Exploring Africa: The Pros and Cons of Booking a Private Safari

Africa feels like home to me. I've been to several countries, immersed myself in local issues, learned more about rich cultural heritage, and experienced breathtaking wildlife and incredible landscapes. Africa has always been a dream destination for adventurers and nature enthusiasts alike, and for good reason! What better way to experience the raw beauty of this continent than embarking on a safari? While group safaris are a popular choice for many travelers, we recently opted for an alternative that promises a more personalized and intimate experience- booking a private safari. I'm going to dive deep into the pros and cons of opting for a private safari so that you can make the best decision as you embark on exploring Africa.

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The Pros and Cons of Going on Safari to East Africa During the Rainy Season

Going to Africa is a bucket list trip for many! You could read on and on about when you should go to Africa, but sometimes your schedule {like ours!} dictates when you are actually available to travel. Most travelers choose to visit during the dry season, which is usually the end of June to the end of October. After we booked our trip and before we traveled I got sucked into blog post after blog post and article after article telling me why November was a horrible time to visit Africa! I got nervous and started tempering my expectations. After taking a three-week-long trip to East Africa in November, where we went on safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park, trekked gorillas in Uganda, went to Ngorongoro Crater, and made our way through Serengeti National Park before ending our trip with relaxation in Zanzibar, I started a running list of the pros and cons of visiting East Africa on safari in November. The pros list was surprisingly longer than I anticipated and this was the post I was hoping to read before our trip. Since I didn't find an honest report {outside of the ones that said don't book the trip!}, I am sharing our experience here in the hope that it will help you too!

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Planning a Hot Air Balloon Safari in the Serengeti: Everything You Need to Know

Going on safari was always a dream of mine! I had the chance to go on one for the first time in the Masai Mara after a vision trip with an NGO. It was quick! Just three short days and two nights. We took full advantage of our time on safari, and when we woke up for an early morning sunrise game drive, I noticed a sky full of hot air balloons departing. It was magical! I knew because of our limited schedule that we wouldn't have time for a hot air balloon safari then, so I dreamed of one day returning and knew that when I did, I'd make sure it was a priority. It took me ten years to get back on Safari, but when we did, I made sure that we made the time to plan a hot air balloon safari in the Serengeti. Here is everything you need to know if this experience is on your bucket list too!

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Planning a Hot Air Balloon Safari in the Serengeti

 

The Serengeti has vast plains that are teeming with wildlife. It's a mesmerizing destination that will captivate the heart of any adventure seeker and nature enthusiast! Traditional safaris are a popular choice for exploring this iconic region, but a hot-air balloon safari provides a totally new perspective! Waking up before sunrise and watching the sky light up while silently drifting over the beautiful Serengeti landscape is something you'll never forget. 

 

Having a birds-eye view, quite literally, while watching the wildlife below, is something you are going to want to add to the bucket list! I promise you, it will not disappoint! Here's everything you need to know to plan and prepare for a hot air balloon safari in the Serengeti!

 

Choosing the Right Time for a Hot Air Balloon Safari

 

The Serengeti has distinct seasons. There is a dry season from June to October. The dry season actually draws animals out and makes it easier to view wildlife because there is less hiding. Most people consider this the best time to go on safari and view animals. Some people want to view the Great Migration. If this is on your bucket list, it's best to try to plan for January to March when the wildebeest and zebras calve in the southern Serengeti. 

 

 

We actually went in November, which is considered the short rainy season. What we found about going in the rainy season is that there was a cloud cover that took away the bright sunrises and sunsets you often see that are quintessential Africa. We rarely had rain, but when we did it was short. Everything in the area was very green. All this green does mean that the animals have everything that they need and can often scatter further away from the main paths requiring a little more effort to actually see animals. But that doesn't mean that there was a shortage of animal sightings!

 

We also found that going in the rainy season means that it is the low season. Fewer people are visiting {yeah!}, but that also means that there are fewer hot air balloon opportunities. In fact, the company that we selected goes from having a dozen hot air balloons launching daily to only having two or three. That also means that they only have one launch location as opposed to the two that they normally have. Because of this, it required a morning wake-up call at 2:30 am, a departure at 3, and a bumpy two-hour drive before we made it to launch. Our tour operator didn't notice this {or thought maybe we wouldn't care?}. It's one thing I wish we had done differently staying closer to the main areas so we didn't have as long of a drive to get to the launch site. But all things considered, it ended up working out just fine, just meant an early morning and more driving.

