Sandy

We were quoted a price for baloon flight @ $425 . . . sounds very high . . . as I only am paying $406 for my roundtrip ticket from Dallas-Paris. We're staying at the Mara Sopa Lodge . . . anyone know if ultralight flights are an option? If so, how much and do you recommend? <BR> <BR>Thanks in advance! <BR>Sandy

Gina

Sandy what are ultrlight flights? We just returned from Maasai Mara and I never heard about such thing. <BR>Wait to book your baloon flight until you get to Kenya. It is a big business and there is always space available although many travel agents will tell you otherwise because they make a nice $. Sometimes weather is not really good for balooning and when you pay this much money (we were asked to pay $375 per person) you want to make sure that a sky is clear with a great visibility. We did not go because of the weather but another couple we met there had no choice as they prepaid. Poor them. They did not see much. We talked with some people who loved their baloon flights but they had a great weather. So I would wait.

Penelope

Rethink the whole notion of taking a balloon flight---it is vastly overrated, in my opinion. My husband and I took one over the Serengeti in 1997. The best part was hearing a lion roar nearby in the dark as we stepped out of the Land Rover before the flight. Advertisements portray the balloon as gliding silently over the plains with millions of animals below. In reality, the burner that produces the hot air to move the balloon is so loud that it is annoying to passengers and scares away whatever animals may be around. The experience is not at all the peaceful bird's-eye voyage expected. I have the certificate of my flight right here in my office and, as unique as was the occasion, it reminds me of a rip-off. P

Sandy

Thanks Gina & Penelope, <BR> <BR>I think we'll wait and see how the weather is and if other options are available. I would hate to spend that much $$ and be disappointed. Thank you very much for the "heads up." <BR> <BR>Sandy

Deb

I have never heard of ultralights on the Masai Mara although there are ultralight rides scheduled over Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. (Ultralights look a little bit like dune buggys with wings.)