I had my first hot air balloon ride back in Cappadocia a few years back. Back then I kind of fell in love with this rather special method of transport … floating in the air, no roaring motor and as such without the side effects of more common methods of flying (i.e. need for a higher flight level in a plane and the air stream produced by a helicopter). Obviously the dependency on thermal and wind conditions adds to the adventure and attractiveness of a balloon ride.

When I saw, that a balloon flight is on offer over Bagan, it was clear to me, that I wanted to go. I already had booked the ticket for my balloon ride back in February along with the overall trip. Today was the big day …

We were picked up at the hotel around 05:30, were then transported to the starting point, where we could witness, how the balloons were prepared and made ready for the flight. We then boarded and quickly took off – making it high up into the early morning, just-after-sunrise sky. With the added elevation we got a good overview of the many, many temples and pagodas in the Bagan area.

We stayed in the air for a good hour before landing near the village of Thuntekan. We had a celebratory breakfast (including plenty of Champagne), while the crew was working the balloon. After breakfast it was back to the hotel, where a second breakfast was waiting for us.

Overall the experience is pretty much summarized in the same way as already in Cappadocia … it was an awesome ride with superb views … however it is impossible to put the experience in words … let’s give the photos a go … enjoy.