Floating Over the Serengeti on a Balloon Safari
Floating Over the Serengeti on a Balloon Safari
By Charles L Harmon
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It was still dark as the driver drove over to the farthest of the two huge balloons. We were in the Serengeti, in Tanzania Africa, venturing upon our first ride in a balloon over a small part of the Serengeti. This was a short Balloon Safari where we would have a chance to see the wild animals from a great aerial vantage point.
There were at least a half-dozen men tending to handling the big balloon while shooting hot blasts of air into it to get it to fully inflate. Laying on its side it was really huge with a large basket where we would ride once inflated. We were introduced to our captain, a young native African with a great personality. He gave us a quick class on the procedures of entering the basket and some rules to follow to insure our safety.
After about fifteen minutes we could see the huge balloon start to take shape and balloon out about half full of hot air, or maybe more. The crew kept tabs on the balloon and held it while still maneuvering heated air into its throat. A few minutes later the captain motioned for us to enter the basket, which was lying on its side. The six in our group joined with other safari goers and all sixteen of us finally lay sideways in the huge basket waiting for takeoff.
A couple of minutes later the basket started dragging the ground a little then the edge tilted upward and the balloon started to slowly rise. The sun was just starting to edge up over the horizon. It was a beautiful sight. All cameras were snapping trying to capture the sunrise and the scenery all around below us. The captain fired his gas burners and the balloon rose higher, but at a slow rate of speed. We were also going forward and starting to see the wild animals below us. Some seemed oblivious to us, while some seemed scared. I wonder what the animals thought of that huge balloon floating almost silently over them.
We drifted slowly over the plains looking at the different animals below us and the different terrain features we were flying over. There were giraffes, hippos in large pools of water, impala and other animals. We spotted some vultures and other birds. Looking off to the side we spotted a lone hyena running across some tall grass, possibly chasing some prey.
There to our left, less than a quarter mile away, was the second balloon about at the same elevation as us. We saw some of the passengers there pointing down. We looked and saw a mother lion and two cubs briskly walking through the brush. The captain lowered the balloon so we could get a closer look at some of the animals. It seemed that our basket would get snagged in the trees, but we soared over the tops of the trees by several yards.
Lots of photos were taken so we would have an abundance of pictures to remind us of that balloon safari and all the animals we saw there. After about twenty minutes or so the captain said we had to land. It seemed the wind was stronger than anticipates so our trip ended some ten or fifteen minutes earlier that expected. We landed upright, very softly, near a small dirt road. Our vehicle, a Toyota Land Cruiser, was waiting a few hundred feet away. We took more pictures and headed off toward our vehicle.
Vehicles for everyone, the two balloons passengers, all were there. We loaded up and took off down the road. Ten or fifteen minutes later we stopped. Off the side of the road about two hundred feet away we spotted a long table with chairs and covered with a white tablecloth. There in the middle of the savanna was a complete breakfast setup complete with a delicious meal.
We headed over there and all enjoyed an excellent first class meal. We conversed and had a good time. That breakfast was totally unexpected and really capped off the balloon safari and our last day of our African safari. We had been in the bush over a week, but none of us was really ready to leave the wilderness and wild animals.
After more photos, conversations, and chatting with the two captains, we loaded back into our vehicle and started the hour and a half trip back to the airport for our trip back to Arusha. The hour flight went past fast. In Arusha we had a big lunch and prepared for our trip to the Kilimanjaro airport which was another hour or so away.
If you ever decide to go on an African safari be sure to consider a balloon safari if you are in an area where it’s allowed. Take a good camera for you will see a wide range of sights and scenes with loads of wild animals you never could see in their natural habitat otherwise. You’ll never want to visit a zoo again once you experience the thrill of an African safari or a Balloon Safari over the Serengeti.
Copyright © Charles Harmon
About the Author
Charles has been on the Internet since the early 2000’s but only started having his own websites in the past three years. He has had over 70 websites during that time. Now he has a service creating and installing websites for those just getting started with their own website on the Internet.
