Our Honeymoon Part 5: Air Balloon Safari in Serengeti (with video)
Check the Complete Tanzania Guide Article on why we chose Tanzania for our Safari & Beach Honeymoon and the day-by-day action of the most romantic trip of our lives.
Jess
Read our Honeymoon Part 4, about our stunning accommodation in a lions cove glam tent in the Serengeti.
Ready for Part 5?
The highlight of our honeymoon - and, must I say, of our lives - was the Miracle Experience Balloon Safari over the Serengeti National Park which we booked with our travel designer Sarah Ives, from Cartology.
Check our video!
An early jump start with an impromptu night game drive
Our impending adventure required a very early start by 3AM, for the Miracle Experience driver to pick us up to our Air Balloon launching spot in the National Park.
Just the drive from our accommodation at the Elewana Serengeti Pioneer Camp to the site was a night game drive to remember. As it rained all night long (as I told you about previously), the roads were damp and very muddy. We came across lions - who don't like to get their paws wet... yes, they are just big cats, don't forget! - to some nervous elephants. It was absolutely thrilling.
Before the big launch
As we arrived at the launching site, we felt the winter chills in our bones. It was freezing, so the Miracle Experience team had set warming spots and coffee stations to warm us up.
Our balloon being filled with air - Us freezing while waiting for our Miracle Experience air balloon flight
Several cars were arriving dropping off the fliers for the day and we were separated in several groups, each standing in front of their balloon and their pilot.
I was standing by a gorgeous tall woman and she was so nice, we struck up a conversation from the get go. She asked me if I was excited and I replied I was scared of flying. She said I shouldn't be and that I should trust the Pilot's experience, and that he was one of the best. I felt secure in her words and asked her if she had flown before. "Yes, several times. The pilot you are flying with is my husband", she replied. Damn, how sexy is that? She was not only beautiful, she exuded confidence and pride in her husband.
And that is how I met June. Just those few words made me feel instantly safer. I asked if she was flying with us that day and she said she was going to fill from the ground and follow us by car. Lovely! We were not going to perish on her watch, I was sure!
Then I watched the husband, Pilot Bill, and he was ready to make the safety procedures so he needed his wife and I to shush. All was explained about safety, the maximum allowance, what to do and not to do in the airplane, what we could expect and how to always keep our belts on. I did not even know there were belts in balloons before!
The in-air experience (for a person who is scared of heights and flying!)
I did know we got into the air balloon by... laying on our backs first! I always thought we would be standing. But things need to happen gradually in the air balloon experience, that is something I have learned! And that calmness in every step is also what makes us (feel) safe.
Once we climbed into the basket, wrapped in pure adrenaline, the burner roared to life, more majestically than before. The sudden heat against the cold air felt like a signal: something unforgettable was about to happen. Slowly, gently, we rose. One moment we were on solid ground, and the next, the entire Serengeti was stretching below us — golden, endless, silent.
The balloon glided so quietly, it felt like floating through a dream. Down below, wildebeest moved like shadows across the plains, herds of zebra huddled together, and elephants ambled gracefully through acacia groves, unaware — or unbothered — by the skybound humans watching them.
I remember locking eyes with Bruno and smiling without speaking. There’s a kind of silence you can only hear when you’re suspended between sky and earth — no engine, no chatter, just the occasional burst of flame and the faraway sounds of the wild waking up.
As the sun peeked over the horizon, it cast long lavender shadows across the land and turned everything gold. There was magic in that light. The kind that makes you forget you’re afraid of anything. The kind that reminds you how small we are, and how magnificent this world can be.
One of the surreal moments during our flight was when our Pilot Bill started serving us... warm coffee! In the sky! Whilst flying a balloon! That is how safe we were, floating above the beautiful herds whilst overseeing all of the Serengeti plains.
As we landed... we celebrated!
As we touched down — a graceful "Pilot's landing" as Bill said — on the damp Serengeti earth, our pilot Bill, whom we were already in awe of for guiding us so calmly through the skies, did what balloonists have done since the 18th century: he popped open a bottle of champagne. The tradition began in France, where early pilots would offer bubbly to farmers after landing in their fields as a gesture of goodwill (and to prove they weren’t celestial invaders).
Us celebrating with champagne flutes with Bill, our Pilot
Today, it’s a beautiful ritual that celebrates a safe return to earth, the magic of flight, and the quiet thrill of sharing something extraordinary with strangers who now feel like old friends.
Then we were driven to our breakfast spot where we had the most gorgeous Tanzanian breakfast.
Getting our Tanzanian breakfast after flying
They also greeted us with cake cutting for newlyweds (we were one of the couples called to celebrate!) and lots of dancing! This moment was just so emotional and heartwarming. What a great group of people to celebrate our wedding and honeymoon and surviving the air balloon experience altogether!
We also got our flying certificates which we proudly still have at home!
Pricing
The experience cost us 500 USD per person, which included hotel pick-up, the balloon flight, pilot briefing and a beautiful champagne breakfast & cake celebration in the bush. It is an investment for sure, but for the level of care, beauty, and emotional impact, it was worth every cent. We would do it all over again!
By the way, are there bathrooms available when doing a safari game drive?
Yes, as there are several communal resting stops all over the National Park, for restrooms and picnic spots. And the Miracle Experience is no different but they got more creative, with a Loo With a View experience. Very clean and a newfound contact with nature not to miss!
Loo with a view - Restrooms in Serengeti
Is Air Balloon travelling safe?
In light of the heartbreaking balloon accident in Brazil this week, I’ve been thinking a lot about how much trust we place in the people behind these experiences. Our own balloon safari over the Serengeti was one of the most beautiful moments of our lives — but it was also one of the safest, thanks to the impeccable professionalism of the Miracle Experience crew.
From the detailed pre-flight briefings to the careful weather checks and the reassuring calm of our pilot, Bill, everything was handled with visible care and expertise. No shortcuts, no risks, no pressure. It’s a reminder that while balloon flights can be breathtaking, safety should always be non-negotiable — and it starts with choosing experienced, reputable operators.
Check our video!
Was it worth the investment?
Our pilot Bill and the whole Miracle Experience crew allowed us to have the most wonderful adventure. I can confirm to you it was worth every penny.
This Air Balloon experience was not just a life changing one in regards to a memorable honeymoon, but it also impacted on my lifelong fear of flying. Just a year later, I was more than ready to book an experience on a helicopter ride to celebrate by husband's Bruno birthday in Cape Town, South Africa. I am absolutely sure I would never have taken the leap if I hadn't become so much more comfortable with flying thanks to the air balloon flight in Serengeti. Pilots know what they are doing and their confidence gives me confidence too. Also my husband being a former marine who would jump of from helicopter whilst training for combat also completely helps.
Jess
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