Balloons Over Loikaw

Prices

All rates are in US Dollars, per person

Loikaw is a scenic and relatively virgin destination in Kayah. Accessible by road from Yangon and Mandalay and Inle Lake or an hour flight from Yangon, our pilots will take you and your guests over the beautiful Kayah hill, tribal cultures including the long-necked womenfolk known for the coils around their necks. We offer daily early morning flights over the beautiful city of Loikaw. Our season starts from 15th December onwards and our boutique balloons carry 6 up to 12 passengers.

Duration : 45 to 60 minutes (approx)

Price:

$250

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An Amazing Balloon Flight Over Beautiful Loikaw

LOIKAW

Loikaw is a remote and sleepy capital of Kayah - Myanmar’s beautiful but one of most untouched states. It is over half a day's travel by bus from Yangon and Mandalay and one hour flight from Yangon and also possible to travel overland from one of the famous Inle Lake. You will discover beautiful Kayah hill scenery and a large number of distinctive tribal cultures, the most internationally famous of which are the Kayan, whose ‘long-necked’ womenfolk have a tradition of sporting coils around their necks. We offer daily early morning flights over the beautiful city of Loikaw. Our season starts from 15th of December onwards and our boutique balloons carry 6 up to 12 passengers.

The Experience

Your whole experience will include a full morning of excitement. If you are staying in the wonderful town of Loikaw, you will be picked up by car at around 0530 or 0600 am (approx) where you will be taken to our launch site. At the launch site, we will provide you with tea or coffee and some lovely locally made cookies before all important safety briefing from the pilot, after which it is time to climb on board. The balloon is guided by gentle winds not exceeding 15 mph, allowing passengers a serene and peaceful bird's eye view over the beautiful city Loikaw, its surrounding countryside, villages and pagodas and extended amazing views of Kayah hills. Using his skill and years of local knowledge your pilot will guide the balloon at heights of upto 5000' feet above the Loikaw to a gentle landing, where our friendly and experienced crew will be on hand with fruits, fresh pastries and a glass of sparkling wine.

Safety & Insurance

Balloons Over Loikaw is a commercial balloon operation of the highest international standard. All our pilots and technicians are U.K trained, qualified and licensed and our balloons are manufactured in the UK and shipped to us here in Myanmar. We place the highest possible emphasis on our safety and maintenance. Under the strict rules imposed by the Myanmar Air Authorities the DCA, we have a team of UK trained public transportation inspectors who are responsible for carrying out all repairs and maintenance works of our aircraft. This is backed up with our comprehensive insurance policy placed directly through Lloyds of London. Our cover of USD 10 millions per balloon for passenger and third party liability comes WITHOUT any limitations.

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Gallery

An Amazing Flight Over Beautiful Loikaw City

Guest Book

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from ISRAEL

Nirvana

❝ To the great staff. Thank you for the time we have been with you on air ❞

Heiko Burchardt

❝ This flight with it's marvelous pictures will be in my mind a life long. Thank you very much for this experience ❞

from MEXICO

Karina Castillo de Corona

❝ Esturo increible! ❞

from GERMANY

Jens and Britta

❝ One of my best experiences I've ever had....Thank you very much ! ❞

from SWITZERLAND

Yvonne & Hans Jurg Clausdetshcer

❝ Dies war unser 2 Ballonflug uber Bagan! ...es var einfach fantastisch! Herzlichen Dank ❞

from MANILA, PHILIPPINES

Vic Albong Scatasen

❝ Enjoyed every minute of the flight. The whole world should know about this! ❞

from CANADA

Julie & Nathan

❝ Thank you so much - we had an incredible flight. Can't imagine a better place than over Bagan ❞

from SWITZERLAND

Thomas

❝ Thank you so much for the most beautiful flight I've ever done. I can't just find other words for that great feeling ❞

from BELGIUM

Florence

❝ Vraiment incroyable! La journée ne pouvait commencer mieux!! ❞

Hal Nathan

❝ The greatest way to begin a day. A world-class experience ❞

John

❝ Outstanding experience for a guy from Nebraska who never gets higher than the football stadium. ❞

