GUIDE FOR BALLOON SAFARIS IN TANZANIA WITH AFRICANMECCA

Decades ago, intrepid travelers on safari in Tanzania paid vast sums to pilots of small aircraft who would adventurously peril their lives tree hopping a few feet from the ground to secure a clear view of wildlife on the Serengeti Plains. Today, you can have even better views, sailing along, safely and serenely in a basket, swaying above the grasslands, noiseless and unhurried, only your shadow sweeping over herds of graceful antelopes, thundering migrating wildebeests, and amazingly voluptuous zebra, some stalked by territorial predators like lions, cheetahs and scavenging fauna, from terrestrial hyenas to avian vultures, as they pour across the endless savannah.

A hot air balloon flight is a luxury option, but somewhat unpredictable, since you must resign yourself to going wherever the wind takes you. Your pilot is skilled and experienced with their daily flights, but he cannot control the wind, so that every avian ride is new and different, revealing different aspects of the wilderness from new perspectives every time.



You may soar high enough to see the curvature of the earth as you chase the rising of the morning sun towards the horizon, with a true bird´s eye view of the awe-inspiring amphitheatre that is the focus of your discerning AfricanMecca vacation (read more on the best time to go to Tanzania) Or you may float gently just above the flat-topped thorn trees, disturbing roosting vultures or browsing long-necked giraffes.

An AfricanMecca wildlife tour in Tanzania offers balloon trips over the Seronera valley in Central Serengeti, where wildlife gathers all year round beside permanent water sources. Over the Grumeti and Mara Rivers in Western and Northern Serengeti respectively, you can have spectacular sightings of dramatic crossings during the Great Wildebeest Migration, where giant crocodiles lie in wait for hundreds of thousands of terrified wildebeests braving the turbulent waters. From January to February, for three weeks, 8000 calves are born every day on the South Serengeti plains of Ndutu, Masek and Kusini. A balloon overview offers far better access than an African game viewing safari in a four-wheel drive vehicle.



Up on a balloon in the Tarangire and following the silver twists of the Tarangire River as the sun rises over the skyline, herds of elephant gather, the giant baobab trees dotting the plain confusing your vision until you approach closer to realise just how massive the pachyderms are among the giant monolithic trees. In the distance, the blue profile of the great African Rift Valley Escarpment adds to the feeling of unreality, whilst massive termite mounds cast incredibly long, dark shadows along the ground, sometimes masking the presence of a family of mongooses.

In the air, verreaux's eagle may wing above you, leisurely inspecting these intruders into his kingdom, or flocks of brightly painted weavers and sunbirds may be disturbed closer to the ground. To emphasis the boutique luxury of such an air excursion of Tarangire and Serengeti, you will be regaled with a generous champagne breakfast to re-energize the astonishment of your return to earth.



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