HOT AIR BALLOONING

ON OUR WAY TO BALLOONING WE STAYED AT MAGALIESBURG VALLEY LODGE

Our experience started Friday afternoon as we drove to the Magaliesburg.  The Magalies River Valley is 45 km north of Johannesburg, and the same distance west of Pretoria.

Valley Lodge was recommended by the ballooning company we used.  I was pleasantly surprised!  The Valley Lodge has a four star rating, and I would easily add on one more.  This is a secure and exclusive getaway, which is beautifully furnished.  The dinner ultimately convinced me that we will be visiting again!  The facilities, nature walks and the wellness centre simply add to the wonderful setting.  Leisure activities are all complimentary.  This is a peaceful country escape for any occasion - Valley Lodge will change your desired standard of living. 

BIRDS – EYE VIEW

To drift a thousand feet or more above ground, gazing at the earth below, enjoying the cool crisp early morning fresh air, feeling the breeze on your face, your surroundings so silent you could whisper to one another…  the thrill of ballooning is an indescribable experience!

Every now and then the silence is broken by the occasional blast of the burner to ensure the air is hot enough to keep you moving.   Other than that, you glide silently and gently through the air.

Hot air ballooning is a unique mode of transport - different and something very special.  The excitement starts when you begin your planning.  If you have never experienced hot air ballooning before like my wife and I, one imagines something quite different (unless you do a little research).  I purposely did not do this, as I wanted to experience it all firsthand on the day.  The excitement of the unknown just added to the experience.

We were awake from 2 am waiting for the alarm to go off at 4 am!  I studied the map carefully so that we could get to Bill Harrop’s launching field without any delays.  The field is situated at Skeerpoort in the Magalies river valley.

The weather was closely monitored and everything ready to go.  After we booked in for our flight we enjoyed an early morning coffee, whilst watching the crew prepare the balloons laid flat on the grass.  They began to fill them with air using petrol driven blowers until about ninety percent full, and then they used the powerful gas burners until the balloon stood upright.

With everything prepared for take-off, Bill - our pilot - radioed to call the six passengers aboard.  He and the ground crew assisted us when climbing into the basket, as it is about 1 200 cm’s deep.  Once everybody was inside the landing drill was explained to us and we practiced the body position for landing.  Then a burst from the burner for a few moments, and there we had a lift-off!  One more burst and we lifted above the Club House and were slowly moving west.  We climbed higher and higher.  What a beautiful sight, a 720 º panoramic view – just as Bill described it.  The sight of other colourful balloons all around ours, highlighted by the green springtime landscape, and the shapes and colours of the earth so far below us was truly breathtaking! 

Bill gave us a rundown on all the different farms surrounding us.  By now he was searching for a landing patch and we saw the retrieval vehicles approaching.  We were in the air for approximately fifty minutes.

The calm conditions enabled Bill to descend directly onto the small trailer.  Unbelievable!

Once on terra firma we celebrated our wonderful experience with champagne and orange juice.  Back at the base we enjoyed a hearty breakfast and received a certificate to mark this day. 

An unforgettable experience, magical, the closest thing to heaven here on earth! 

Bill Harrop’s Original Balloon Safaris has been operating as a legally licensed Balloon Air transport Service since 1981.  This family business is run by Bill and his wife Mary, son Sam and daughter Sarah.

Bill Harrop's "Original"  Balloon Safaris Tel: 011 705 3201