from NEW YORK

Marcie S. Gitlin

❝ I haven’t had such a grand birthday celebration in all my 44 years! thank you, thank you, thank you! ❞

from JERUSALEM, ISRAEL

Tali Zir, Tour Manager, Geographical Tours

❝ A once in a life time experience. This balloon trip is poetry in early morning over past and present. ❞

from SINGAPORE / NEW YORK

Robert and Beulah Schmitz

❝ The tour book says you have to see Bagan on a hot air balloon or you have not seen Bagan and its temples at all. We agree wholeheartedly. Keep it up - the good work - the balloon. ❞

from UNITED KINGDOM

Hazel and James Frost

❝ On our third trip to Bagan, this was the most fantastic experience yet. The views at sunrise today were truely spectacular. ❞

from LONELY PLANET

Tony & Maureen Wheeler

❝ Of all the terrific experiences you can have in Myanmar, Ballooning over Bagan is the BEST! ❞

from SWITZERLAND

Bertrand Piccard, non-stop round the world balloonist

❝ After all, it isn't always an advantage to fly non-stop. I'm really glad to have stopped in Bagan to see this beautiful region from your balloon! ❞

from LONELY PLANET

Tony Wheeler

❝ Another wonderful flight! My 2nd time! ❞

from VIETNAM

Tran Minh Hung

❝ Amazing experience to flight balloon. Nice view in the air. This is the first time i fly and i will do again when i travel to this country. So wonderful. ❞

from CANADA

Ann and Catherine Scott

❝ The highlight of our trip to Myanmar was our Balloons over Bagan hot air balloon ride. We took our first balloon ride over Bagan in 2015 and loved it so much we returned to Myanmar in March 2016 and took our second thrilling ride. What a wonderful way to see the majestic sites of Bagan. This is an extremely professionally run tour company with knowledgeable flight captains. ❞

from SPAIN

Eddie & Annie

❝ The highlight of our Myanmar trip was for sure the “ Balloons over Bagan flight “. All was organized by a very professional team, they gave us the best temple views ever over Bagan with a soft landing and real Champagne at the end. Muchas gracias! ❞

from BELGIUM

Nienke & Jerome

❝ This is truly a one life experience we will never forget or regret! Thank you so much david and the professional team! Meet you in the la bamba again! ❞

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FAQ'S

Balloon Safaris - Frequently Asked Questions

Our flights on average last 60 minutes to one and half hour depending on the wind. Flights over 25 minutes are deemed completed. The whole experience including hotel pick ups and light sparkling wine breakfast lasts between 2 ½ to 3 hours. Ballooning is also about watching the set up of the balloon, not just the flight itself. Not knowing where you are going to land is always exciting and part of the adventure!

The exciting thing is that every balloon flight is different. You will see some of Myanmar’s remotest and unspoilt areas in the early morning light. You will see forgotten and tucked away hill top pagodas, mountain villages and incredible vistas over Beautiful Loikaw. As we come into land, we are often mobbed by children and local villagers in an amazing interactive experience.

Hot air ballooning is an extremely safe activity which is highly regulated in Myanmar with strict safety guidelines. We are licensed by the Department of Civil Aviation and all of our pilots hold full commercial pilot’s licences. Our balloons are built to the highest standards of the British aerospace industry in the UK and imported to Myanmar. We operate under an aviation maintenance organisation with in-house engineers and inspectors who were all qualified in the UK. All of our ground crew regularly receive first aid and fire fighting training by UK and Myanmar Public Transport Inspectors.

Ballooning does not usually affect those people who are scared of heights. Because the balloon travels with the wind, the basket is very stable and does not sway or rock during flight. There is no sense of vertigo or motion.

This service balloon carries 6 to 12 passengers. The basket is partitioned so that the pilot compartment with all the flight equipment is separate to the passengers. All our baskets contain safety equipment so that passengers are seated during landing.

A memory that we hope will last forever; transport to and from your hotel to launch and landing site, flight, celebratory glass of sparkling wine and light breakfast.

