Balloon Safaris Guidelines

What should you bring with you:

Something warm to wear on top (fleece or a sweater), A hat, camera and binoculars – nothing too heavy.

Duration of the Flight

The average flight duration is 1 hour traveling approximately 15 to 25 km depending on wind conditions.

Launch Time and Drive to Launch Site

Launch time is between 6:00 and 6:30am (sun rise), it is a 10 minute drive from Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp to our launch site.

How high do we fly

We can fly from a few centimeters above the ground up to 12,500 ft above sea level. Legally above 12500 ft above sea level oxygen is needed.

How high do we fly

We can fly from a few centimeters above the ground up to 12,500 ft above sea level. Legally above 12500 ft above sea level oxygen is needed.

Going to Launch site and back to Camp/Lodge

We provide transport to and from your hotel/lodge/camp. Upon your request we may take you on a game drive after the Champagne Breakfast. See the list of camps we collect from.

How do we land

It all depends on the wind on any given day – 95% of days the wind takes us south, deep into the Masai Mara Reserve where we land.

How the pilot controls the balloon

The pilot controls the vertical access by heating or cooling the balloon (envelope). If the pilot adds heat to the envelope the balloon goes up and if he lets the envelope cool, the balloon will go down. If the pilot wants to stay buoyant in equilibrium, he will keep the envelope at the same temperature. The balloons fly by the wind. If there are winds of different direction in different heights the pilot can go up or down and steer the balloon according to the direction of the wind.