It was 3 am in the morning and the alarm’s jarring notes got me up and out of bed. What an unearthly hour to wake up! But it was the most exciting day with a totally new experience for us all. We were going to go ballooning over the Maasai Mara!
24 of us piled into the jeeps waiting to take us to the starting spot and we huddled close in the cold African morning. Oh yes Africa gets cold. The impression most people have of Africa is that it is a hot place and this is so not true. The mornings even in summer time get pretty cold especially out in the bush in an open safari vehicle. Thankfully we were in closed vehicles and driving along the bumpy mud roads we were a quiet bunch. Some dozing and some looking out into the stygian darkness that covered the land.
The team from the Balloon Safaris were already on site and the balloons laid out on the dewy grass with a team of people managing each balloon. The beautiful dawn breaking behind us, I wished I had the forethought to bring a flask or two of coffee but when you wake up at 3 am these things are far from your mind. Should have planned that last night I said to myself as I shivered and waited.
The balloon pilots and their ground team started firing up the balloons and soon they were filling with hot air and rising from their own slumber on the grass. The teams were quickly divided and we clambered into the ‘gondola’ as it is called with the frame above us that houses the on board heating system that keeps us in the air. A stalwart Afrikaaner was our pilot, a jovial man who has been doing this forever. He flies in the Mara and then in Cappadocia, Turkey in the season.
Soon we were rising high above the plains below us and traversing the land about 600 feet or more above it. You could see for miles and miles and miles. Simply an awesome sight. The sun was on its way up and lit up the Mara for us as we flew over it in complete silence. I think that was the thing that impressed me the most. The quiet. It was silent as a tomb up there with only the occasional hiss from the heating system. Serene I think describes it best. I took a few videos and we were hoping to see the migratory herds of wildebeest and zebra but no such luck. We flew over the Maasai Mara crossing streams and small wooded valleys, found pods of hippos basking in the morning sun, eland herds that were traversing the grazing grounds and many other animals.
Nobody really wanted to come down, but all good things must come to an end. As we came down we swept at a fair pace over the grassland about 10 feet off the ground looking for a smooth place to land. Alas where there are termites, smooth places are few and far between. The wind had picked up as well and it was not easy to slow the balloon down. The pilot picked a spot with the least termite mounds and we hit a couple before toppling over and landing on the sweet grass. WOW! That was a ride of a lifetime
We picked ourselves up and headed back to the jeeps and our Champagne breakfast. Oh yes we had an amazing buffet with everything you can imagine to eat and champagne on tap. A fantastic way to end a great morning.
