A Balloon Ride in Kenya: See Maasai Mara’s Majesty

Most travel “bucket lists” lead with an African Safari. Or at least rank as a top three destination experience. The movie, “Out of Africa” and the works of Isak Dinesen were all I needed.

Meryl Streep’s rhapsodic soliloquy in the film’s opening scenes, “I had a farm in Africa at the foot of the Ngong Hills,”

inspired my Kenyan odyssey, a trip I completely under-estimated for sheer wonder. I enjoyed every single astonished moment in country. The animals, of course. Giraffe, zebra, hippos. Ostrich.

And The Big Five: the elephant, buffalo, leopard. lion and rhino, so-called because they were considered the most difficult animals to hunt on foot in the last 19th and early 20th century.

So what should you see if you want to approximate the wonder of the Out of Africa Experience? Start in Kenya’s capital city, Nairobi, and head southwest. To the Ngong Hills and the Maasai Mara. Then book a hot air balloon tour of the Mara.

Take a Balloon Ride

The perspective offered from the vantage point of a hot air balloon ride at sunrise is magical. To appreciate the scale of this landscape and the size of the herds of animals grazing in the Maasai Mara, nothing equals a hot-air balloon adventure.

I met our group in the pre-dawn chill of a September morning. The pictures below give you an idea of the experience.

We finished our trip with a wonderful catered champagne breakfast. Echoes of what I imagined Karen von Blixen’s hospitality might have been. Then we headed farther southwest to the Tanzanian border. For these views…

and a quick stop to introduce ourselves and show our appreciation for the Maasai welcome.

Many Kenyan companies offer hot air ballon rides over the Mara…they average about $450 per person and include a variety of amenities, such as the breakfast we enjoyed. Trips are weather dependent so be sure and check cancellation and refund policies. Also, not recommended for travelers with significant back issues as landings can be a bit rough.