A Safari Flight with Air Ventures Hot Air Ballooning

My mum lives vicariously through me; she’s proudly told me so since I was a teen. When I told her that one of my biggest dreams was to go on a hot air balloon ride, she bought a Safari Flight for Two from Air Ventures Hot Air Ballooning for my 50th birthday. Spoiler: it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life.

We met at 5.15am on a chilly autumn morning at Kloofzicht Lodge & Spa, which just happens to be one of my favourite venues in Jo’burg. Two strong cups of coffee later and we were ready to drive to the launch site. We met the team and watched as the balloon was prepared for our flight. Once the balloon was vertical, we all climbed into the basket and held our breath.

We’d been warned that conditions were so still that morning that there was a small chance that we would not be able to ascend. Suddenly the most subtle gust of wind prevailed and the balloon began to slowly rise into the air.

It felt magical to rise above the morning mist and see the landscape open up before our eyes.

Looking out over the edge of the basket, we were able to see in every direction as the pilot slowly turned us around.

While I enjoyed our first glimpse of the shadow of our balloon in the distance, our pilot Marc searched for signs of animals on the ground.

First we began to descend as Marc had a special treat for us.

We were almost at ground level and we began to drift over the surface of the Crocodile river. It feels strange seeing that in English, I know it by the Afrikaans name, Krokodilrivier

The key was to get as close to the surface as possible without getting the bottom of the basket wet. Given how chilly it was on that morning, we were all very invested in not getting our feet wet!

I’m happy to say that Marc handled it with expert prowess and we soon began our triumphant ascent.

Once again, we were treated to breathtaking vistas.

We had seen giraffe, zebra and springboks on the road to the launch site but we finally spotted some wildlife from the air. Believe it or not, there are two black rhinos in that photo.

We flew past the rhino and the pilot began to slowly double back so that we could get a closer look.

This photo is on zoom but the rhino were no more than 50 metres away. I was amazed by how calm they were and how little we seemed to phase them.

Up in the air again…

It’s obvious that I will never tire of these views.

We began to descend again as we spotted some springboks in the distance. The springbok is the national animal of South Africa and they are named after their distinctive jumping style of running. There are 72 species of antelope in South Africa and we usually refer to them by name. The South Africans on the flight became quite bemused that certain tourists kept correcting the pilot each time he identified one (‘no, that’s an antelope’).

We spotted blue and black wildebeest grazing. The wildebeest were more wary of us than the rhino and treated us to a display of them chasing away over the plain.

We also saw ostrich, blesbok and water buffalo from the air but were not close enough to capture them.

By now the sun was high in the sky and our experience was coming to an end.

There were times when I regretted not taking a better camera with me on the flight but then I’d look down over the edge and realise I’d made the right decision. We were also warned that  landings could sometimes be rough and I didn’t want to bash either myself or a chunky camera.

In the end, Marc executed the most gentle landing ever – directly onto the trailer.

We were treated to mimosas which went straight to our head and we were handed certificates of completion. Stephen thoroughly enjoyed himself and wasn’t bothered by the height at all. We both loved it enough to want to do it again one day.

All too soon, it was time to drive back to Kloofzicht Spa where we were treated to a buffet breakfast overlooking the beautiful grounds and lake.

The Safari Flight, including breakfast, is R3,270pp which is approximately £150.

@mandyist A sunrise safari flight with Air Ventures #CapCut #southafrica #hotairballoon #safari ♬ Return To Innocence - Enigma