They were trendsetters without even knowing it. The first passengers who flew into the skies powered by a hot air balloon were a sheep, a rooster and a duck. Their journey into the blue yonder was the brainwave of French brothers Joseph Michel Montgolfier and Jacques Etienne Montgolfier who launched the balloon in 1783 from the courtyard of the Palais de Versailles. Since then, however, humans have got into the game and hot air ballooning hasn’t been restricted to farm animals.

Standing in the basket of a hot air balloon is undoubtedly a special feeling. “It’s similar to bungee jumping. The heart starts racing as you go higher and higher. Only that it is not scary, but exhilarating. You get a bird’s eye view from a balloon,” says former airhostess Rano Yadav who has taken a two-hour trip over the sand dunes in Rajasthan.

The season for ballooning starts in September and goes on till March. Tour operators and ballooning clubs provide you with a taste of flying and you don’t have to be a pro to get airborne.

The Balloon Club of India, which is based in Delhi, organises trips from Damdama Lake near Sohna in Haryana. If you want a feel of it, you can go for the five-minute ride which comes to around Rs 500 per person. For a longer flight of about 30-45 minutes, the charges go as high as Rs 2,500 per person. But there is a breakfast deal that comes within this package. Otherwise, of course, you can carry your own picnic hamper with sandwiches, coffee and the works.

While newlywed couples like to go for hot air balloon trips in places like Dehra Dun and Manali, here’s a bit of news for those who want to go that extra bit for their special day. For an unusual wedding, why not tie the knot aboard a hot air balloon? Says Vishwabandhu Gupta, secretary of the Balloon Club, “We customise packages for clients. So even a traditional wedding is possible — we can arrange for a panditji, the fire’s already there and the couple can go through the seven pheras.”

Adventure company Wanderlust Travels’ package is all about a day in the desert. The package is called the Balloon-cum-Camel-cum-Jeep Safari. So if there’s a big group of people, it is divided into three sub-groups with names such as Cheetahs, Tigers and Panthers. Each sub-group then alternates between the three different rides spending one to two hours on each. Following the dune buggying experience, there’s a beer and lunch combo on the sand dunes of Samode or Jaisalmer. For all this, they charge around $400 (approximately Rs 18,513) per person.

According to Major S K Yadav, Wanderlust Travels, the company also organises overnight camps with an Arabian Nights theme or a royal theme for $600 (approximately Rs 27,779) per person. There are balloon clubs in quite a few places such as Rajasthan, Bhopal, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Dehra Dun and Manali.

High Fly Link Service, the balloon club in Bhopal, is currently making a special effort to promote the sport. So, it’s not charging for its trips. Its founder Surajbhan Solanki says that depending upon the wind conditions, he flies around Bhopal airport or Parade Gao and Barisia.

There’s a second kind of balloon activity that Wanderlust Travels provides. If you are a bit paranoid about being airborne, the company offers tethered trips where the hot air balloon always stays at the end of a long rope. The balloon rises to about 200ft above the ground and then stays there like a ship at anchor.

The tethered flight is usually done for an overview of the Taj Mahal in Agra. “On full moon nights, this is a sight to see. Normally, you do not get to see the Taj Mahal from the sky, so it is a one-of-a-kind experience really,” says S. K. Yadav. This package entirely depends upon the group size. So it can range from $100-$600 (approximately Rs 4,624 to Rs 27,779).

Tour operators such as Sita Travels and Thomas Cook also provide the same packages at a price that’s about 25 per cent to 30 per cent higher. Escapade Adventure Holidays also offers tethered flights and the charges are customised according to the group size.

You might wonder as to how high is high in ballooning? As Gupta puts it, “You can fly over Mount Everest and even rise to 70,000ft.” But technically there’s the oxygen availability problem, so you can go as high as 10,000ft.

According to S. K. Yadav, there are two kinds of flights — the treetop flight which cruises at 100ft-150ft, thereby allowing you to view and photograph the sand dunes, villages and colourful fairs in Rajasthan. The joy flight takes you as high as 7,000ft-10,000ft among the clouds”.

And if you want an extra incentive, there are some companies that offer one. Wanderlust and The Ballooning Club offer certificates to prove that you’ve been brave and up there in the clouds. But you have to admit, that pales in comparison to floating high in the sky.

ROUTE MAP

Sports buffs, it’s time to enjoy another cricket fest. Sports tourism in Malaysia has reared its head as the country hosts its first tri-nation day/night cricket series. Till September 24, the Kinrara Academy Oval in beautiful Kuala Lumpur, will be the city’s new hotspot for cricket fans and the converging point for the Indian, Australian and West Indian teams.
The even better news is that Malaysia Tourism has a tempting offer up for grabs — a special cricket package of Rs 20,999 per person ex-Delhi. This takes care of accommodation in Kuala Lumpur for 3 nights and 4 days (with daily breakfasts thrown in), the return airfare, airport transfers, a single entry ticket to any match, the stadium shuttle service, and even half-day sightseeing in Kuala Lumpur. Every traveller will also be given a pre-paid GSM mobile SIM card with talk time worth RM 10. For more information, place a quick call to TRAC Representations’ Delhi office at 011-23312294.