There is something about enjoying a hot air balloon ride that is special. It is a highly romantic and adrenaline filled experience at the same time, which is quite rare. Since the popularity of this travel activity is growing at a huge rate at the moment, it should come as no surprise to notice that operators pop up all around the world. However, running a hot air balloon ride is not difficult. What counts the most is the location and the scenery. With this in mind, here are some of the best hot air balloon ride locations that you can enjoy. In no particular order:
Loire Valley – France
Loire Valley is 200 miles away from Paris but you will want to make the trip. Loire Valley covers around 170 miles and is filled with castles. You can see over 800, together with various houses. What better way to experience this than from a hot air balloon? Most people really like the scenic Chateau de Chenonceau. It simply looks like taken from a fairytale. The scenery is made out of stone villages, streams, meandering rivers, stone villages, bucolic vineyards and much more. If you want to visit, you will want to between the months of April and October. That is because castles are also open if you want to visit them.
Serengeti National Park – Tanzania
The popular safari destination in Africa also offers a tremendous hot air ballooning experience. Here you can see the largest of the migration mammals in the world. The experience is always a lot better when you can also see the sunrise so do go early, preferably from March to May or from October to December. There are over 2 million wildebeest that live in the park at the moment so you are definitely in for a treat.
Napa Valley – California
Napa Valley is renowned as the best wine region in USA and this actually makes it perfect for a great hot air balloon ride. You will see so many vineyards from the year, arranging themselves as a figurative quilt. Obviously, you want to arrange your visit during spring or fall. Fog from San Francisco Bay disappears and the colors of the vineyards are simply stunning from the year. You will feel as if you are right in the middle of a painting.
Cappadocia – Turkey
Most people that visit Turkey do not expect a region as beautiful as Cappadocia. It is even better from the air. Cappadocia has a moonscape topography that combines subterranean churches, chiseled-out dwellings and limestone chimneys. There are even vineyard plots that offer that shade of green that perfectly complements everything, together with black, green and orange. Another scenic painting like landscape that is perfectly complemented with the addition of snow-dusted peaks during winter. Even so, the best time to visit is September to October or April to May.
Lake Champlain – Vermont
Hot air balloon rides in the area take you from Green Mountains to Lake Champlain, allowing vistas that are far-reaching at a really high altitude. What is interesting is that the ride will also take you at a lower altitude, allowing you to quickly see many animals like blue herons and white tailed deer. The views commonly feature lake sailboats, church steeples and country roads. You will want to visit at any time of the year but autumn is always the best.