Quick answer
A hot air balloon safari in the Masai Mara or Amboseli costs $440 per adult and $330 per child under 11. You lift off at dawn for roughly an hour above the plains — herds, rivers and (in Amboseli) Kilimanjaro views — then land to a champagne bush breakfast and a flight certificate. Transfers from nearby lodges and camps are arranged as part of your booking.
Indicative timings — your exact schedule is confirmed in the written quote.
Pre-dawn pickup from your lodge or camp
Arrive at the launch site — coffee while the balloon inflates
Lift off at first light for a ±1-hour flight over the plains
Landing, followed by a champagne bush breakfast
Flight certificate, then game-drive transfer back to your camp
What to bring
The Masai Mara National Reserve in southwestern Kenya is a premier 1,510-square-kilometre wildlife sanctuary. Renowned for the annual Great Wildebeest Migration from July to October, it offers exceptional year-round Big Five viewing across open savannahs. The reserve is contiguous with Tanzania's Serengeti, forming a critical, biodiverse transboundary ecosystem.
Amboseli National Park is one of Kenya's most celebrated wildlife destinations, renowned for its impressive elephant populations and unrivaled views of Mount Kilimanjaro. Covering approximately 392 square kilometers in southern Kenya, the park offers exceptional game viewing, diverse ecosystems, and rich cultural experiences. Visitors can spot elephants, lions, cheetahs, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, and over 400 bird species throughout the year. The park's swamps, grasslands, acacia woodlands, and seasonal lakes create ideal wildlife habitats and stunning photographic opportunities. Amboseli National Park delivers unforgettable safari adventures, breathtaking scenery, and authentic African wildlife experiences.
Hot Air Balloon Safari — Masai Mara or Amboseli: $440 per adult, $330 child under 11. Same rates in the Masai Mara and Amboseli. Seats are limited — book ahead in migration season. Availability on request — response and confirmation within minutes, or a few hours at busy times. T&Cs apply.
About 4 hours, with a ±1-hour flight. The tour starts from your Mara or Amboseli lodge/camp.
Pre-dawn transfer from your lodge or camp; ±1-hour balloon flight; Champagne bush breakfast; Flight certificate. Final inclusions are itemised in your written quote before you pay anything.
Warm layer for the pre-dawn start; Flat closed shoes; Camera with a strap — both hands free for landing; Hat that won't blow away (burner heat overhead).
From 2 guests who travelled the Hot Air Balloon Safari — Masai Mara or Amboseli
A honeymoon of our dreams, Kenya you’ve blown us away. The wildlife, scenery, food and people are all as amazing as each other. A big thank you to Imara africa safaris and Simon our guide for such an exceptional week long adventure around this beautiful county. The highlight for us was the sunrise hot air balloon ride across the Masai Mara- WOW. 🫶
Chris Pendleton
October 2026
Kate Amy Rankin/October 2026
More Than a Safari – An Unforgettable Honeymoon Our Kenya Safari with Imara Africa Safaris 11th–20th September 2026. We couldn’t recommend Imara Africa Safaris enough. From the moment we first spoke to Wendy, the owner, we knew we’d found the right company for our honeymoon. We had previously received quotes from UK travel companies, but they didn’t seem to understand the itinerary we wanted and the prices were ridiculously high. I then found Imara through Tripadvisor and SafariBookings. Wendy completely understood what we wanted from the start and, after so many WhatsApp conversations, genuinely became more of a friend than just the person organising our trip. Wendy created our perfect itinerary: 2 nights at The Glee Hotel in Nairobi, 3 nights at Soroi Samburu Lodge and 4 nights at Neptune Mara Rianta Luxury Tented Camp in the Maasai Mara. She organised all our accommodation, bush flights, transfers and activities, and everything ran seamlessly. She even arranged a VIP chauffeur at Nairobi Airport at customs to take us through arrivals seamlessly and personally met us when we arrived. The following day, Wendy came to see us again with her husband to introduce us properly to our guide, Simon. They also brought us some beautiful gifts and keepsakes to take home, which was such a thoughtful personal touch and something we’ll be able to keep forever. Simon was fantastic throughout the safari. We had our own private Toyota Land Cruiser and his knowledge of the wildlife was incredible. We saw elephants, cheetahs, Grevy’s zebras, Nile crocodiles, huge numbers of wildebeest and some unforgettable lion sightings, including a lion dragging a kill and lion cubs with their mum. Simon also collected our larger suitcases the day before we flew by bush plane and drove them ahead to our next camp. With the luggage restrictions on the bush flights, this was a massive help, especially as we were travelling for three weeks. We could simply pack an overnight bag and take that with us. Wendy also arranged our hot air balloon safari, bush breakfast, picnic lunches and private sundowners. One was a complete surprise, with Kenyan snacks and drinks while we watched the sunset. Our safari vehicle was also stocked with soft drinks and beers - all the little details were so thoughtful. Everything ran perfectly from 11th–20th September. We never had to worry about the logistics and could simply enjoy the experience. A huge thank you to Wendy, Simon and the whole Imara team for giving us such an incredible honeymoon. The service was genuinely 5-star, and we’re already talking about when we can return to Kenya and explore more of Africa. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Imara to anyone planning a safari.
