Mara Ballooning - is it worth it?

About half our customers book the ballooning option, but at £275 per person it is not cheap, so is it worth doing? I took an early morning balloon ride over the Masai Mara in September.

It is a very early start - before dawn, however on safari you tend to go to bed early and get up early anyway. We made our way to the take off location just as dawn was breaking. The balloon was inflated, the burners tested, and we all go in. There were about 6 of us inside including the pilot. (One question I am often asked is can you fall out? - No - you can see over the sides but they are big enough so there is no chance of falling out!)

As the sun was slowly coming up, we ignited the burners and slowly lifted off the ground. I'm not very good with knowing what altitude we were at, but you could clearly see wildebeest, zebra, giraffe and elephants below.

The biggest surprise was the silence. When the burners are turned off it is deadly quiet. You are just floating above the Masai Mara, taking photographs and admiring the views. After an hour it was time to come down, when a bush breakfast was waiting for us, complete with champagne.

As an experience, it is one of the world's most special things to do, so yes it is definitely worth it. (Please note that if you are on honeymoon, many couples choose to enrol in the honeymoon vouchers scheme. Your guests can contribute to things like the balloon ride.)