Graham Cooke presents the World’s Leading Balloon Ride Operator award to Pascal Kirigiti of Serengeti Balloon Safaris at the WTA 2025 Grand Final in Bahrain. Photo: Courtesy
By Adonis Byemelwa
First light spills across the Serengeti, and the silence is gently broken by the low roar of burners warming the morning air.
Balloons rise slowly, almost respectfully, lifting above the plains where herds are already on the move, and predators linger in the shadows. From this quiet height, Tanzania is no longer just watching the world’s attention; it is earning it.
Long celebrated for its wildlife on the ground, Tanzania is now earning equal attention in the skies. This year, that reputation was cemented when Serengeti Balloon Safaris was named Best Balloon Ride Operator Worldwide 2025 at the World Travel Awards in Bahrain.
It was the second year in a row the Arusha-based company took the title, often described as the travel industry’s equivalent of an Oscar. More than a corporate win, the award signalled Tanzania’s growing confidence on a fiercely competitive global tourism stage.
Until recently, the balloon safari category had been dominated by operators in Dubai and Europe. Serengeti Balloon Safaris broke that run in 2024 and, by repeating the feat this year, proved the shift was no accident.
The company flies exclusively over the Serengeti, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most scrutinised ecosystems on the planet. Its green-and-gold balloons are now a familiar sight in the park’s pre-dawn skies, drifting over kopjes, rivers and endless grasslands.
Behind that calm spectacle is a tightly choreographed operation. Crews begin work hours before sunrise, checking every burner, rope and seam. Safety, staff say, is not a selling point but a baseline.
Over nearly four decades, the company has carried more than 300,000 passengers. Among them have been royalty, presidents and global celebrities, all drawn by the same promise: a view of the Serengeti few ever forget.
“We are over the moon to have won again,” said managing director John Corse. “To be recognised at this level, and to do so on behalf of Africa, makes it especially meaningful.”
The shortlist reflected just how competitive the field has become, with operators from Cappadocia, Tuscany, Napa Valley and Dubai all in contention. That Serengeti emerged on top speaks to a changing balance in high-end experiential travel.
The story itself began far from East Africa. Founder Colin MacKinnon first took to the air over rural England before a visit to southern Africa reshaped his ambitions. With Tanzanian partners Jimmy Mkwawa and Tony Pascoe, the idea of ballooning over the Serengeti took flight.
From the basket, the landscape tells a different story. During the Great Migration, millions of wildebeest and zebra stretch across the plains, their movement visible in patterns only the air reveals. River crossings, often hidden from roads, unfold in stark detail.
These flights have become a valuable revenue stream for Tanzania National Parks, which has repeatedly named Serengeti Balloon Safaris its top operator. Regulators, too, have taken note, praising the company’s safety systems as among the most advanced in the industry.
Growth has been deliberately restrained. Passenger numbers are capped, and conservation sits at the centre of every operational decision.
“Our legacy comes with responsibility,” said sustainability manager Roy Mshoboki. “Protecting the Serengeti is not optional.”
People remain the backbone of the operation. Pilots are drawn from across the world, while Tanzanian crew members are increasingly moving into the cockpit. Mohammed Masood, who started as temporary ground staff, became Tanzania’s first commercial balloon pilot in 2001.
Flying over nearly 15,000 square kilometres of varied terrain, from open plains to wooded corridors, no two mornings are ever the same. Veterans of the crew say that unpredictability is part of the magic and the challenge.
“We know we’re delivering a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Corse said. “That understanding never leaves you.”
For Tanzania, the message is clear. Its tourism story is no longer confined to game drives and lodges. Increasingly, it is being told from the quiet, golden light of dawn, high above the Serengeti.