Hot Air Balloon Safaris in Tanzania
Hot Air Balloon Safaris in Tanzania: Hot air balloon is an adventurous activity in Tanzania that is carried out in two protected areas that is Serengeti national park and Tarangire national park. It’s an interesting activity where you will experience the hot air balloon floating in the direction of the wind which offers you with aerial views of the park, sunrise, beautiful scenery, wildlife, tree canopies and also giving you an opportunity to take incredible photos.
Hot air balloon safari in Serengeti national park
Serengeti national park is located in the northern part of Tanzania and it was the first protected area to introduce the hot air balloon activity which started in 1989 and the balloon company works with suppliers in Cameron balloons which is one of the oldest balloon manufacturers with a history of adventurous ballooning. The balloons are regularly inspected and retired well before they are considered legally and technically worn-out. hot air balloon starts very early in the morning at around 5:00 am where you will be picked from your lodge and taken to one of the sites for the briefing about the expectations, safety and precautions of the hot air balloon from your pilot. After the briefing you will the balloons being inflated with powerful flaming bursts of air and then take off at around 6:00 and enjoy the flight with spectacular views of the landscape, animals like elephants, buffaloes, hyenas, hippos, crocodiles, wildebeests, zebras, giraffes, view bird awakening, beautiful sunrise among others. Hot air balloon safari takes about one hour and then land to the ground where the hot air balloon ground team will escort you to an area for your bush breakfast and a bottle of champagne. After breakfast you will be awarded a certificate for participating in the hot air balloon activity and then be transferred back to your lodge or connect to the morning game drive where you will view the big five mammals, beautiful scenery, bird species among others. Hot air balloon activity in Serengeti national park costs $599 for an adult and the price includes the bush breakfast, a bottle of champagne and transfers from the lodge
Hot air balloon safari in Tarangire national park
Tarangire national park is located in the northern part of Tanzania, south of Lake Manyara and it’s another protected area in Tanzania that offers the exciting hot air balloon activity. Just like Serengeti national park hot air balloon safari in Tarangire national park starts very early at around 5:00 am where you will be transferred to the hot air balloon starting area for a briefing about the expectations, safety and precautions from the pilot. After the briefing you will witness the balloon inflation and at around 6:00am you will take off up in the air where you will have aerial views of animals like elephants, buffaloes, baobab trees, hippos, giraffes, birds, views of the sunrise among others. The hot air balloon flight takes about one hour and then land on the ground. After landing the ground crew will escort you for a bush breakfast, a bottle of champagne and then be awarded a certificate from the pilot by participating in hot air balloon activity in Tarangire national park. You will later go for a morning game drive in the park where you will be able to view different animals like elephants, leopards, lions, giraffes, dik dik, wildebeests, hartebeests, gazelle, buffaloes, elands, zebras among others.
Hot air balloon safety
- Hot air balloon pilots are trained to the highest international standards with commercial balloon pilot licenses from Tanzania and one other country.
- Hot air balloon passengers have safety belts, rapid deflation systems, steel skids and baskets reinforced with Lexan panels to make passengers safe
- Hot air balloon companies are fully licensed, regulated by Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority and subjected to an annual inspection.
- Hot air balloon flights operate on a safety first principle where the pilots first carry out pre flight checklist and if not happy with the conditions or wind speed at the time of take off the flight can be cancelled.
- The hot air balloon companies work with the manufactures of Cameron balloons to improve on their balloons.
- Hot air balloon companies in Tanzania carry out passenger liability and make sure that 3rd party insurance is available for passengers.
- Hot air balloon policies and procedures are guided by safety and run by an ICAO standard safety management system.
- If it’s too rainy or windy and the flight is deemed not safe, the flight will be cancelled and your payment will be fully refunded with an option of rescheduling it to another day.
Best time to go for hot air balloon safari in Tanzania
Hot air balloon safari in Tanzania can be done anytime throughout the year though the best period is during the dry season in the months of June to October. During the dry season there is little rainfall in the national parks therefore the wind will be gentle, the skies will be clear and you will be able to clearly view animals in the open plains due to short vegetation.
Apart from hot air balloon activity, Serengeti and Tarangire national parks offer other amazing activities that visitors on a safari in Tanzania can engage in such as game drive where you will have great views of animals grazing in the open plains, guided nature walks where you can get close and personal with animals, their habitats, view different plant and trees, butterflies, bird watching activity where you will be able to view different birds including endemic species which are only found in Tanzania, near-endemic species which are also found in the neighboring countries and migratory birds, cultural tours where you will get an opportunity to interact with the local people in the surrounding communities among others.
For breathtaking aerial views of the parks, animals, birds, landscapes, sunrise and tree canopies, hot air balloon is a must do activity on your safari in Tanzania. In case you want to know more or book a hot air balloon package in either Serengeti or Tarangire national parks you can contact Focus East Africa Tours. (Hot Air Balloon Safaris in Tanzania)
