You might be used to exploring a new city by foot, but there’s nothing quite like experiencing a destination from a wooden basket in the open skies. Hot air balloons bring a new perspective to your travels.
Here are six locales that look particularly lovely from a hot air balloon.
Maasai Mara, Kenya
The Maasai Mara National Reserve is home to Africa’s Big Five: lions, leopards, elephants, Cape buffalo and rhinos. From a hot air balloon, you can spot these creatures and more native wildlife on an airborne safari over African plains. You might see crocodiles and rhinos as you float along the rivers, and between July and October, you might be lucky enough to see the Great Migration, when hundreds of thousands of zebras, wildebeests and gazelles migrate north in search of water.
Australian Outback
Take your Australian Outback adventure to the skies with a hot air balloon ride. With a sunrise flight, you can watch as the sleepy Outback and its native species come to life as dawn rolls over the vast stretches of Australian desert. Kangaroos, horses and dingos call the Outback home, but you’re more likely to see an impressive variety of vegetation and the red glow of landmarks like Uluru.
Temecula, Calif.
Take in the rolling green hills of California’s other wine country with a hot air balloon ride over Temecula, a Southern California city ripe with wineries and vast vineyards filled with stretches of grapes. Distant mountains and views of sparkling Lake Skinner round out your bird’s eye view of SoCal’s secret wine country.
Cappadocia, Turkey
Cappadocia’s pillar-shaped fairy chimneys, made of eroded volcanic rocks, are interesting enough from ground level, but become simply stunning from a hot air balloon. These pillars are filled with caves that were once used as homes, and limestone peaks and sandy stretches of desert add to the playful landscape.
Albuquerque, N.M.
The annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is one of the largest festivals of its kind, bringing hundreds of hot air balloons to the skies above this southwestern city. Once floating above the city, you’ll see a more natural side to Albuquerque, including rivers, trees, grasslands and mountains.
Loire Valley, France
A hot air balloon ride through France’s Loire Valley offers views of the area’s grand chateaux, vineyards and the Cher River. From historic architecture and grand manors to grape fields and wildlife along the river, you’ll see a bit of everything on a hot air balloon ride over the Loire Valley.
(Main image: ronnie44052 used under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license)