 

Hot Air Balloon Cancelations

 

Safety is everyone's number one concern. As the mom of a pilot, I fully understand how much havoc weather can wreak on your plans. We spoke with some fellow passengers, who were scheduled for a hot air balloon safari the day prior and it was canceled due to strong winds. They still had to wake up early, they still had to arrive at the launch site and they still had to wait to see if they could launch. They were placed on the next day's schedule, but if you have a jam-packed agenda, weather and cancellations may make rescheduling difficult. If your flight is canceled because of the weather, make sure that you will be fully refunded or are offered priority rescheduling.

 

Selecting a Hot Air Balloon Operator

 

We left this in the hands of our tour operator. Planning a trip to Africa was the first time we felt like we really couldn't adequately plan our own trip. There were far too many moving parts. To make a successful trip, you are going to want to find a tour operator that you trust. They will know the reputable operators to use. We actually booked through Miracle Experience and I'd highly recommend them. 

 

Book Your Hot Air Balloon Experience in Advance

 

Hot air balloon safaris have hit an all-time peak. They are a very popular attraction, especially in the Serengeti and availability can be limited, especially during peak season. To secure your spot and avoid any disappointment, you should book your safari as far in advance as possible. 

 

Preparing for a Hot Air Balloon Safari

 

Once your safari is booked, there likely won't be much to think about until the day before your trip. You're guide will likely discuss a meeting point and plan a pickup time. Our hot air balloon guide actually stayed at our resort the night before. We met him the evening prior, signed all of our release forms and he answered any and all of our questions. 

 

Most operators provide transportation from lodges and camps to the launch site. They will arrange pick-up times with your driver guide once you are finished with your balloon safari. 

 

Hot air balloon safaris typically only take place early in the morning when the winds are calm and the wildlife is most active. Be prepared for an early morning wake-up call! I was surprised that once we were in the air, I wasn't cold at all, but I did dress warmly because it can get chilly in the early morning hours as you wait for launch. You will want to wear comfortable clothing and it's required to wear closed-toe shoes. If you have long hair, you will be asked to tie it back. If you are bald {like my husband}, you might be more comfortable with a hat, otherwise, the heat from the burner might make your head hot! You will also want to pack a good zoom lens for your camera and bring binoculars if you have them.

 

Experiencing a Hot Air Balloon Safari

 

Once you arrive at the launch site, your driver will point you in the direction of the bathrooms. These are the nicest outdoor toilets I've ever used in my life! They also have a bar with warm drinks. Since our drive was so long, we arrived right as they were gathering all the guests to head to their respective hot air balloons for launch instruction. 

 

You'll be matched with a pilot and that pilot will gather the people in his balloon for a safety briefing. They take this safety briefing very seriously and require all eyes on them and phones down and away. 

 

The Serengeti Start

 

The one thing that is unique to a hot air balloon ride in the Serengeti is what they call a Serengeti start. They actually start the balloon on its side and the passengers climb in on their backs in a seated position with your arms grabbing a safety bar. As the balloon inflates, a truck pulls the basket upright and then the balloon launches. Once the balloon is in the air, you can stand up in the basket. There are four basket compartments and four people can fit in each compartment for a total of 16 on your flight plus the pilot. 

 

Once You're in the Air

 

I think the one thing that surprised us about our ride in the hot air balloon was that it was so smooth. I occasionally get motion sickness and it wasn't an issue. It was the smoothest ride I've ever been on!

 

Your pilot will point out animals as you fly, but the route is always changing since you fly with the winds. The balloon often soared fairly low {often just above the tree tops} and if you were able to spot an animal group with enough foresight, the pilot attempted to steer closer and lower to get a better view. But if you know anything about steering a hot air balloon, you'll know that it can be a challenge since you are at the mercy of the winds!

 

The perspective is so different from the air and provides a completely unique experience! We flew over a tree with some eagles nesting at the top. We could watch the eagles watch us as we flew by! We saw a family of elephants and while the baby was curious, the mama wasn't quite so keen on us getting in her air space! The giraffes also ran quickly at the sound of the burner. On safari, the animals are so used to the trucks they hardly notice you, but in the hot air balloon, they just aren't as comfortable.

 

Most balloon experiences last about an hour, sometimes a little bit more if your pilot is looking for an adequate landing spot. Your balloon is followed by a chase crew that also has a radio. They will meet you on the ground. The pilot will explain their landing procedure and you may bump and jump just a bit on landing but you are seated in the same position that you launched from, so it was really quite smooth. 

