There’s more to safari in the Serengeti than you may think.
While the more common excursion — one spent in a vehicle that can get you feet from the world’s most magnificent creatures — should never be ignored, there’s an incomparable experience to be had up above in a hot-air balloon safari. You won’t be up close to the animals, but an excursion by air will give you the best look of the picturesque terrain.
After all, any safari is just as much about absorbing the landscape that serves as the animals’ natural habitat. But here we were, high above Tanzania, where we silently drifted over the central Serengeti looking over a breathtaking panorama. Down below we spied gold-colored grasses upon which animals hunt; and the winding Seronera River where hippos gather to bathe and countless flat-top acacia trees sprout leaves to feed giraffes.
It’s always best to start a hot-air balloon ride at sunrise, when temperatures stay cool, and peak numbers of animals roam about. But it’s not just the time of day that’s important — it’s also the time of year.
Try booking your balloon flight for early summer, when you’ll witness a massive migration of zebra and wildebeest through the central Serengeti from a bird’s eye view. From our perch above, we soared past hordes of them traveling north together to Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve in search of greener pastures.
Only above-ground can you witness the magnitude of this annual journey; you’ll look below and see a swath of zebras’ black-and-white-striped coats mixed with the wildebeests’ brown ones traveling in single-file lines. And it’s a magnificent sight to behold.
Book your trip
Serengeti Balloon Safaris ($539 per person) features expert pilots and a variety of excursions throughout the national park. Trips range from flights near the shores of Lake Victoria in the western Serengeti to others in the south, where wildebeest birth their calves in February. After landing, there’s a champagne toast followed by a catered breakfast in the bush.
Where to stay
Continue the thrills of safari sights at the Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti (from $2,000/night), whose pool and terrace overlook a watering hole frequently visited by roaming elephants. The lodge also organizes its own expertly guided safari drives, with trips — in half- or full-day options — heading throughout all points of the Serengeti.
Getting there
Premium carrier Qatar Airways jets to Dar es Salaam from NYC with a stop in Doha (from $2,036 in June). From Dar, catch a connecting flight to the Serengeti on charter carrier Luxury Short Safari, which zooms past Mount Kilimanjaro en route ($9,700 each way for an 18-seat Beechcraft charter).