The experience
Flying in a hot air balloon. Taking to the skies aboard a hot air balloon is, for us, the most romantic way to fly, an unforgettable life experience. With no set course or destination, the journey is made on the wind. Each flight is unique and unrepeatable. The landscapes parade before our feet and stretch out as far as the eye can see in peaceful contemplation.
THE UNFOLDING OF FLIGHT
The experience begins with the Pick-Up at the location defined for each booking, followed by transport to the take-off location. On arrival at the site, the flight team is introduced and the first safety briefing is given, followed by the final preparations. Once the balloon is vertical, everyone is invited to enter and the 2nd safety briefing is given.
With everyone in place, the balloon rises gently into the sky. The ground team tracks the balloon with radio communication and state-of-the-art GPS locators. After an hour's flight, the landing is made with all the safety criteria and with the ground crew back with us, it's time to toast the success of the flight, hand over the flight certificates and return to the starting point.
At the end, passengers are dropped off as defined in each reservation.
THE BALLOON BASKETS
Balloon baskets vary in shape and size according to their total capacity. We believe that for a quality experience, while maintaining all the charm and romance, the hampers should have a maximum capacity of 16 people.
The baskets of our balloons have a capacity of between 2 and 16 people and, for the safety and comfort of the passengers, they are compartmentalised and have a high-density foam bottom.
TIME OF YEAR WE FLY
We fly 365 days a year.
Portugal is a country with excellent weather conditions for hot air ballooning all year round. However, the most regular flying season is between May and September.
ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS FOR FLYING
We define the following conditions as safety and quality criteria for our flights:
1) Surface wind of less than 12 kilometres per hour;
2) good horizontal and vertical visibility, without fog or mist;
3) no rain on site and within a 30km radius.
The weather conditions and forecasts for our flight sites are monitored daily by our team. The data collected from the relevant national and international organisations is cross-referenced with our experience and knowledge of each location.
Ultimately the decision to fly is made by the responsible pilot, with safety and quality being the only factors under consideration.
DEPARTURE TIMES
In the warmer months (April to September) hot air balloon flights are mainly made at sunrise, as this is when the atmosphere is at its best, with no significant thermal activity to influence the balloon's performance. In the warmer months (October to March) many days offer good conditions for flying in the morning after sunrise and in the afternoon two hours before sunset.
In both situations, the time is set according to the weather conditions of each day and flight location.
At the time of booking, our team will inform you of the estimated time for each flight.
For the whole experience you should consider a period of 3 to 4 hours.
WHAT TO WEAR
We recommend appropriate clothing for each season and comfortable, closed-toe shoes without heels. Recomendamos roupa adequada a cada estação do ano e calçado confortável, fechado e sem saltos.
On board the basket, the temperature is always pleasant and there's no need to bring extra clothes as we're going up in altitude. In summer we recommend wearing a cap or sun hat for those who are more sensitive to the heat.