Up, Up and Away: Ballooning over the Serengeti

The 3:30 a.m. wake up call may have deprived us of some sleep, but the anticipation of what laid ahead was plenty of incentive to get out of bed, gather cameras and meet our group in the lobby for 4:30 a.m. pick up. The vehicles traversed the bumpy park roads in darkness and finally after 90 minutes we arrived at the launch site just as the balloons were starting to be filled with fans. Our Canadian pilot, Moses, conducted the safety briefing, issued safety belts and we watched with awe as he turned on the burners, the balloon righted itself and we climbed into the 16-passenger basket.

It was up, up, and away just as the sun was peeking out over the horizon. Moses deftly maneuvered us over the vast expanse of the Serengeti, dipping down to lower altitudes occasionally to see game. We flew over elephants, giraffe and the most exciting was a pride of lions asleep in the tall grasses. Our one-hour flight soared up to over 2,000 feet and the panoramic views were simply stunning. I highly recommend this special experience and it is totally worth the early start!

We had a champagne breakfast in a magical spot under a huge acacia tree and then commenced the 2-hour overland journey to the Grumeti Reserve, a private 350,000-acre land concession in the northwest corner of the Serengeti. At last, we were in open vehicles and thus able to experience the safari with all of our senses. More importantly, as it was private land and not subject to the national park regulations, we were able to go “off road” and enjoy much more up close encounters with animals. This is an important distinction to understand when contemplating a safari and planning the itinerary! Our destination was Sasakwa, a luxurious lodge under the Singita portfolio where we would spend the next two nights. I’d visited Sasakwa the last time I was in Tanzania 10 years ago and it had blown me away at the time as the finest safari lodge I’d ever experienced and happy to advise that it has not slipped!

Sasakwa is enviably situated atop a hill with majestic views over the plains below. It accommodates 30 people in a combination of one, two, three and four-bedroom cottages. I was staying in the two-bedroom Ruark Cottage, ironically the exact same one I stayed in on my prior visit. It is beautifully decorated with colonial style furnishings, crystal chandeliers and touches of Old Africa. The outdoor patio featured a private plunge pool, however the baboons commandeered it so it did not see any use from me! We dined under a star-filled African sky and it was so good to be back here. I was already lamenting that my stay was not long enough.