Masai Mara Hot Air Balloon Safaris

The Two Flights Side by Side

The table compares the two balloon flights on price, length, what the price covers, basket size and the traveller each one suits. Figures come from the two listings and are per person.

Who Each Price Suits

The $495 flight suits travellers who want the details up front: basket sizes, the age limit, the camps it does not serve and a guaranteed window seat. It also lets you reserve now and pay later.

The $593 flight suits travellers whose camp sits outside the cheaper flight's pickup area. Its listing gives fewer details, so ask about basket size and pickup time before you pay.

The reserve fee of $100 or $200 per non-resident adult per day is charged for your days in the reserve, not for the flight.

From Wakeup Call to Landing

On the $495 flight a representative briefs you at your lodge the night before. A wakeup call comes in the dark, then a car transfer of about 1 hour to the launch site and a safety briefing.

The flight lasts about 1 hour and 10 minutes and drifts wherever the air currents take it. Each guest gets a guaranteed window seat. No take-off clock time is published, so ask at the briefing.

On the $593 flight, crews inflate the balloon in the dark, you lift off around sunrise and the flight lasts an hour or so.

Breakfast and the Drive Back

After landing, the $495 flight runs a short game drive to a bush breakfast with a glass of champagne. Breakfast takes about 1 hour. An open Jeep then returns you to your lodge, with more game viewing on the way.

The $593 flight serves a champagne breakfast cooked where the balloon lands, then transfers you back to camp, about 4 hours in all.

Game drives back to camp follow the reserve rules. Where more than five vehicles wait at a sighting, viewing is limited to 10 minutes and the queue stays 100 metres back.

Where the Pickups Run

The $495 flight includes pickup and drop-off at your lodge or camp in the Masai Mara. It lists 4 pickup location options: Ololaimutiek Village, Keekorok, Sekenani and Narok County.

The $593 flight includes pickup and drop off at your hotel and ends with a transfer back to camp. It does not name the areas it serves, so give your camp name when you book.

A same-day trip from Nairobi does not work for either flight. Plan the balloon inside a stay of at least one night, and see the Masai Mara day trip from Nairobi guide for what one day covers.

Camps the Cheaper Flight Does Not Serve

The $495 flight excludes pickup from the far west of the Mara. It names three camps: Mara West Camp, Mara Serena Safari Lodge and Neptune Mara Rianta Luxury Camp. If you sleep at one of them, ask the $593 operator about pickup before you book either flight.

To reach a camp the evening before, Mara Conservancy lists 6 airlines with daily scheduled flights to the Mara: Air Kenya, Safarilink, Fly540, Mombasa Air Services, Aeronav and Boskovic Air Charters. Road options are on the how to get to the Masai Mara page.

What the Price Covers

The $495 flight includes pickup and drop-off at your Mara lodge or camp, the hot air balloon ride, a full breakfast with a glass of champagne and a local guide who speaks English. Gratuities are optional and not included.

The $593 flight includes the Balloon Safari Fee, breakfast and pickup and drop off to your hotel. Gratuities are excluded. Neither listing includes lunch, and photos sold after the flight are not part of the price.

The Reserve Fee Is Separate

Neither listing includes a reserve fee, because both collect you from a camp already inside the park. The fee belongs to your days in the reserve, so ask your safari operator or camp whether their price covers it.

Mara Conservancy charges non-resident adults $100 per day from 1 January to 30 June and $200 per day from 1 July to 31 December. Children aged 0 to 8 enter free and non-resident children aged 9 to 17 pay $50 per day. Park fees are not taken in cash, only by M-Pesa or credit card.

Flying in from abroad also needs a Kenya eTA, which starts at $30 for normal processing of up to 72 hours.

How the Ticket Works

Mara Conservancy, which runs the Mara Triangle, sells a 12-hour park entry ticket. It applies from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm no matter when you enter. It does not carry overnight for the 12-hour period, so each day in the reserve is its own fee day. Vehicle fees are also valid for 12 hours, with unlimited exits and re-entries.

If you stay in the Mara Triangle and drive in through Sekenani Gate, you pay only when you reach Purungat Bridge.

What It Means for a Balloon Morning

The flight adds no fee day by itself, since both collect you from a camp you already sleep in. Your days in the reserve set the fee, at $100 or $200 per non-resident adult per day by season. Adding a night just for the flight adds a fee day, so count it when you compare plans.

Migration and Rain

Mara Conservancy describes the Great Migration reaching the Mara Triangle by the Sand River around June, then moving on to the Mara River within days. It counts 1,245,000 wildebeest and 200,000 zebra in the herds.

The Kenya Meteorological Department lists two rainy seasons in Kenya: the long rains from March to May and the short rains from October to December. The $495 flight says daily departures are ensured., but ask what happens if a morning is grounded.

More on the months is in the best time for a Masai Mara safari guide.

The Fee Seasons

The reserve fee for a non-resident adult doubles with the calendar. It is $100 per day from 1 January to 30 June and $200 per day from 1 July to 31 December.

June catches the migration's arrival at the lower rate. From July you pay the higher daily fee. The flight prices of $495 and $593 stay the same.

Age, Mobility and Fitness

The $495 flight is not suitable for children under 8 years. It is not wheelchair accessible, because you climb over the rim to get into the basket. It sets no height or weight restrictions.

The $593 flight sells child tickets for ages 2 to 11 and says it suits all fitness levels. It names no minimum flying age, so confirm with the operator before booking a young child.

For the reserve fee, children aged 0 to 8 enter free and non-resident children aged 9 to 17 pay $50 per day.

Who Should Skip It

Skip the flight if you can only spend one day in the Mara, since both pickups need a night in the reserve. Skip it too if a pre-dawn wakeup call ruins your day. Treat the flight as an add-on to a full Masai Mara safari, not a replacement for game drives.

Three Questions to Decide

Where do you sleep? If it is Mara West Camp, Mara Serena Safari Lodge or Neptune Mara Rianta Luxury Camp, the $495 flight will not collect you, so ask the $593 operator.

Who is flying? A child under 8 cannot join the $495 flight.

How much certainty do you want? The $495 flight states basket sizes of 8 or 15 people, a private balloon for 8 and a window seat for each guest. Both refund in full up to 24 hours before the flight.