Balloon Flight over Jaipur

It was still dark, at 5 o’clock in the morning, as I was picked up from my hotel in Jaipur. As we headed out of the city into the Rajasthani countryside the excitement and anticipation rose. Around 20 minutes later we pulled off the main road and in to a field where preparations were getting underway. Before long, I would be experiencing my first hot air balloon flight.

With passenger safety of utmost importance, the balloon company are constantly monitoring wind direction and had been flying "test balloons" since 4am in order to establish the best place to take off from. Two balloons were going to be flying and at the safety briefing we were told about the correct crouching position for landing and also which balloon we would be flying in. We then had 5 or 10 minutes more to wait whilst the balloons were filled with air and inflated from their laid out positions flat on the ground to standing proud, fully inflated in their bright Technicolor. Soon, we were given the word and were heading to our respective balloon, 6 passengers in each. There was a final check of the wind directions and a burst of air and the ground crew let go of the tethering ropes and we were floating up, up and away.......

As we rose up above the countryside, the sun was rising and down below us villagers were beginning their day. The balloon doesn’t fly too high and you can still clearly see everything that is going on below from a bird’s eye perspective. Rural homes in Rajasthan tend to be within walled courtyards with open air living so you could even see people getting up from their beds as well as preparing their breakfast on open stoves! The locals don’t seem to be fazed by this intrusion and wave and call hellos and shout to the pilot to land the balloon in their yards. The sensation is that of floating gently and in between the loud bursts of sound (and heat) produced by the burner, there is a peace and quiet far removed from the maddening crowds of the city below.

The flight lasted just under an hour and we landed in a field near a village. As instructed we crouched down with our backs against the side of the basket - back towards the direction we were landing so that if the basket tips over you just end up lying on your back in a curled up position. I was expecting the landing to be bumpy but it was very smooth and most importantly, upright! As we were coming down we could see all the villagers running towards the balloon and when we landed they crowded all around us with smiling faces – balloons have only been flying in India for a few months and it is still a huge novelty for the local people to see the balloons land near their homes.

My incredible Indian adventure over, I was driven back to my hotel in time for breakfast, still feeling like I was floating on air.

As mentioned, the wind direction is unpredictable and you may find yourself drifting over the Pink City of Jaipur itself, the amazing hill fort of Amber or tranquil rural scenes and spectacular countryside. But this should be considered all part of the adventure. In addition to Jaipur, hot air balloon flights are also available over the romantic lake city of Udaipur, Ranthambhor National Park and in and around India’s vibrant capital, Delhi. Speak to our sales team today about including this fantastic experience in your holiday, call 08456 345 114 to find our more.

 

1st May 2009