Serengeti Balloon Safaris Crowned the World’s Best Balloon Operator at WTA
The win marked the second consecutive year the Tanzanian operator has taken the global title.
SUNDAY December 21, 2025
By Adam Ihucha
The Tranquillity News Correspondent, Tanzania
At dawn in northern Tanzania, before the Serengeti stirs and the grasslands take on their familiar gold, a small fleet of hot-air balloons is already being readied for flight.
Crews move deliberately, checking burners, envelopes and weather data with near-clinical precision.
What follows is a quiet ascent above one of the world’s most valuable wildlife ecosystems—and, increasingly, one of Africa’s most globally recognised tourism experiences.
That ascent carried new significance this month after Serengeti Balloon Safaris was named the World’s Leading Balloon Ride Operator at the World Travel Awards (WTA) 2025 Grand Final, held on December 6 in Bahrain.
The win marked the second consecutive year the Tanzanian operator has taken the global title, even as Tanzania retained its crown as the World’s Leading Safari Destination.
Together, the accolades reflect a broader shift in global tourism: Tanzania is no longer simply competing on natural assets alone, but on service standards, safety systems, and premium experiences that rival those of long-established markets.
The Arusha-based company operates exclusively above the Serengeti National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, whose vast plains underpin much of Tanzania’s tourism economy.
From the air, passengers see a geography that is both commercially valuable and ecologically irreplaceable—one reason balloon safaris have become a high-margin segment within the country’s tourism portfolio.
Serengeti Balloon Safaris’ Commercial Manager, Mr Pascal Kirigiti, noted: “We continually seek to elevate our customer experiences, and late last year we rolled out Tarangire as a new route as part of our dedication to innovation drive.”
Tarangire becomes the fourth national park in Tanzania where Serengeti Balloon Safaris operates, joining the Serengeti, with year-round operations tracking migratory patterns, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area from December to March, and Ruaha between June and October.
As more safari enthusiasts turn their attention to Tarangire, Manyara, and Ngorongoro, guests can now indulge in the enchantment of a balloon safari right in the heart of Tarangire from March to June.
The World Travel Awards, established in 1993 and often described as the “Oscars of tourism”, introduced the balloon operator category in 2020. For years, it was dominated by a Dubai-based company, reflecting the Middle East’s strong foothold in luxury experiential travel.
That changed in 2024 when Serengeti Balloon Safaris broke the streak.
This year’s repeat win signals a consolidation of Tanzania’s position in the premium end of the market.
In a global ballooning industry that remains fragmented, Serengeti Balloon Safaris stands out for scale.
The company has so far carried more than 300,000 passengers, placing it among the world’s largest operators.
Demand has been driven by a mix of high-net-worth travellers, international tour operators, and repeat visitors seeking differentiated safari products.
Safety, executives say, is central to that growth. Each flight begins hours before sunrise, with pilots, engineers, and ground staff carrying out exhaustive inspections.
When you’re lifting people hundreds of feet into the air, there is no margin for shortcuts,” Serengeti Balloon Safaris Managing Director John Corse.
“When you’re lifting people hundreds of feet into the air, there is no margin for shortcuts,” said the Serengeti Balloon Safaris Managing Director, Mr John Corse.
Over the years, the balloons have carried royalty, heads of state and celebrities—clients for whom reputational risk matters as much as experience.
Serengeti Balloon Safaris was shortlisted this year alongside operators from Dubai, Napa Valley, Tuscany and Cappadocia, underscoring the increasingly competitive nature of the category.
“It is especially meaningful that we have won this on behalf of African nations,” Mr Corse said, calling the award a reflection of long-term investment in people, systems, and conservation.
The company’s origins are far from East Africa. Founder Colin MacKinnon began ballooning in the English countryside in the early 1980s, before encounters in southern Africa led him north.
Alongside Tanzanian partners Jimmy Mkwawa and Tony Pascoe, he established Serengeti Balloon Safaris in the late 1980s, betting that aerial safaris could complement traditional game drives rather than compete with them.
That bet paid off as Tanzania’s tourism economy expanded around the Serengeti and the annual Great Migration.
Each year, more than two million wildebeest, zebras and other herbivores move across Tanzania and Kenya, a phenomenon widely regarded as one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on earth.
From the air, the scale of the migration—and its role in sustaining the ecosystem—is unmistakable.
Ballooning during the migration has since become a significant revenue stream for Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) while also extending visitor stays and spend.
The TANAPA has named Serengeti Balloon Safaris its best balloon operator every year such awards have been issued.
The company has also worked closely with the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority to strengthen regulatory standards.
In 2025, an independent audit by a senior UK Civil Aviation examiner concluded that few balloon operators globally have safety management systems as advanced or as actively enforced.
Growth, however, has been deliberately constrained.
Management limits passenger numbers to avoid over-tourism, aligning commercial expansion with conservation goals.
“Our legacy carries a duty to protect the Serengeti for future generations,” said sustainability manager Roy Mshoboki.
Talent development has followed a similar long-term approach. Pilots are recruited globally, but local capacity has expanded steadily.
Mr Mohammed Masood became Tanzania’s first commercial balloon pilot in 2001, rising from a temporary ground role to a career spanning more than two decades.
Several Tanzanian pilots, trained in Europe and the US, have since joined the cockpit ranks.
Director of Operations Abeid Soka also serves as a flight-testing examiner for the national aviation authority.
Covering nearly 14,750 square kilometres, the Serengeti presents operational complexity as much as opportunity.
Flight routes vary across open plains, riverine forests and wooded hills, requiring deep local knowledge and constant adaptation to weather conditions.
Many crew members have worked in the park for decades, building an institutional memory that few competitors can replicate.
“We understand the responsibility of delivering a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Mr Corse said. “We have to get it right every time.”
Our legacy carries a duty to protect the Serengeti for future generations,” Serengeti Balloon Safaris Sustainability Manager Roy Mshoboki.
For Tanzania, the back-to-back global recognition suggests that its tourism story is evolving—from one defined by scenery and wildlife alone to one shaped equally by execution, governance and premium positioning.
In the competitive global market for high-end travel, that shift may prove just as valuable as the view from above the SerengetiΩ
