Places to go ballooning
Top 10 Places to go ballooning:
Bhutan
Bhutan's remote location has led to it being likened to a kind of Shangri-La and one of the last great unspoilt areas. A balloon ride allows you to float across the valleys with their mountains, forests and rivers and see some ancient temples.
The valleys most visited by tourists are the Thimphu Valley, the Punakha, the Paro and the Togsa.
Book a holiday
Book a flight
Book a hotel
Cappadocia, Turkey
Tourists flock here to see the amazing lunar landscape of soft volcanic rock, sculpted by the passage of time into amazing cone shapes and dramatic canyons.
This is one of the world's most impressive balloon rides visually, especially as most flights go at dawn. Some flights will land you among the rocks for a picnic lunch and give you the chance to explore the traces of ancient civilisations.
Book a holiday
Book a flight
Book a hotel
Loire Valley, France
The ultimate in sophisiticated balloon flights. Float over this flat green landscape with its fabulous fairytale chateaux and royal castles, stopping off now and again to sample local wines.
You can even take a complete ballooning holiday here, landing in the grounds of various beautiful chateaux and enjoying gourmet dinners.
Book a holiday
Book a flight
Book a hotel
Kenya
Enjoy views of the Big Five from a hot air balloon in the Masai Mara for a real safari trip with a twist. Most flights start at dawn, and fly quite low at to allow you to view wildlife and at other times to soar over the treetops.
At the end of the flight, there's usually a champagne breakfast in the bush, often with real china and crystal in true Out Of Africa fashion.
Book a holiday
Book a flight
Book a hotel
Arizona, United States
Enjoy a balloon ride over Red Rock country at Sedona where you can soar over dramatic red rocks, canyons and mountains at sunrise. Spring is a particularly scenic time to fly, when the desert blooms with brilliantly coloured flowers.
There's plenty of wildlife too, including the gila monster, grey fox and jack rabbit - a type of hare.
Book a holiday
Book a flight
Book a hotel
Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia
Alice Springs is a jumping-off point for visiting Uluru and some spectacular outback territory. Balloon rides take place at dawn when it's cooler and there's more chance of spotting wildlife like kangaroos and wallabies.
Trips take you over the dramatic gorges of the MacDonnell Ranges or across the vast Spinifex plains, usually ending with a champagne gourmet breakfast.
Book a holiday
Book a flight
Book a hotel
Namibia
The Namib is famous for its 100 metre high, dramtically coloured sand dunes. It's home to a variety of wildlife including the golden mole, the Namib sidewinding adder and the shovel-snouted lizard.
Not that you'll spot many animals from the basket of your balloon, but the landscape itself is jaw-dropping. Flights are followed by a champagne breakfast in the desert or sundowner drinks.
Book a holiday
Book a flight
Book a hotel
Tuscany, Italy
Tuscany's rolling hills, farms, vineyards, terracotta tiled roofs and elegant villas look even better from the air than they do from the ground. Ballooning is possible from spring to autumn but summer is the most reliable time.
Most flights operate from around Siena, some landing at a classy villa or vineyard for lunch or breakfast.
Book a holiday
Book a flight
Book a hotel
Chateau d'Oex, Switzerland
One of the biggest draws of this pretty Alpine resort in the Vaud region is hot-air ballooning. In the last week in January, it hosts a week-long international ballooning festival when the skies are filled with more than 80 colourful craft.
Balloon flights operate all year round, weather permitting. Expect views of picture-postcard chalets and flower-decked balconies.
Book a holiday
Book a flight
Book a hotel
Costa Rica
Ballooning in Costa Rica is fairly new but it's a great place to see from the air. You can choose to drift across rainforest teeming with wildlife or you can float over white-water rivers or mountain villages where coffee and sugar-cane grow.
Another popular ballooning area is around the active Arenal volcano, which is at the centre of a national park.
Book a holiday
Book a flight
Book a hotel
End of content. You can:
