| | Dec 8, 2005 - Part 1 - Floating High Above the Serengeti | (click to enlarge)
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 | | show all 20 | | Sunrise in the Serengeti - an early start! | | Blowing the cold air into our balloon | | All loaded into our basket and ready for take off! | | |
| Below are the details of an incredible once in a life-time experience Eric and I were lucky enough to do while on safari in the Serengeti. Prior to leaving work on our one year sabbatical, I was presented with an incredibly generous gift from the staff and Associates of TPI - Travel Professionals International my place of employment. Knowing that it was a dream of mine to hot air balloon over the Serengeti, but it was something that was not in our budget since we were travelling for such an extended period of time, the TPI Staff and Associates took up a collection to pay for this incredible experience for us. The generosity of all these colleagues and friends is something that we will never forget. To everyone that contributed to this incredible going away present thank you once again and I hope you enjoy reading this and looking at the pictures as much as we did living the unique experience!
Thank you so much!
Carl
Floating High Above the Serengeti
At 4:30 AM the high pitched electronic 'beep...beep...beep' of my Timex digital watch started going off signalling it was time to climb out of our tent, get dressed in the dark and leave for our once in a life time experience. The night sounds of the wild animals of the Serengeti were still active around us - noises we were unfamiliar with as we camped in the middle of nowhere in our little canvas tent. Upon arriving at the camp the previous evening we were greeted with the sight of five elegant giraffes grazing on the tree tops. To the east we could see Thompson's gazelles and impalas munching on the dry grasses just outside of our camp set-up. Before dark a baboon wondered past the edge of our site, stopped to give us a curious glance and then continued on his way to leave us to our fireside conversations. Darkness was setting in and the surrounding animals knew they had to be the most alert and aware of their surroundings. It is survival of the fittest in the Serengeti and the prime hunting time for the large carnivores was setting in with the darkening evening skies.
Several days prior upon arriving in Arusha, Tanzania I was ecstatic to learn there should be no problems confirming a hot air balloon ride over the Serengeti provided the company had availability. Originally we were unsure if we could coordinate it with our busy safari schedule, however the early departure and relatively close proximity of our camp made it all possible. With the help of our excellent guide Andrew, we booked the flight on our first evening in the Serengeti and the excitement mounted as we realized in only 14 hours we would be climbing into a balloon basket and floating high above the expansive plains of the Serengeti and its wild residents below.
Turning the high pitched beeping of the watch alarm off, I climbed from our tent, grabbed the flashlight and headed towards the makeshift outhouse, all the while listening to the animal noises wondering which creature it was, how close it was, and staying alert while wandering around in the dark. We quickly got ourselves together, and our guide Andrew was soon starting up our green Landrover signalling for us that it was time to go. Off we went, bumping along the dark and dusty roads in the pitch black of the Serengeti. The 45 minute drive to the balloon launch site was an incredible experience in itself - like being treated to a night safari when the park rules typically do not allow you to drive in the dark due to the danger of both the rough roads and of hitting the abundance of wildlife that roams freely in the cool night hours. Enroute we passed several nocturnal animals scampering from the bright lights of our vehicle. Closer to the balloon launch site, we rounded the corner and out popped a massive hippo that charged across the dirt road and disappeared back into the bush - more than likely heading back to his pond of water for a cool and safe spot to rest during the heat of the day. What a treat it was to see this huge mammal out of his usual resting place and travelling around the park on foot.
After our unofficial night safari drive, we arrived in a wide-open grassy plain as the sun was peaking up over the horizon painting a show of red and orange hues across the backdrop of blue sky and white clouds. Assembled in different places on the plains of the Serengeti were two small groups of people and two balloons. Our group consisted of twelve travellers all looking like they had just crawled out of bed with the exception of their wide eyes, smiles and sense of anticipation for the upcoming flight. Our pilot, Mohammed, called us together to give us a briefing of how we were going to climb into the basket that was lying on its side and what to expect for the take-off, the one-hour flight and landing. While he did this, the crew were busy blowing cold air into the balloon to get it inflated before Mohammed would signal for us to take our positions in the basket and he would begin heating the air in the balloon with the massive burners and gas tanks controlled from his central position in the basket.
A few minutes later, amidst the noise of the powerful fans blowing air into the gigantic balloon, we saw Mohammed give us the signal to climb into the basket to prepare for the much anticipated take-off. With excitement buzzing in the air, much like that of lion cubs waiting for their mother to return from a hunt, we climbed into the heavy weaved basket, laid on our backs and grabbed the handles, as the burners were fired up heating the air of the balloon. Within a few minutes the basket slowly began to tilt upright as the balloon warmed. Once in a vertical position, we got to stand-up for the first time in the basket eager for take-off. For a brief moment the balloon lifted slightly off the ground and then settled on the dry grass once again. A few seconds later, we were again a couple inches off the ground before settling back down gently. Then, without any sense of sudden movement, we slowly began to float up into the sky and rise over the flat topped Acacias trees and dry grass of the savannah plains below.
We were airborne - floating silently with the exception of the occasional blast of gas flame and heat to control the balloon height our skilled pilot navigated us on our flying safari. We drifted noiselessly above the seemingly endless plains of the Serengeti taking in the sights of what is one of the most famous parks in the world and a bastion for African wildlife. Below, a solitary cheetah was sitting in the morning sun observing his surrounding territory. Timid Thompson Gazelles leapt across the grass pausing to survey the area for any predators before returning to their grazing. As we watched a spotted hyena run awkwardly across the plain, Mohammed took the balloon up to a height of over 1,000 feet for stunning panoramic views of the park and the second balloon following us on our journey this morning.
While floating across a stretch of Acacia trees someone called out, "There are elephants up ahead." Lucky for us, we were declining in height again to a level just above the trees giving us a perfect view of a group of six elephants including two young ones. The large mother sensed we were strangers and potentially dangerous to her young. She was not shy to let us know not to further disturb them by trumpeting at us with her huge trunk in the air and letting out a sound I had only before heard in movies and wildlife documentaries - absolutely incredible!
An hour goes by in what seemed like 5 minutes and we were told to take our landing position sitting down again in the balloon basket. No... false alarm. Mohammed informed us the winds are good and he would be able to clear the tree lined hill ahead before landing in the next plain, giving us a couple extra minutes on our journey before we were once again in landing position and filled with anticipation of the upcoming touch down. Crouched in our basket with a view of only our pilot at the controls and the blue sky above, we hit the ground with a thud before bouncing up again into the air. After two or three bounces like this the basket tipped over onto its side and dragged a short distance along the ground before coming to a complete stop. A smooth landing - according to our pilot anyways.
Now situated in the middle of a short grassy plain in Serengeti National Park we climb from our basket and walk across to the awaiting Land Rovers where we were greeted with champagne in celebration of our flight and air safari. From there we were taken about ten minutes away where a champagne breakfast awaited us - tables and chairs set up in the middle of vast grassy plains, where we dined with new friends, a sense of exhilaration and view of gazelles and impalas in the distance feeding in the morning sun. A once in a life-time experience with a memory that will last forever.
www.carlhenderson.ca
www.imagestoframe.com
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