Hot Air Ballooning - Sun Catchers

South Africa has some of the best Hot-air Ballooning weather in the world, and a whole variety of locations with spectacular scenery to choose from.

I had some guests on tour from the Netherlands, the van der Lee family, who wanted to do a hot-air balloon ride, and I managed to secure a flight for them with Sun Catchers. 

 

They fly over the scenic Lowveld section of the Blyde River, west of the town of Hoedspruit, near the central Kruger National Park. The terrain is a mixture of farmland and private nature reserves with spectacular views of the northern Drakensberg escarpment and mouth of the Blyde River Canyon.

We were staying at Sefapane Lodge in Phalaborwa, and had to make a very early start to get to the launch site on a private farm on the banks of the Blyde River well before sunrise.

It was an absolutely perfect morning with hardly a breath of wind, and a crystal clear sky so typical of winter in this part of our country.

Two members of the family could not take the ride so I drove them around, following the ground support crew as they chased the balloon to rendezvous with it wherever it was going to land.

It was even great fun for us and I was able to capture this event reasonably well for them from below.

Even though the winter landscape seemed stark and brown, 

the family thoroughly enjoyed the flight, especially mentioning the changing pastel colours of the sunrise lighting on the picturesque northern Drakensberg and Wolkberg escarpment.

Touching down comfortably in some open farmland brought this effortless adventure to an end.

After the pilot and passengers had celebrated their successful flight traditionally with some champaigne and orange juice while watching the crew pack-up the balloon, we proceeded to Otter's Den on an island in the Blyde River for a well anticipated full english breakfast complimented by local fresh fruits. 

"Peaceful and serene, hot-air ballooning is a wonderful adventure. From the thrill of watching the balloon inflate, and the imperceptible lift-off, to the gentle descents with the pilot skimming the treetops one moment then sending you soaring heavenwards the next. And the sensational views are unforgettable!" - SA Tourism website

On tour for African Insight - August 2011
Overland tour with the van der Lee family from the Netherlands

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