There is nothing quite like the feeling of freedom and exhilaration you get when flying high above the African plains. Sure, waking up at dawn during your vacation may sound less than pleasant. However, the rewards of embarking on this high-flying adventure greatly outweigh the inconvenience of setting your alarm clock for somewhere between 4 a.m. to 5 a.m.
As your guide takes you to the balloon launch pad, you’ll begin to feel the anticipation grow. While you enjoy a steaming hot cup of coffee or tea, the balloon crew will inflate your balloon and prepare everything for take-off. Once the balloon is filled and you’ve climbed into the basket beneath it, your pilot will give you a short briefing before setting the balloon into motion. As the sun begins to rise, so does your balloon begin to slowly rise to the skies.
If you decide to visit the Masai Mara between July and October, you will have a chance of spotting the ‘Great Migration‘ while flying above the African plains. Other exciting sights to behold include watching predators such as lions hunting their prey, leopards perched up high in trees, and seeing active hyena dens. Every hot air balloon flight brings with it the opportunity to see new and exciting sights below. Your pilot will make sure to fly lower at times to allow for the best possible pictures to be taken.
The only caveat to this experience is that Hot-air balloon flights are quite pricey, starting at 450 dollars per person. One of the reasons for this is the fact that balloons can only be used for a limited number of hours before they’re replaced. After approximately 850 flight hours, most balloons are retired and a new balloon must be purchased to guarantee passengers’ safety. What also makes hot air balloon flights expensive is the cost of fuel and the number of crews that operate the hot air balloon. Crews are made up of six crew members and a licensed balloon pilot. An additional ten people behind the scenes are responsible for getting each hot air balloon airborne.
In total, this adds up to quite a group of people whose livelihoods depend on the proceeds from hot air balloon flights. In addition to this, each hot air balloon flight requires recovery vehicles, transfer vehicles, and backup operations. To top this off, a large portion of the hot air balloon flight fees are made up of conservation fees.
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