<p>You never forget the first time you fly up in the sky in a wooden wicker basket attached to a hot air balloon; the experience is surreal. </p>.<p>My first adventure in a hot air balloon was in Jowai in Meghalaya’s West Jaintia Hills district, as part of the Meghalayan Age Festival in March 2020, just before the pandemic lockdown in India.</p>.<p>As we took off from our camping spot, our pilot gently floated across the Jaintia hills and we saw a brilliant orange sunrise from the east, breath-taking early morning views of the segregated farmlands, lush hilltops, and verdant forests.</p>.<p>Such is the joy of hot air ballooning that in the next couple of years, despite an ongoing pandemic, I couldn’t resist the charm of doing this adventure activity again, twice.</p>.<p>In India, October to March is the best time for ballooning as weather conditions are most favourable. </p>.<p>“For an ideal balloon flight, the temperature should be under 20 degrees celsius and winds should be below 5-10 kph in the mornings,” said Jai Thakore, co-founder of E-Factor Entertainment, which operates hot air balloon flights at many locations in India. </p>.<p>“We run regular hot air balloon flights in places like Jaipur, Bandhavgarh, Pushkar, Lonavala, Araku valley, Agra, Varanasi, and Hampi,” he said.</p>.<p>.“Good weather is the first and foremost requirement for any hot air balloon activity. Low temperatures and calm winds are the other essential requirements apart from the geography of the area. A geographical survey must be done before planning a flight,” said Thakore. “Sunrise is the best time to set off on your hot air balloon as all the parameters are fulfilled.”</p>.<p><strong> A sight to behold</strong></p>.<p>The most exciting part of hot air ballooning is the process of seeing the entire aircraft (yes, it is called an aircraft, and comes with a boarding pass) assembled. The landing is the trickiest bit, and one has to follow the pilot’s instructions to avoid any knee-jerk or spinal injury in case of a sudden landing. </p>.<p>In Meghalaya, during my first flight, our Swiss pilot took us almost 50 km from the starting point before we landed in the middle of nowhere! But, that’s the adventure of the unknown that you experience with this activity, and of course, there is a crew that follows your balloon location to get you back once you land. </p>.<p>My second flight was in Varanasi in 2021, where we flew over the Ganga on a November morning as part of the Varanasi Hot Air Balloon festival. The glistening river at sunrise from 1,000 feet above ground level was a magical sight. As we floated over the city, the architectural amalgamation of old Kashi residences and vintage Benaras monuments by the ghats was visible. After crossing a considerable distance, our balloon landed in a slum and a mob of curious dwellers gathered around us. While the landing was smooth, our German pilot and two co-passengers were intimidated by the sudden attention. </p>.<p>My most recent balloon flight was in Madhya Pradesh at the Mandu Festival in January 2022, where we flew with eight co-passengers in a massive balloon. Our Indian pilot took us over the valleys and jungles of the Vindhya Range, as our basket swiftly kissed the tall teakwood trees on the way. On reaching the city of historical sites and magnificent Mughal monuments in Mandu, we could identify the landmark sites and palaces of the city from 500 feet above ground level.</p>
<p>You never forget the first time you fly up in the sky in a wooden wicker basket attached to a hot air balloon; the experience is surreal. </p>.<p>My first adventure in a hot air balloon was in Jowai in Meghalaya’s West Jaintia Hills district, as part of the Meghalayan Age Festival in March 2020, just before the pandemic lockdown in India.</p>.<p>As we took off from our camping spot, our pilot gently floated across the Jaintia hills and we saw a brilliant orange sunrise from the east, breath-taking early morning views of the segregated farmlands, lush hilltops, and verdant forests.</p>.<p>Such is the joy of hot air ballooning that in the next couple of years, despite an ongoing pandemic, I couldn’t resist the charm of doing this adventure activity again, twice.</p>.<p>In India, October to March is the best time for ballooning as weather conditions are most favourable. </p>.<p>“For an ideal balloon flight, the temperature should be under 20 degrees celsius and winds should be below 5-10 kph in the mornings,” said Jai Thakore, co-founder of E-Factor Entertainment, which operates hot air balloon flights at many locations in India. </p>.<p>“We run regular hot air balloon flights in places like Jaipur, Bandhavgarh, Pushkar, Lonavala, Araku valley, Agra, Varanasi, and Hampi,” he said.</p>.<p>.“Good weather is the first and foremost requirement for any hot air balloon activity. Low temperatures and calm winds are the other essential requirements apart from the geography of the area. A geographical survey must be done before planning a flight,” said Thakore. “Sunrise is the best time to set off on your hot air balloon as all the parameters are fulfilled.”</p>.<p><strong> A sight to behold</strong></p>.<p>The most exciting part of hot air ballooning is the process of seeing the entire aircraft (yes, it is called an aircraft, and comes with a boarding pass) assembled. The landing is the trickiest bit, and one has to follow the pilot’s instructions to avoid any knee-jerk or spinal injury in case of a sudden landing. </p>.<p>In Meghalaya, during my first flight, our Swiss pilot took us almost 50 km from the starting point before we landed in the middle of nowhere! But, that’s the adventure of the unknown that you experience with this activity, and of course, there is a crew that follows your balloon location to get you back once you land. </p>.<p>My second flight was in Varanasi in 2021, where we flew over the Ganga on a November morning as part of the Varanasi Hot Air Balloon festival. The glistening river at sunrise from 1,000 feet above ground level was a magical sight. As we floated over the city, the architectural amalgamation of old Kashi residences and vintage Benaras monuments by the ghats was visible. After crossing a considerable distance, our balloon landed in a slum and a mob of curious dwellers gathered around us. While the landing was smooth, our German pilot and two co-passengers were intimidated by the sudden attention. </p>.<p>My most recent balloon flight was in Madhya Pradesh at the Mandu Festival in January 2022, where we flew with eight co-passengers in a massive balloon. Our Indian pilot took us over the valleys and jungles of the Vindhya Range, as our basket swiftly kissed the tall teakwood trees on the way. On reaching the city of historical sites and magnificent Mughal monuments in Mandu, we could identify the landmark sites and palaces of the city from 500 feet above ground level.</p>
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