Reviews: Balloon flight over the Mara

"The balloon ride with Balloon Safari was excellent.

Our driver, Francis, met with us the night before and briefed us, then collecting us at 4:30 am for the drive over the launch site, catching a great view of 4 hippos on the road, on our drive.

Our pilot, Ismail, and the flight team were great, from briefing, the flight itself across the plains and the landing. Wonderful views from the balloon and commentary from a hugely experienced pilot. And to round off, a wonderful breakfast with the team and all of the passengers!

Highly recommend this experience for anyone going to the Mara!" Read more about this whole safari

"Well organised and professional.

Safe and a skilled pilot.

Enjoyable experience, but the journey to, and from the National park was a bit of a pain.

Excellent, breakfast afterwards." Read more about this whole safari

"10/10 in all aspects. We had Pilot and main man Shane which was tremendous as he is a larger than life character and really cares that his guests enjoy the experience.

Exciting preparation, about 55 minutes in the air travelling over the Maasi's beautiful scenery, a bonkers and unforgettably bouncy landing (no one was harmed in the making of this falling to earth!) and a wonderful post-flight breakfast in the bush. We met some lovely people as we ate and shared stores of the trip which was delightful.

5* experience, even better than we thought it would be." Read more about this whole safari

"Stunning.

The wildebeest and zebra were on the move and we flew across thousands of them. Our pilot took us right down so we just skirted along the top of the grass and could see the animals at eye level - amazing. A lovely breakfast in the bush to complete it.

The only downside was the 4am get up as we were staying a long way from the launch area but it was worth it." Read more about this whole safari

"The balloon ride was very comfortable, although we had hope we would be up before the sun rise. We were up just after sunrise, so the light was still good. The boarding and disembarkation were good and well organised. There was a safety briefing prior to take off and the pilot seemed very competent. We stayed at a low altitude, which meant we were able to see the wildlife very well. The breakfast was also good." Read more about this whole safari

"I always enjoy balloon flights! This one was different as it was particularly cloudy, but very enjoyable all the same.

The breakfast was good but the best was to follow! I was incredibly lucky on the game drive back to camp to witness the "4 brothers" (a well known coalition of 4 cheetahs) killing a wildebeest.

What a way to start the year!" Read more about this whole safari

"Our balloon ride was an unforgettable experience, in spite of the long drives involved and 4:30am departure from our camp.

Our pilot Barnabas gave us an absolutely fantastic flight that lasted over an hour and included exhilarating low passes, including one over the Mara river amid a large family of hippos.

The entire Governors operation including the "champagne" breakfast was also excellent - other guests at our camp who had booked with another operator weren't nearly as satisfied. It was also great to see other parts of the area including the Mara Triangle, which is very scenic and was far more lush than the Olare Motorogi conservancy at the time of our visit." Read more about this whole safari

"Great experience - the pilot, who was the senior pilot, was great - very knowledgeable and entertaining" Read more about this whole safari

"More information about the physical requirements (getting in and out of the basket for example) would have been helpful to some.

Breakfast was okay.

For the price paid, we were a little underwhelmed." Read more about this whole safari

"A memorable experience. Even my wife who was very apprehensive before hand thoroughly enjoyed it. Very competent pilot, excellent views of thousands of wildebeests and other wildlife and a stunning sunrise. It was all we hoped for." Read more about this whole safari