Any recommendations for or against adding a somewhat pricy ($400) one hour Serengeti balloon ride to our safari in February?

vjr, I recall reading several posts about the balloon ride. Suggest you do a search on Tanzania and even balloon ride. Seems there were pros and cons. We opted to pass on that option in our June 2002 trip simply for budgetary reasons. February is getting closer so you must be getting excited! Have a great safari.
Dick

Dick's right, there was a post very recently about it. Though I must admit that watching the video with family over the holidays I'm really glad we did it. I don't think we would have regretted NOT doing it, but certainly don't regret that we did.

We did a Serengeti balloon ride in July 2002...truly one of the highlights of our trip. The view is awesome and the culminating breakfast on the savanna is quite a treat. I would highly recommend it. And, in Feb, the vast herds of wildebeest should prove to be phenomenal viewing. You get a whole new perspective of the Serengeti from the balloon.

I went on the balloon ride in 1998. Although the actual ride is very short, about one hour, it is extremely interesting to see the Serengeti from above. It offers a totally different perspective of the Serengeti, and you never truly understand the vastness of the national park until you see it from the air. If you are going in February, you will see the wildebeest migration from the air, and will see the thousands of animal trails cut into the plain. We also saw a male lion walking through the grasses. The champagne breakfast after the ride is quite something, as it is set in the middle of the Serengeti under an acacia tree. I highly recommend the balloon ride, especially if you are going on a long safari. The balloon breaks up the monotony of daily game drives.