Flying Odyssey Hot Air Balloon Safaris

13/04/2026

If you are around, visit us at the International Convention Centre in Cape Town at WTM Africa. We are at G-15.

09/02/2026

From the recently concluded OTM in Mumbai

21/11/2025

Shot and edited by Farhan!

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12/10/2025

One floats and the other ready to take off. Feel the magic.

12/08/2025

This morning, our guests had an amazing sighting of two young cheetahs playing and running around in the tall elephant grass somewhere over the Serengeti. If you don't believe in magic, you will never find one.

10/08/2025

My name is CJ, a C and a J and not a DJ, is his opening line to our guests. Not many know CJ has been a DJ, a music composer and arranger. CJ is our Chief Pilot and Director of Flight Operations.

He has flown over the vineyards of Temecula in California, over the Hunter Valley, Mareeba, Camden in Australia, in Sri Lanka and Northern Iraq among other places. For the past two years he has been flying in the Serengeti, Kogatende, Tarangire and Ndutu in and around the Serengeti National Park.

CJ is a consummate pro, going through early morning paces in darkness with the focus of a surgeon inspecting each and every tiny detail and instructing his crew. And constantly looking at the wind sock at our launch site. Serengeti is a different cup of tea for even most pilots. The winds are calm one moment and suddenly the next minute it is gusting. And on days, when it is windy and when CJ has decided to take off, it is a treat to watch when he is firing the burners to inflate while the balloon is dancing to the Serengeti music (winds), reassuring the guests, one eye on the sock, instructing the crew, signalling the driver to stay or move forward-all at the same time.

Our guests find CJ witty, engaging and informative.

For the record, CJ holds CPL certifications across Australia, Tanzania, Canada, the USA, Iraq, and Sri Lanka. He has a proven track record in piloting, training, and operational leadership within the ballooning industry. And he brings strong skills in safety management, crew resource management, and regulatory compliance.

At Flying Odyssey,we are guided by safety. Safety of our passengers, crew, drivers, pilots, balloons and everything else. Our ballooning operations are led by some of the finest and safest pilots-currently Jones Temba and Chinthaka Jayasinghe aka CJ seen in this picture.

09/08/2025

Pictures for posterity. Capt.CJ, after a dramatic take-off, landed gently, followed by a group picture and champagne breakfast at our site.

12/07/2025

We are Airborne!

08/07/2025

It was a cold and windy morning. It was gusting 15 knots at about six in the morning. The boys had rolled out the basket and laid out the balloon. The mackerel skies were awash with a dull orange. Our pilots went about doing the burner check and got ready for take off for our test flight. We were the first to take off and landed close to One Nature after a smooth 45-minute flight. Waiting for our AOC to be airborne.

23/06/2025

It was close to five in the evening. The sky was overcast. A gentle breeze swept through our camp and our staff were busy winding up the day's work. We got wind that the two cheetahs were surveying the grasslands through the tall elephant grass and moving southwards. Trying to get a vantage, they would hop on to a dead tree or climb up a mound to scan the vistas scouting for prey. The brothers are young and healthy and there were certainly hungry. It started to drizzle and the breeze died down and they moved through the grass with loping grace. They stayed together grooming each other when the drizzle broke into a rain and frequently looking back at us posing for a shot against the beauty and vastness of the Serengeti.