 

Celebrating with Champagne

 

There's a long history of champagne and hot air balloons. The pilot went into a whole thing about how the inventor of the hot air balloon used to carry champagne as a way to make peace with the farmer's fields he would land in. Champagne continues to be a hot air ballooning tradition and on most hot air balloon safaris a traditional champagne breakfast or toast will await you upon landing. 

 

After we landed our balloon company actually transported us to a different location for a full breakfast experience. There was a lavish spread in the bush with an amazing breakfast. It was an incredible way to start the day! 

 Pin this post for later!

A sunrise hot air balloon safari over the Serengeti was just as magical as I expected it to be. I'm sure I'll never do anything like it again! It's definitely one to add to your travel bucket list.

 

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The Ultimate Safari Packing List for East Africa: What We Packed for 3 Weeks in Africa in a Backpack!

I must confess, I spent far longer thinking about what to pack for our three-week long safari adventure in East Africa than I would like to admit. I was very intentional about every item we packed, because it felt like we had to be. This was my third trip to East Africa and the thing that I love about it is that it is so diverse. There are beaches and mountains and savannahs and everything in between! On this trip, we went gorilla trekking in Uganda, took many safari game drives in parks in both Uganda and Tanzania and spent relaxing beach days in Zanzibar. And we did it all by packing in a backpack since we had several small airplane flights we were told limited bag sizes and weight {more on that!}. I think in the end, with three trips under my belt, that this is the ultimate safari packing list. It will cover everything that you need for your bucket list trip so you will have everything that you need and you will be able to pack in a carry on!

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What to Pack on Safari in Africa

Africa has always been a dream location of mine to visit so when I had the opportunity to go, I did whatever I could to make it happen. While I didn't go to Africa with the intention of going on safari, how could you not make the time to go on one while you are there? With the combination of a humanitarian trip and a safari, the packing was something I stressed out about. There are specific baggage allowances for your travel and it can make packing interesting. Here are my tips from my experience and what I would recommend for you to pack on safari in Africa.  I've even got a few items you should leave behind so you can be sure to bring all the essentials.

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Safari in the Masai Mara continued

In case you missed it, I shared some of my safari pictures 

from my recent trip to the Masai Mara on Thursday.

I was thankful that one of the members of our group to Uganda shared the use of his nicer camera with me, 

because it was fun to pretend I was a National Geographic photographer for a hot minute.

The safari was an amazing experience.

One that I thought I could only dream about.

So forgive me if this post is picture heavy.

I didn't want to forget a second!

One of the amazing aspects of the animal kingdom is how groups of animals take care of each other.

These topi's have two guards while the rest of the herd grazes.

It was a rare sighting, but we were lucky to see a black rhino on our safari.

There are only about 8 rhinos left in the Masai Mara because of poachers.

Seriously people, no one needs a rhino horn that badly!

We were fortunate also, that we saw a lot of big cats on our trip.

Like a lot a lot.

It seemed like they were always dotting the horizon.

This was a pride of younger lions with their mother close by.

As I mentioned in my previous post, we were in the Mara at the perfect time

 for the great wildebeest migration.

I don't know that I can accurately describe just how many wildebeest there are during this time.

There are over two million {yes, with an m}

 that make the trek into the Mara seeking grass to feed on.

It's amazing because you can look over the Savannah and just see ribbons of black where the wildebeest are lined up in a herd all grazing together.

zebra love

We spotted this cheetah a few days in a row.

It was amazing watching it stalk it's prey.

I must confess that after awhile on safari, you start to get blood thirsty.

You see animals feasting on fresh kills, and you get all circle of life out there,

but the desire to see the whole thing take place is intense.

We were willing some animals just to make their move and see them in action.

Even the smallest creatures are pretty spectacular.

impalas...and no, not the Chevy kind.

 A giraffe reuniting with his wildebeest friends

I wanted nothing more than to see a wildebeest stampede cross the river all Lion King like.

We waited for quite some time at this river crossing hoping to see just one wildebeest start the crossing.

It only takes one and then the rest follow, though the wildebeest did nothing more than get a drink.

Here's a close up.

I'm wondering if they are thinking about it but then surveying the huge numbers of crocs in the water and deciding against it.

These may look like big rocks, but it's a combination of hippos and crocs hanging out in the water together.

Just in case you were thinking of driving beyond that point, 

this guy is waiting to steer {ha ha, get it...steer..} you away.

Baby hippos and their mama's sunning themselves.

There are a few sanctioned break stops that you can make in the Mara,

this point in the river was one of them.

