the itinerary text gives June to November. Kirawira in the Western Serengeti flies from 15 May to 15 October per the option descriptions, with the itinerary text saying June to October. Ndutu flies from mid-December to the end of March per the itinerary text, and the operator site says 20 December to 31 March. Both versions of each window are given here because the listing is not consistent with itself, so confirm the window for your date when you book. After landing you get the champagne toast and breakfast, then the crew returns you to your camp or lodge. The operator site says guests are returned to their guide at around 09:45 at the Seronera Visitors Centre or another agreed location.

Choosing a Launch Site

The central Serengeti is the only year-round option. If the migration herds are your reason for going, remember that the herds move with the rain and no sighting is promised from the basket. More on where the animals are in the great migration guide.

The Stated Limits

Children under 7 are not allowed, so families with young children should pick a ground safari instead. The flight is not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries, poor cardiovascular health or pregnant travelers. Pickup only covers camps and lodges within about 2 hours or 40 km of the launch sites, so if you sleep outside that radius you cannot use it. The booking is a shared flight of up to 16 travelers, so there is no private option here.

The $599 also buys one morning, not a safari. You need your own park admission, your own nights in the park and your own way to get there. If that sounds like too much to arrange, a package that bundles everything is easier. The 3-day Serengeti safari with balloon at $900 adds an optional flight on day 2 of a camping safari, and the 7-day luxury Serengeti safari at $4,130 includes a balloon flight and bush breakfast on day 4. For the flight to the park itself, see the Serengeti fly-in safari. Browse the full range of Serengeti safaris if none of those fit.

Best Months and Where the Herds Are

Roadtrip Africa names January-February and June-October as the best months to visit, and the dry season runs June to October with the wet season from November and the heaviest rain in March and April. High season in the Serengeti runs July to March. Daytime highs average about 27°C with chilly nights, and morning game drives can dip below 10°C while midday reaches about 30°C, so pack layers.

The herds move with the rain. Wikipedia places calving around January to March with about 500,000 calves born in roughly 2 to 3 weeks in February, and Duma Explorer places the herds in the southern Serengeti and Ndutu in January, February and March. That matches the Ndutu launch window of mid-December to the end of March. No sighting is promised from the basket, the animals decide.

Visa, Health and Packing

Tanzania requires a visa for most visitors and the practicalities are in the Tanzania visa guide. For health, follow the malaria advice for the region and check yellow fever certificate requirements before you travel. For clothing, Expert Africa advises light summer clothing for the midday heat with warm layers for cool mornings, which matters doubly at dawn in a balloon, plus sunglasses, sunscreen, a shady hat and insect repellent.

Earth tones such as khaki and olive work better than bright colors. The full kit list is in the what to wear on safari and safari packing list guides.