Premier Experience in Up above the world so high. If you think the world is a beautiful place, you haven’t seen what the birds have It’s the oldest form of aviation in the world, the incredible feeling of time suspended as the world drifts quietly below. Book an experience that will undoubtedly be the highlight of your vacation. Virgin balloon ride, England It is serene. It is thrilling. It is calming. It gives you a sense of freedom an airplane never can. Float peacefully over busy towns, rolling hills, ancient forests or perhaps even a friend’s home! The Experience: Take-off from an ancient castle, watch in amazement as heather-clad hills, woodland glens and mysterious lochs pass below your basket. Follow the winding river Trent or glide over Rutland Water. Let the views of extraordinary castles, sweeping valleys and rugged coastlines leave you breathless. The Essentials: The best time to go for this adventure is between the months of March to November. Virgin offers national and local Balloon Vouchers at £119 (INR 12,200) and £69 (INR 7100) respectively. Loire Valley, France The Terrain: A balloon never takes off. It lifts off, which is one of the first things you’ll notice that is different with flying on a balloon. There is no vertigo or dizziness, because there is no physical link between the balloon and the ground. No two flights are alike, because it’s the wind that carries you. There is no such thing as turbulence; the basket remains stable. But the best part is you don’t have to see things from a 4x4 window, and France makes sure to give you a view you’ll never forget. The Experience: If a bird had one last wish, it’d be to fly over Loire Valley. Located about 200 miles southwest of Paris, it stretches nearly 170 miles and is encrusted with more than 800 magnificent castles and handsome manor houses. Float tranquilly above the Château de Chenonceau, the Chateau of Azey-le-Rideau and Villandry amongst others. Soar above rustic vineyards, pastoral dreamlands, stone villages, sunflower fields and meandering rivers. It’s really like flying over all the books you have ever read and then some. Drift over rivers and romantic little villages less than an hour away from Paris. Meant for lovers, this ride ensures you feel like you’re on cloud 9 the entire time. The Essentials: Lift off between April and October when theres not much of a chill in the air. France Montgolfières is one of the most experienced Hot Air Balloon companies in the country. A 60-minute balloon journey costs about $277 (INR 16,600) per person. Muelle, San Carlos, Costa Rica Hot air ballooning has come a long way since French scientist Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier famously sent one up carrying a duck, a sheep and a cockerel, over 200 years ago. Balloons in Costa Rica rise above cloud clusters and tropical forests, swooping close enough to touch treetops, giving you a spectacular view to take in. The Experience: Experience life above the canopy of the forest – something even a canopy tour cannot offer. Skim over sugarcane fields, soar over orange and pineapple plantations, watch monkeys playing in trees upper branches, while others fly low enough to glide over the waters of rushing rivers. This balloon ride is guaranteed to change your perspective about nature - quite literally. If the weather is right, you can rise high enough to see the fiery eruptions of the majestic Arenal volcano. Just make sure you don’t ask your pilot to swoop in too close to this one, of course! The Essentials: Serendipity Adventures is the only balloon flight operator in Costa Rica. Time in the air is usually 50-90 minutes, depending on weather conditions and winds. A balloon ride can push you back by $345 (INR 20,700) per person or $1,200 (INR 72,000) for a charter flight of five passengers. Serengiti National Park, Tanzania Some of our planets most beautiful displays of life and its cycle can be best viewed aerially. Here’s your chance to see the world’s most stunning spectacle – the great migration – from high above. The Experience: Rise with the sun and gently float over the plains of the magnificent Serengeti. The feeling is indescribable: the crispness of the African air, a chill in the wind. It is then you feel the vibration. The Earth is shaking. Your heart skips a beat. It’s not an earthquake. It’s not the balloon. It’s not your knees. You look below, the elephants are on the move. Over a hundred thousand elephants move across the topography of the Serengeti, giving you a sensory experience. Feel the earth vibrate, take in the sounds as they resonate high and free through the region. Words fail you. Your eyes and mouth compete in opening wider, but it has only just begun. Zebras, bisons and deer follow the elephants – predator and prey all moving in one definite direction. Over the next few hours, you will see almost six million hooves pound the open plains, as more than 200,000 zebras and 300,000 Thomson’s gazelles join the wildebeest’s trek for fresh grazing. The Essentials: Serengeti Balloon Safaris cost roughly US $499 (INR 30,000) per person; they also charge an additional US $40 (INR 2,400) as the Tanzania National Parks Balloon Fee. Cappadocia, Turkey The Terrain: Cappadocia is truly a magical place. As you take off at sunrise, be mesmerized by the mighty and surreal landscape below you. The Experience: The birds have the best view over the otherworldly terrain of Cappadocia and now, for a fair price, you can have one too. Central Anatolia bewitches you with its view, the limestone chimneys, subterranean churches, and chiseled-out dwellings leave you hypnotized. The landscape is almost magical with rock formations striped in shades of red, orange, green, and black. If you go in winter, the snow-dusted landscape has an ethereal allure. Little wonder, 250,000 ballooners sail over Cappadocia annually. The Essentials: Avoid the summer heat and visit from September to October. Offers available for 90-minute rides for €240 (INR 19,400) per person and 60-minute flights for around €170 (INR 13,700) per person.
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 15:17:09 +0000
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