It’s one of the most iconic activities in the Serengeti — take a hot air balloon ride over the endless plains and glide down to get a better look at wildlife. Float eye-to-eye with vultures in treetops. Hover over hippos wading in pools, getting closer than you ever could in a vehicle. Admire this bird’s eye view while soaring over expansive plains.

I’ve had the pleasure of riding in a hot air balloon in two previous locations — over vineyards in Temecula and fairy chimneys in Turkey. But the Serengeti is a totally different landscape, most notably because of the wildlife on display. It’s also one of the priciest places to ride in a hot air balloon anywhere in the world — at around $550 per person, this once-in-a-lifetime experience has set its price accordingly (there is only one company so they operate without competition). But if you have the money to splurge, this is an incredible way to spend it.

Serengeti Balloon Safaris has kindly agreed to take me up at a very discounted rate and I’m thrilled to photograph the experience and share it here. There’s a short video montage at the end of this post.

The journey begins in the wee hours of the morning. They pick up from our campsite while it’s still completely dark out, and we arrive at the lift-off field before sunrise.

I’ve never gotten into a balloon this way before — they have us climb inside while the basket is tipped on its side, so that as the balloon rights itself we’re already inside and ready to take off.

My vantage point as the balloon fills up with hot air:

And now we’re right-side-up:

Off we go!

My first thought is that the plains of the Serengeti — which looked so flat and, well, plain from the ground — are so much more nuanced than I realized. There are divots and edges. Rivers have cut snaking paths through the terrain. There are more places for wildlife to hide than I suspected.

Before long the sun comes up and we’re treated to a royal sunrise.

Hot air balloon selfie:

My favorite shot from the whole bunch:

This pool of hippos rest in early morning silence. They are too far from the road to view in a vehicle.

One poor hippo has gone belly-up:

A herd of impalas grazes below:

Balloons dip down near treetops to look for birds.

This vulture gives side-eye to the strange spherical object floating by full of humans with cameras.

More hippos! I’m thrilled to get this close to them. They can be dangerous around humans so on the ground we’re warned to keep a distance, but obviously in the sky we’re out of reach and we can get pretty close by hovering over them.

We even spot a few out of the water, which is a rare sight in daylight. Hippo skin is quite sensitive to the sun so they stay underwater all day, emerging at night to get food. Perhaps since the sun has just risen, they feel comfortable enough to forage at this early hour.

I feel sort of bad because we get close enough that this one runs into the nearest river seeking refuge. Have you ever seen a hippo run? It looks so uncomfortable.

Some vehicles on the ground below wave to us, and we wave back:

Balloon shadows stretch over the ground below:

The trees below are ruby-colored, like leaves at the height of a New England fall.

An ostrich herd runs in the distance:

Herds of zebras and buffalo roam the fields below:

Our balloon pilot, Mohammed, shows us an outstanding time while providing wildlife commentary. He’s one of the only locally-trained balloon pilots; the others have been trained elsewhere in the world (some are from the U.K.) but Mohammed was hand-picked when he was younger. I think he’s been doing this for around a decade now.

After an hour, our magical ride comes to an end.

It’s champagne time!

Post-balloon champagne has been a tradition since the early days of flying when French aeronauts carried bubbly to appease angry or frightened spectators at landing sites (via Wikipedia).

But our Serengeti Balloon Safari experience isn’t over yet — we still have an elaborate breakfast to enjoy. It’s held right on the open plains surrounded by wildlife.

These giraffes graze nearby while we dine:

We start with rolls, fresh fruit, juice, coffee, and bottomless champagne.

Here is the complete breakfast they serve us:

The bathrooms are particularly unique — they’re called a “loo with a view” and they are completely exposed on the other side. Just remember to flip over the ‘vacant’ sign when you go in.

The post-balloon ride breakfast is an event in itself and it would be nice if the company sold these experiences separately. That way travelers on a budget could opt for just the balloon ride at a cheaper price and skip the breakfast, and travelers afraid of heights but still curious to experience a meal out in the wild could purchase just breakfast tickets.

My balloon safari certificate:

I shot some video during the flight, too — here’s a montage of the experience:

The phrase “once in a lifetime” is overused a lot in travel, but it definitely applies to balloon rides. It’s an experience like no other and if you get an opportunity to do it anywhere, take it. Especially if you find yourself in the middle of Africa with some extra cash to splurge!

Major thanks to Serengeti Balloon Safaris for hosting my voyage in exchange for blogging coverage. Opinions are my own.