Hot Air Balloon Safari Serengeti: 1-Hour Flight & Bush Breakfast

An hour above the plains, then breakfast where the animals roam

A hot air balloon safari over Serengeti National Park combines a 1-hour sunrise flight with wildlife spotting from the air, a champagne celebration at landing, and a full bush breakfast served in the park. The experience includes pickup from your accommodation, a multilingual pilot, binoculars, refreshments before takeoff, and a certificate marking the flight. Choose your launch zone (central, western, northern or southern Serengeti) depending on where you're staying or which region you want to explore.

Step-by-step itinerary

Hot Air Balloon Safari and Breakfast

• Arrive at launch site around 5:45 AM
• Enjoy refreshments and pilot briefing
• Watch balloon inflation and take photos
• Take off at sunrise over Serengeti
• Balloon safari spotting wildlife for 1 hour
• Celebrate landing with champagne toast
• Enjoy bush breakfast in the wild
• Receive adventure certificate
• Meet drivers for onward transfers

The experience

You arrive at the launch site around 5:45 AM with tea, coffee and light refreshments waiting while the balloon is prepared. The pilot briefs you on safety and flight positions, then you watch the envelope inflate before boarding at sunrise. The balloon lifts off gently as the Serengeti's plains come into view bathed in golden light: the moment most people travel for and rarely see this way.

For the next hour you're airborne with a coffee in hand, spotting elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest and lions moving across the landscape below. The pilot narrates what you're seeing and points out details of the ecosystem you'd miss from the ground. You have binoculars and time to photograph the animals and the vast open plains without the noise or dust of a vehicle. When the balloon descends for a smooth landing somewhere in the park, the crew greets you with a champagne toast: a tradition from the first hot air balloon flight ever made.

Breakfast follows at the breakfast site in the wild: fresh dishes prepared on-site, served surrounded by Serengeti views. If you're celebrating a birthday or anniversary, the crew arranges a cake. You receive a certificate afterward, then meet your driver for onward transfers or a continued game drive. The whole experience runs about 5 hours from pickup to drop-off.

What’s included

• Pickup from your accommodation.
• 1-hour hot air balloon flight at sunrise over Serengeti National Park.
• binoculars for wildlife spotting.
• coffee served onboard.
• champagne celebration at landing.
• full bush breakfast with fresh dishes prepared on-site.
• tea, coffee and light refreshments before takeoff.
• pilot briefing and safety instruction.
• certificate marking your flight.
• multilingual pilot (English, Spanish or French).

Options for this experience

4 options

Seronera (Central Serengeti)Guide in English, Spanish or French · 05:00Set in the Seronera River Valley of Central Serengeti, the heart of the park, this area offers game viewing all year round. Lasts 5 hours. Includes a bush breakfast and snacks, and pickup is included.

Kogatende (Northen Serengeti)Guide in English, Spanish or French · 05:00The Mara River flows through northern Serengeti, where the annual wildebeest migration crossings take place between July and October. Lasts 5 hours. Includes a bush breakfast and snacks, and pickup is included.

Ndutu (Southern Serengeti)Guide in English, Spanish or French · Available from 16 Dec · 05:00A largely grassland area in the northern part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, where it meets the Serengeti. Lasts 5 hours. Includes a bush breakfast and snacks, and pickup is included.

Kirawira (Western Serengeti)Guide in English, Spanish or French · Available from 1 May 2027Known for the exciting river crossings of the Grumeti River during the Great Migration, from May to July. Lasts 5 hours. Includes a bush breakfast and snacks, and pickup is included.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Information

Lasts 5h, runs every day at 05:00, from US$ 599 per person, with a live guide in English, Spanish and French and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 05:00Another time? ›

GroupUp to 923 private ›

Live guideEnglish, Spanish and FrenchOther languages ›

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Book up to8h before

AgesAdult (18 to 64 years) · Senior (65 and older) · Youth (12 to 17 years) · Child (5 to 11 years) · Under 5: can't be booked

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by Miracle Experience Balloon Safaris

Is this one for you?Soar above the Serengeti at dawn to witness the landscape and wildlife from a perspective ground vehicles can't reach, then settle in for breakfast while the light is still golden.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish and French.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (12 to 17 years); Child (5 to 11 years). Children under 5 can't be included in the booking.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

How long is the actual flight time over the Serengeti?

The balloon flight lasts approximately 1 hour, during which you spot wildlife and take photos from the air. The full experience (including arrival, briefing, inflation, flight, champagne celebration and bush breakfast) takes about 5 hours total.

What wildlife will I see from the balloon?

The Serengeti's animals visible from the air include elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeest and lions. The pilot shares insights into the ecosystem as you fly, and binoculars are provided so you don't miss details of the landscape and wildlife below.

Is pickup from my hotel included?

Pickup from your accommodation to the launch site is included. If you're staying outside Serengeti National Park, transfers may depend on your chosen launch zone. Confirm this when you select your option at checkout.

What time does the balloon safari start?

You arrive at the launch site around 5:45 AM for refreshments and safety briefing. Takeoff happens at sunrise, so the exact time varies slightly by season, but the early morning departure is what makes the golden-light views possible.

Which launch zone should I choose?

You pick one of four zones at checkout: Seronera in central Serengeti, Kirawira in the west, Kogatende in the north, or Ndutu in the south. Your choice depends on where you're staying or which region of the park you want to explore from the air.