1028 Feb 2026
Counting the herd as it crossed the Sand
On August 12th the herds stalled on the Mara Triangle side for six days. Then, at 6:14am, a single wildebeest took a step.
Field journal
20 dispatches
Dispatches,
from above.
Written by pilots, rangers, reservations and the people who keep the basket in the air.
1114 Feb 2026
Where the ticket money goes
Sixteen percent of every balloon fare lands directly in community-managed conservancy accounts. Here is exactly what that funded last year.
1205 Feb 2026
When to book, if you actually want a seat
The honest version of our seasonal availability chart, with the months we quietly try to steer people toward.
1322 Jan 2026
The eleven colors of the Mara dawn
A photographic sequence of the sky between 5:47am and 6:23am on a single July morning, with the hex codes the site is built from.
1410 Jan 2026
What to wear at 1,000 feet
The short, specific answer — including the two things most people forget.
1503 Dec 2025
The Mara River count, November 2025
The rear edge of the migration moved north across the Mara in the second week of November. Numbers, data, and one surprising observation.
1618 Nov 2025
What we signed with Oloololo
A two-year community agreement that doubles our landing-rights fees and funds a seasonal ranger station on the escarpment.
1702 Nov 2025
Pair the balloon with a walking safari
The single most common question we get: what do I do on the days I'm not flying? The answer is smaller, slower, and involves following tracks.
1820 Oct 2025
A pilot learns the wind
Every morning at 04:20 the senior pilots meet for thirty minutes of coffee and weather argument. This is a portrait of what we actually talk about.