Vang Vieng honestly stole our hearts. It’s just one of those places that I could stay for a real long time. Don’t worry, I will pop up some more details on where we stayed and what we got up to in another post about this absolute gem of a town. In the meantime, you’ll be wanting to know more about hot air ballooning? Particularly, above Vang Vieng?

Well, if you are following me on Instagram you will be well up to date with the old adventures that we have been on. There’s a link there, to give you chance to catch up… Unsurprisingly, our trip is all about ticking off that ever expanding Bucket List. Well most recently, that took us to a dizzy 2500ft above the beautiful Nathong Valley in Vang Vieng, followed by a delightful champagne breakfast.

Hot Air Ballooning is developing quickly in Vang Vieng, due to the particularly brilliant weather conditions and the beyond breathtaking scenery. Honestly, it was one of the best mornings of our lives and will undoubtedly, be a highlight of this round the world adventure. I mean, if every Monday could start by gently drifting above the clouds at sunrise, then I’d never come down.

So let me give you the information on how you too, can feel lighter than air.

Backstory of Above Laos Ballooning.

We took to the skies with Above Laos. This terrific team of people started their ballooning operation in 2018. Above Laos have been hugely influential on the hot air balloon scene in Vang Vieng, having helped write regulations for the Lao Civil Aviation and ensuring that ballooning activities comply with international regulations.

The Above Laos idea originated from France. Therefore, the balloons you will fly in were handcrafted with care, over in France, before arriving in Laos. I also thought it was pretty important to mention, that the Lao Airports Club were also very keen to train local pilots. So, Above Laos impressively issued the first ever Lao ballooning licenses, with the intention to bring value and qualification to the valley where they operate.

What to Expect on the Day:

Now, as I said we flew early in the morning for sunrise, but you can also fly at sunset. Above Laos offer the best of both worlds whether you’re an early riser or a lie in lover. Our day started bright and early with a pick up from our guesthouse at 5.25am. From there, we stopped by to pick up the other ballooners and then were quickly driven to the nearby air field.

The team introduced themselves, provided tea and coffee and explained all of the essential safety information. We felt completely at ease and couldn’t have asked for a more competent team to fly with. After, we waited for the balloons to be inflated. Myself and Josh were assigned to the smaller balloon, with one other passenger and our pilot Ailu and the others in our group flew with Jonny in the bigger balloon (max 8 passengers).

When all the checks had been carried out all that was left to do, was climb into the basket and enjoy the flight. Genuinely, it was the most relaxing experience and watching the sunrise over the valley was simply magical. They say ‘you’ll feel lighter than air’, I can confirm you most definitely will.

I was fascinated watching the altitude tracker go up and up. Ailu remained in contact with Jonny via walkie talkie the whole time, so we always knew what was going on. Our flight was approximately 1hr15 minutes. Ailu was a fantastic pilot and somehow managed to take off and land in pretty much the exact same spot, despite there being no way of steering the balloon! Hats off to him. We met with the rest of the ballooners for breakfast and were also presented with a snazzy little certificate, which makes for an awesome keepsake.

Above Laos state that a flight can last from 30 minutes to 1hr15 – the beauty of hot air ballooning is that every flight is different. However, please note, that hot air ballooning does require stable weather conditions and no interference from thermal activity, so just be aware that there is a possibility of your flight having to be cancelled and rescheduled.

The Cost:

This experience will cost you $115 per person. This includes pick up and drop off from your hotel, flight time and champagne breakfast. Ballooning in Laos is such good value and much much cheaper than the average cost of a flight in Europe and don’t get me started on the cost of flying over the Pagodas in Myanmar.

Ooh and I’ve got a cheeky discount code for you too: if you mention ‘AbbieJadeWanders’ when booking via Facebook or Instagram you can bag this awesome experience for the discounted price of $100 per person. Valid until 31st May 2019.

How to Prepare for your flight:

Never been hot air ballooning before? We hadn’t either. Luckily, there’s not really much you need to prepare once you have made your booking. Just make sure to allow plenty of time for your flight. The experience with Above Laos will require approximately 3 hours. Now I wasn’t 100% sure what to wear, as I’m sure you can imagine (despite lugging a 16kg backpack around) my backpacker wardrobe is not all that extensive. Nor, is it suitable for any season other than those reaching a balmy thirty plus degrees.

But the advice I can give you is just wear something comfortable. I wore a mid length floaty dress and stuck my pyjama shorts underneath, worked out fine for me. Don’t bring a massive bag, there won’t be room for it in the balloon. Just bring your camera and remember that you will be standing for about an hour – not that you will notice, the time will (unfortunately) fly by. Soon enough, you’ll be back on the ground realising that your an avid balloon enthusiast and wishing you could start every morning in such a picture perfect way.

Follow Above Laos Ballooning & Book Your Flight

The easiest way to book your ballooning experience is to get in touch with the team via Instagram or Facebook.

So, if you’re coming to Laos, make sure to stop off in Vang Vieng. And definitely take advantage of the opportunity to tick Hot Air Ballooning off your bucket list. Genuinely, putting this post together has made me want to book this experience all over again.

Question time, have you ever been hot air ballooning? If so, where did you fly? Or is it on your bucket list? Either way, I’d love to hear so, let me know in the comments.

In the interest of transparency, this experience was in collaboration with Above Laos and our hot air balloon ride was gifted. All love and support for Above Laos and the team is my own. We can not thank Violaine, Ailu, Jonny and the rest of the team enough for this phenomenal experience!