How much does it cost?
To go hot air ballooning in Vang Vieng it costs around $90-100 USD per person. Even though this might sound like a lot of money from a backpacker’s perspective, this is not a lot at all for a hot air balloon ride. In fact, Vang Vieng is known to be one of the the cheapest places in the world to do it. Therefore, it is the perfect opportunity to tick a hot air balloon ride off your bucket list.
Is the hot air balloon in Vang Vieng worth it?
We couldn’t recommend doing the hot air balloon in Vang Vieng enough! It is one of our Laos highlights and we think it is absolutely worth it. Before we arrived in the area we were unsure whether we would do it but we are so glad we did. Although hot air balloons are available world wide, we think the unique surroundings and low price make this one of the best places to do it. So don’t miss the opportunity while it’s there!
Is it safe?
Yes, hot air ballooning in Vang Vieng is very safe. We, like many others, originally thought that due to the lower price, the safety and quality would be sacrificed. But that is not the case. We were pleasantly surprised by how the whole experience was handled, everything ran smoothly and did not feel unsafe at any point. There are licensed pilots in control so you can sit back, relax and not worry about anything.
Who offers hot air ballooning in Vang Vieng?
There is only one legitimate operator who offers the hot air ballooning experience in Vang Vieng and their name is Above Laos. They are a legitimate registered hot air balloon operator with licensed pilots, quality gear and many years experience in the area. If you’re booking with a third party company make sure to ask which operator they use. If it is not this one then it is likely a scam or something dodgy.
How to book
You can book your Vang Vieng hot air ballooning experience a number of ways. As we said, there is only one operator in Vang Vieng so no matter how you book you will end up with them. You can book at one of the many ticket offices in the area or you can book direct with them either online or at their physical store. The ticket offices are just your standard travel/tour agencies and they make commission off sending customers to the operators. They all offer slightly different deals, so its best to shop around to find the best deal. If you’re wanting to book direct through Above Laos, then here are their details;
- https://abovelaos.com/en/
- Pilot’s Cafe, Nathong Valley, Vang Vieng, Laos
- +856 (0)20 98 849 401 OR +856 (0)20 55 914 598
When does it run?
The hot air balloons are scheduled to run 2 times a day, but this is dependent on demand and weather. You can either do it in the morning (at sunrise) or late in the afternoon. The late afternoon one ends right before the sun starts to set, and sadly there is no real option for a sunset hot air balloon ride. This is because of the complications/safety issues that may arise when trying to land in the dark.
With all this in mind it is important to remember that the balloons will only launch in perfect weather. If there is any undesirable wind or rain it will be cancelled. If you booked in advance, no need to worry you will either get your cash back or get moved to another time/date.
Our Experience
We did our hot air balloon in late June 2023, right at the start of the wet season. We initially wanted to do a sunrise session but after checking the forecast for the week, sadly every morning was going to be raining. So we had to settle for the afternoon session.
Booking the tour
We walked past many little tour operator stalls in the centre of Vang Vieng to check what they offered. We found that most of them offered very similar deals, the only difference was the amount of people per basket and advertised durations. Some baskets were bigger than others and some rides were shorter than others. The more people in the basket the cheaper it was so take your pick.
Wanting to book?
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Eventually we decided to just book at the tourist stall that gave us the best feeling, which we can’t remember the name of sadly. We each paid 1,900,000kip (~$98USD) and this had a max of 10 people. We had to pay in cash, so this may be a disadvantage of booking through a 3rd party company, but still got a decent deal. The price included a 45 minute ride, pick up and drop off from our hostel.
Pick up and preparation
We got picked up at our hostel in a tuktuk around 20mins before the flight. This tuktuk then drove past some other hotels and hostels to pick others up. We met the rest of our group, which was a total of 10. All of them were young travels who were just as excited and nervous as we were as this was their first time in a hot air balloon too. The tuktuk dropped us on a big grass field. The organisation was already preparing the balloons and blowing them up, which looked really impressive.
The ride
Not long after we arrived, we were asked to climb in one of the balloon’s two baskets. There were two other balloons besides ours, but we were the first to enter the balloon and go up. Going up was steady but a bit scary because we went up pretty quick. The whole activity was amazing. The views were phenomenal and at no point did we feel unsafe.
After the activity
We descended slowly and landed in another large open field. This again went very smoothly and before we knew it we were jumping out the basket and back on the ground. At this point the sun was just starting to set and it was a really nice scene. We still felt very excited and happy that we just experienced this stunning hot air balloon ride. We hopped back in the tuktuk and got dropped at our accommodation.
Best time to to it
The best time to go hot air ballooning in Vang Vieng would be in the dry season. As we said earlier, it doesn’t run when it is raining and this is obviously more likely in the wet season! It will still go ahead if it is just cloudy so keep an eye on the weather before booking, because you’ll have the best experience when it is sunny. With too much rain or unfavourable wind it will be cancelled. For reassurance, ask when you buy your ticket if you can get your money back or reschedule if this is the case.
What to take/things to know
Being in the hot air balloon is hot, very hot as you are close to the fire. We went in the afternoon and it was an already warm day so this made us sweat a lot. It may be different in the morning but it would be best to wear loose, long, breathable clothing.
You don’t really need anything in particular so try to bring as little as possible. All you should need is your camera/phone and sunglasses. Would be a good idea to bring a hat as protection against the bright sun or just apply sunscreen before you leave. Don’t bring a bag as the basket is quite small and the more room the better.
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