Kenya- Hot Air Balloon

Kenya is best seen on a safari, from the air. One morning we got up at 5am and headed out to the middle of the Maasai Mara to take a hot air balloon ride. This has always been something I wanted to do. Couldn’t ask for a more perfect place than Africa.  We arrived just as the sun was coming up.

When we arrived the basket was laying on its side and the balloon was being filled with air. We had to crawl in and “sit” on the bench and wait for the balloon to fill up with enough hot air to turn the basket ride side up. At this point we can’t see anything as we are sitting in the basket. Before long we were up in the air and told we could stand up and enjoy the ride.

The views were amazing. Seeing other balloons on the horizon, the animals running below us, watching the landscape change as we drifted along. I can usually tell how much fun I am having based on the number of photos I take. Sometimes I get caught up in the moment and forget the photos part. This would be one of those times.

As it came time to land we had to sit back down and there were two types of landings- the easy one and the exciting one. The easy landing is a simple landing where the basket lands right side up and the balloon falls behind you. The exciting landing is where the basket tips on its side because the wind is a bit to strong and it pulls us along a bit. We were pretty solid on the easy landing and then before you knew it we were on our side being dragged a little ways. Exciting landing is the way to go. The whole experience was amazing. One of the best things I have ever done!