ashwin zenev jerome/November 2026
Our trip to Kenya was an unusual one in many ways. It was a family holiday, but with a twist — an all-men’s group, with ages ranging from 37 to 72! Managing a group with such a wide age range and different expectations was no small task. But choosing Imara Safari turned out to be one of the best decisions we made. Right from the beginning, we realised that Imara Safari is much more than just a travel company. Wendy and her team are genuinely some of the finest human beings you could meet. Their warmth, hospitality and willingness to accommodate every little request made us feel less like clients and more like family. There were a couple of situations during our trip that truly showed us what sets them apart. In one instance, we faced an unexpected situation that wasn’t even their responsibility. They could easily have stayed out of it, but instead, they went out of their way and put in the extra effort to help us sort it out. That spoke volumes about the kind of people they are. And then came my uncle’s birthday! I called Wendy and requested a cake to celebrate his birthday. Before I could even explain much, she surprised me by saying that they already knew about it because they had noticed his date of birth in his passport — and had actually planned a surprise for him from their end! Honestly, we were dumbstruck. That level of thoughtfulness and attention to detail is something you rarely come across. You can have the best systems, the best itinerary and the best facilities, but genuine hospitality comes from the heart. And when people do things with heart, it shows in every little detail. Throughout the trip, whether it was a big requirement or the smallest request, Wendy and her team were always there for us. A special mention to our guides and drivers, Patrick and Simon. What started as a professional arrangement quickly turned into a friendship. These two are absolute legends — incredibly cool, great company, and, more importantly, some of the best wildlife trackers and professionals you could ask for. Their knowledge, patience and ability to spot animals made our safari experience truly special. And no matter what we asked for, the response was almost always the same: “Hakuna Matata!” That phrase became the soundtrack of our trip! Wendy, Patrick and Simon — thank you so much for everything. You made this trip memorable not just because of the places we visited and the wildlife we witnessed, but because of the people you are. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for looking after us, going that extra mile and making us feel like family. Imara Safari is not just about organising a safari. It’s about creating experiences with heart. Highly recommended!
Ben Felgar/October 2026
This was a great tour. The accommodation were top-notch. Edward was very knowledgeable As a solo female traveler I felt safe.
Austin Oberlin/October 2026
Imara was very responsive and helpful in picking a Safari experience. They picked us up at our hotel in Nairobi. We had an excellent driver who guided us around Amboseli National Park for 3 days!
Aasma Aslam/October 2026
The whole experience was excellent. From the point of view enquiry right up until the drop off to the airport I can’t fault the service. Any queries we had were answered straight away with detail. The safari itself with the Imara Africa Safaris team was amazing- everything they promised at the beginning was delivered- by far the best holiday we have had made better because of Imara Africa Safaris. Finally our driver Jessie was brilliant. He was knowledgeable and very accommodating. We will definitely be returning in the near future and recommend Imara Africa Safaris to everyone.
T/October 2026
Very good experience. Everything was planned very well from Lincoln and realized by a great driver/guide Simon.
Vineeth Balachandran/October 2026
Finished our 5 day tour with Imara. What an amazing experience they gave us! Kate in the office was brilliant and helped us all the way through the planning of the trip. Tour started off with our guide Peter who drove around crazy, trying his best to show as many animals in Amboseli. Back drop of Kilimanjaro was a visual treat! We then went to Masai Mara. Simon, our guide was very knowledgable and committed to showing the big five, which he succeeded. We saw all the big five, some of them several times! Thoroughly enjoyed our time in Kenya and will highly recommend Imara tours. Word of caution-If you are visiting Masai village, you may get exploited. Just take care.
Hassan aljaber/October 2026
What an amazing experience. From the booking, to the airport, flexibility, activities, and most importantly our excellent guide Symon. Eunice was amazing with flexibility and booking, she was able to provide me with my exact needs and wants for the whole trip. We were able to experience all we wanted, and so much more. We spent 7 days in Kenya, one night in lake Naivasha, 2 nights in Amboseli, and finally 3 nights in Maasai Mara. We got to experience all the classic safari experiences, and so so so much more. Our guide Symon was spectacular, and was able to get us views of everything. With Symon, we were able to see the big 5, cheetas, and all the animals on our bucket list, and a lot of other unique sightings, such as a cheetah hunt, lions cubs feeding, and the rare twin baby elephants. We started our trip with a boat safari, crescent island, and a horse riding safari. We also had a quad bike safari in hells gate. Then in Amboseli and Maasai Mara, we got to see so many animals thanks to Symon.
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