We were lucky enough to get to watch two crocodiles with a fresh zebra kill.

It always amazed me that the zebras stayed so close to the kill.

It's like, "hey, there's my friend George. Wonder what he's doing with that crocodile over there."

But I guess at that point, the crocs were busy feasting, so they were relatively safe...

Or so they thought.

It takes 2-3 crocodiles to take down an animal.

Crocodiles don't like to share their kill and the other crocs get a taste of blood and start getting all predatory.

Or maybe they are all predatory already.

I have no idea.  

Remember, I'm just pretending to be all National Geographic with my fancy pants camera.

Anyway, we watched several other crocodiles head in towards the group of unsuspecting zebras while they were getting a drink and pretty much scare the living daylights out of them.

The crocs would move in and the zebras and wildebeest would run out.

Then after about a second when the zebras would forget, they would go in for another drink.

The whole cycle continued for 20 minutes at least while we watched.

Hungry to see a crocodile actually get a kill we waited, but never were rewarded during our wait.

This hippo on the other bank of the river just seemed happily oblivious to the drama playing out in front of her. 

 Once we parted ways with the crocs and zebras, we saw this zebra bleeding out at the top of the hill from where the other zebra friends were getting their drink.

It had obviously gotten a bite out of it from the crocodiles and managed to get away before bleeding out and becoming easy lion dinner.

The next day we saw the zebra head in the hands of this hyena

and these jackals taking care of the ribs that the lions had already gotten to.

The vultures weren't far behind taking care of the rest.

Circle of life people.

Pretty awesome stuff.

All this happening, while my new favorite friends the giraffes hang out munching on trees.

Look at those faces!

Those eyelashes!

Seriously, why do women not say I want eyelashes like a giraffe more often?

I was smitten with this baby elephant.

Her mama wasn't far behind in those trees,

but like any mama, she stayed far enough behind to let this little one seek independence, but was close enough in case she needed anything.

nursing elephant baby

cue awing now.

awwwwwwweeeeee

Check out this band of brothers out on the prowl.

This is their mama hanging back to see what her pride comes up with.

It was pretty amazing sitting and watching this mother lion while the elephant and giraffe wandered behind.

Cue the Lion King soundtrack people, we were having a moment!

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Mara, 

we found another pride of lions with their adolescent cubs.

We were told they were fresh off of a kill, though they seemed to perk up a bit when they saw these topi's walk by.

Nap time seemed more enticing then exerting the effort to catch anything.

It's hard to tell but that lion on the far right was laying on it's back.

Sort of like my dog does.

It should be a new In Style magazine segment:

"Cats in the Wild, they are just like our animals"

So after seeing all these lions, we started to get choosy and decided we wanted to hunt out a male lion.

You know, find Mufasa and stuff.

Some lion that had a long mane of hair blowing in the wind and could roar so loud it would set off car alarms in the next village.

We found him.

Actually we found not just one male lion, we found three.

Three brothers, though this guy was the only one up and moving,

the other two were taking a little siesta.

This lion had his eye on a cape buffalo, but these buffalo would have nothing of it.

We watched a whole herd of buffalo chase down and run off this lion.

It was pretty spectacular.

Defeated, but still the king of the jungle.

I think the part of safari that I will never forget is looking up on the horizon and seeing the most amazing animals all lined up.

It's breathtaking, and so very surreal.

Before we left the Mara, we were able to witness an ostrich seeking out a mate.

The male is the one with the pink legs.

Apparently, during their mating ritual, they bow down to one another and show their feathers.

This male picked two females but one of the females was having none of his two timing ways and seriously slapped the other with the most amazing crack of her feathers and sent the other ostrich on her way.

A safari road block.

Seriously, safari was one of the most amazing experiences of my whole life.

It was made that much better by having an amazing camp to come back to when we were done.

The food was unbelievably amazing!

Most of it coming from their own personal garden in the middle of the camp compound.

The Masai tribe wandered in and out of the camp all day

sharing their culture and their life with us.

I'm not a big camper.

In fact, I hate tent camping.

But these tents, well, these tents I can handle!

My photos of the inside of the tent don't do them justice.

If you want to see pictures of the inside of the tent, you can find them on the Kichwa Tembo website.

The most charming {perhaps not the best use of the word} 

part of the camp were these Pumbaa's that would wander freely around camp.

This guy was helping himself to a drink out of the pool.

Africa was a dream trip.

And while it's safe to say I can cross that one off of my bucket list, 

I want nothing more than to return again one day.

Do you have a dream location for a trip that you want to go on?

 

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