Ballooning in Nepal
To look up into the sky and see the towers of the
Himalayas is awe-inspiring and certainly a valid and popular reason to
come to Nepal. To walk among those mountains is more wonderful still, but to glide silently among them, this is perhaps the most thrilling of
all. The adventure of hot air ballooning is now available in Kathmandu.
Once the balloon fills with enough hot air, it takes to the skies. From
then on, it is the wind which decides where the balloon goes. Altitude
is controlled by adding more or less hot air to the envelope and in this
way, air currents can be ridden to reach a desired destination. Usually
flights begin shortly after dawn, when winds are their calmest. Once the
balloon is full and all systems double checked, the lines are let loose
and the passenger basket is carried up over the morning fog and into the
sun-lit skies. The balloon will float at about 1,200 to 1,500 m above
the Valley, which will bring passengers close to 3,000m. From this
altitude, the entire Himalayan range will be in sight -360 degrees of
visibility is what the balloon in the air offers, as well as fantastic
downward views of the Kathmandu Valley itself.
After 15 minutes or so at this altitude, enough time for people to take
their photos and convince their jaws to close again, the balloon will
descend for a gentle flight over the sights of the Kathmandu Valley. By
the time the basket sets down again, roughly one hour after take-off,
the balloonists will have experienced Kathmandu and the mighty Himalaya
from an entirely new perspective.
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