Searching for new adventures? Originality? Simply feel like changing air and breath 600 metres high? Go and discover a sea of sand dunes on board a hot air balloon with Balloon AdventureS Dubai. You have barely read the name of the organization that you think, why the extra “S” at “Adventure”?

5 am. First unusual sight - this of the city with no traffic jams! The race with the rising sun started this morning, the minute you set foot on the floor. You know that if you get there late, you will miss the essential, and in any case, no one will be waiting for you… The bus that drives you to the mountainous region of Jabel Fayah, approximately 45 minutes from Dubai, leaves at 5:30 am in the direction of Oman.

Second surprise once on site: the blowing engine and the preparation of the balloon… The hot air balloon is lying down, and little by little the blue flame wakes it and gives it its beautiful rounded shape. Passengers learn about the position they must adopt for landing, and the ballast is spread around the nacelle (the basket in which the passengers travel).

Suddenly the pilot authorizes the passengers to board. Everything then happens very quickly once over the baskets. We take off and rise progressively, smoothly until reaching the height that reveals the landscape.

Discovery takes place throughout the flight. If you never thought you had Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s spirit, you are going to get it now: you just need to look around you while the wind carries you softly over the earth.

On very clear days, you can see the Burj Al Arab and Dubai buildings, but this remains exceptional. From one flight to the next, the panorama will always be different as the wind takes you where it pleases… In all cases, you will enjoy the sun rising above the mountains.

We continue the trip with the regular sound of the gas spreading through the balloon. Quite charming. And the nacelle soon navigates above a sea of sand dunes. The sand undulates like waves. Ridges shape scratches on the surface of this unusual landscape with projecting shadows. You understand the inspiration that the desert holds for artists. Shrub groves present varying colours, shapes and textures; their leaves ranging from the mat to the shiny - from an olive tree, pale green to darker shades. Already, we are flying over an oasis. The camels look like moving tree trunks. They do not feel this big ball arriving, which pursues its path at a speed of 20 kilometres an hour. It’s only when the balloon flies above them that they get slightly worried, throwing their long legs forward.

Conquered by this soft ballad in the air, you would like to stay up… But time has come to land, and the heart starts beating faster again! Usually the landing is very soft with the balloon reaching the ground smoothly. However, if the wind strengthens, the nacelle is dragged for a few metres as it is impossible to brake. The balloon flies forward and drags the nacelle, so it lands on its side. But it’s more a funny surprise than trauma!

An ultimate adventure can start if you follow Peter Kollar, the friendly Hungarian who is heading this company. He arrived in the Emirates four years ago and manages two organizations today, spending the winter in Dubai and the summer in Germany. A pilot himself, he explains the pleasure of ballooning, “it is like a sailing boat that you can pilot in three dimensions”. He is quite satisfied with his company’s development, as every day almost twenty people rise in the air - 6000 passengers in total from October to May.

Listening to the past, one can almost hear a voice deliver the traditional Irish prayer to travellers about to board a balloon… “May you fly so high and so well, God joins you in laughter…”

Clothilde Monat (Jan-Feb09 Issue)

Info and Reservations - Balloon Adventures Dubai LLC Tel : + 971 4 285 49 49 Fax : + 971 4 285 50 33 Website : www.ballooning.ae E-mail : info@ballooning.ae