Hot Air Ballooning
A great way to experience the exhilaration of flight with a bird’s eye view of the area below, a silent ride through the sky, an excursion that has caught on fast with locals and tourist alike is hot air ballooning, drifting gently over the cultural triangle, or a wildlife park in a hot air balloon will be unforgettable, actually nothing beats a hot air balloon excursion across the central plains in our opinion. Hot air ballooning tours are available from the north central plains of the island and be carried away under blue skies and over the landscape dotted with many little man-made lakes, one might even spot an elephant near these tanks, ancient monuments, propose to your fiancée in a hot air balloon, celebrate your birthday in a hot air balloon, exchange vows and get married in the air in a hot air balloon! Functioning from Dambulla, the service is available From December to March.
05.45 – 06.00 am
Meeting point Heritance Kandalama grounds or Hotel reception.
06.15 – 06.30 am
You board the balloon and the Chief Pilot will brief you on safety. Enjoy your one hour flight, floating serenely over stunning and breathtaking views of the countryside with only the occasional blasts of the burners to disturb the peace!
Flying over the jungle you may see elephants roaming freely, water buffaloes standing in the paddy fields and monkeys swinging from the trees. View of Sigiriya standing majestically in the distance is very visible with the rising of the sun.
Village kids beneath the balloon trying to keep up with the chase on foot or bicycles and you could also spot our Chase Crew as they follow us to the landing site.
8 am approximately
After an exhilarating flight over the jungle you will be welcomed on landing by friendly villagers who are happy to help pack away the balloon. After each flight we commemorate the adventure with a Champagne Celebration. After, you will be brought back to your hotel by our crew.
Things to make a note of when participating in Hot Air Ballooning in Sri Lanka:
- Dress casually and comfortably for the weather, it is a little warmer while the sun is out.
- We recommend closed toe shoes to opened toe or high heeled shoes as we want to protect your feet just as much as the rest of you.
- A hat or cap for protection.
- If you wish you may carry a pack of sweets to throw to kids when flying over their villages or hand over to them at the landing site when they come to welcome you as an adventurer to their homeland.
- Your vehicle can by all means follow you with the chase crew.
- You are advised to allocate a maximum of 3 1/2 hours for your balloon excursion.
- Kids below 7 years and pregnant women will not be allowed in the balloon. However, please talk to us about flying your kid.
- If a flight is cancelled due to bad weather we do not charge and payment is refunded in full case of advance payment.
- Your pick up locations will be from Habarana, Sigiriya, Dambulla and Kandalama and the times will depend on the pick up point. Times will be between 4.45 am to 5.30 am.