Floating around in a Balloon in South Africa

Last week we did something a little different and that was go hot air ballooning. It is something that we have always had on our bucket list. I'm afraid of heights so it took some internal convincing, but other than that we were really excited to do this.

The balloon safari is located in the Magaliesburg region of South Africa, and the area was more like a plain surrounded by mountains. This cauldron produces some of the best weather for ballooning in the country.



To limit thermals, the balloons take off early in the morning, so we were up at 4am to make our way to the 'launch pad' that was about 100km from our home city of Pretoria. When we arrived it was still dark. The place is run so well. We received welcome hot chocolate and biscuits and observed as they continued to fill the balloons. I was shocked at how massive they are. In person they are enormous. They take about 45 minutes to fill with air - first using a normal fan and then gas to lift them up.







Once the balloons were upright we all climbed in. These are the biggest balloons in the country - they hold 16 passengers. There is only one category available that is bigger, and those hold about 32 passengers. After a short safety demo we were ready to leave. Our captain was really quite the joker. The basket is compartmentalised, and he is separate to us. It's a bit of a tight squeeze but not uncomfortable. We were mainly a group of South Africans and two guys from Nebraska. The other balloon was filled with British tourists.


Ipad GPS to detect where we are going

The balloon cannot be steered at all, but the pilot does have control over the height of the balloon, and he often tweaked the height considerably. The Magaliesburg is situated at 5,000 feet above sea level so that was our base height. The balloon pilots are expected to have class 1 medicals, though this is not a requirement in other countries. The company is a registered airline and the balloon has a registration code on the outside like any plane. The maintenance as you would expect is rigorous and strictly enforced.


Looking inside. There are ropes that the pilot pulls that opens the valve at the top of the balloon. It is slightly open on the ground to limit the lift. Once we take off he seals it, and when we land he opens it fully to deflate the giant device.

Once all the ground group photos were taken he opened all four propane tanks. They sounds like flame throwers as you would expect. Slowly we rose off the ground and immediately started following the wind. The ascent was slow, though it was controlled. The stability of a balloon is something you have to experience for yourself - at no stage do you feel like you are moving. We settled at 500 feet and he kept us low so that we would view the scenery.


We were the first balloon to leave.






Dawn in full swing. It was a chilly winter morning but the crisp air was fantastic.


Our colleagues leaving shortly after us.





After hovering around for a while he opened up the gas fully again and we ascended to our maximum height of 2,000 feet (7,000 feet in actuality). There is a delay of about 5 seconds after a hot air injection. This gave us a great view of the Hartebeespoort dam.




Can you see the other balloon in the distance?



After flying around for an hour it was time to land. He raised and lowered us until we caught some good thermals, and got onto his radio to let the 'rescue' car know on which farm we would be landing. They are friends with all the local farmers and they come and fetch you wherever you land.





The landing is quite rough but a lot of fun. You sit down inside and 'brace'. We landed on a rock and bounced off and then landed in a field. The guys from the company were already there and they all hang on to the basket to stabilise it. Some passengers then get out and the balloon floats up a little and they push the basket onto the back of a car. The rest of us are then allowed to leave.

After that the pilot opened the valve fully and the air escaped in seconds. He encouraged us to touch the material and then get into the balloon and take pictures. It was, as you would expect, very warm inside.


Balloon with open valve


Inside the balloon


The basket after it's busy day

The staff then rolled the balloon up and tied it up with rope. They were incredibly efficient. The balloon itself weighs about 300kg and the entire fully loaded balloon weighs about 2 tons on takeoff. Each balloon lasts about 500 hours before it needs replacing. It costs about two million Rand for a balloon (about $135,000) and you get a basket and three balloons.

We then had champagne and orange juice in the field and took pictures with each other. We found the skeleton of a buck and the Nebraskan chased an old woman around with the hoof.



The bus then took us back to the main lodge, which took about 15 minutes. There we ate a huge and scrumptious breakfast before the awards ceremony where we received a certificate for bravery.







I really recommend this sort of journey for anyone who likes flying. It is radically different to flying in a commercial airliner. Everything is slower, quieter and unusual.