All passengers receive a Flight Certificate signed by the pilot as a souvenir. You will get the inflight photos from our specially designed digital camera that hangs from the balloon and photographs the entire basket and surrounding aerial scene.

The take off site changes with the wind and is decided by the pilot in command on the day of the flight.

Wherever the wind takes you! This could be next to a Pagoda, a field by a village, on a sandbank, or even into the next valley!

For the morning flight, passengers are usually picked up at their hotels by our Balloons over Loikaw bus between 05h00 and 05h30 in the morning depending on the location of your hotel and the hotels of other passengers. The exact time will be given to you the evening before when you or your guide reconfirm your flight with our Sales Office.

In the morning flight, passengers are usually back at their hotels before 9.30 am.

For safety reasons there are age and height restrictions. We set a minimum age of 8 years old, but as a general rule, all passengers must be able to see over the basket.

For a pre-booking, full payment is accepted by VISA or MasterCard through our online booking system.

Yes of course! Balloons over Loikaw only operates when the pilot decides that the weather is suitable and it is safe to fly. Therefore unfortunately we may have to cancel the balloon flight at the launch site for safety reasons. In that case we will refund 100% of your payment. All direct payments to Balloons over Loikaw will be refunded in cash either in Loikaw or in Yangon. If you have made payment through your travel agent, we will advise them immediately so that they can make arrangements for your refund on you return to Yangon.

It is important that we receive the correct weight of each passenger at the time of booking as the total combined total weight of all the passengers on board is an important calculation made by each pilot during their pre-flight safety checks.

Conditions

Conditions of flight & Booking terms and conditions

CONDITIONS OF FLIGHT

Passengers or their accompanying guide must register at our Sales desk at Balloons over Loikaw office upon arrival in Loikaw. Our Inle Sales desk is open at Keinnara Lodge from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm (Monday to Sunday). The contact phone number is +95 9 889 081 148.
Passengers are advised to wear long trousers and long sleeved clothing from 100% natural fibres.
Receipt of payment vouchers / flight tickets must be produced at launch site if required.
No refunds will be given for failure to arrive for a pre-arranged flight.
Any known medical condition which may affect your ability to fly or assist the crew must be disclosed to Balloons over Loikaw at the time of booking and to the pilot on the day of the flight, i.e. epilepsy, recent surgery etc. Some conditions may preclude you from eligibility to fly. Pregnant women will not be permitted to fly. Balloons over Loikaw will not accept liability for illness or injury due to any undisclosed condition or failure to comply with any reasonable instruction given by the pilot or crew or company representative.
The pilot in command is legally obliged to consider the safety of his passengers at all times and may refuse to carry passengers for whatever reason if it is considered their carriage may endanger the flight, other passengers or themselves. Balloons over Loikaw reserves the right to refuse the carriage of any passenger.
Any Passenger in excess of 125 kg / 280 pounds, or any passenger who requires the space in the basket for 2 passengers, will be required to book the extra space at the time of booking and pay a 100% surcharge of the ticket price. Failure to provide accurate information in advance could lead to the refusal of flight at the launch site, whereby no refund will be offered.
All passengers must carefully listen to the Important Security Briefing (see below) given by the pilot before the launch of the balloon and indicate in case he / she doesn’t understand the security briefing.
The pilot of the day has absolute authority and all passengers and crew must comply with his instructions. The pilot’s decision on all matters is final.
Balloons over Loikaw expects passengers to assist the pilot and crew in any situation that is deemed reasonable, during pre- and post-flight activities.
Balloons over Loikaw reserves the right to cancel or delay flights, change rendez-vous and launch sites, at short notice, to achieve a safe and successful flight. Balloons over Loikaw will not accept liability for any consequential loss or inconvenience.
Balloons over Loikaw carries third party and passenger liability for each balloon of USD 10 millions.
Balloons over Loikaw accepts no liability for claims arising as a result of an act or default of any other passenger or bystander.
Balloons over Loikaw accepts no liability for loss or damage to persons or property other than that which results from negligence on its own part.
Balloons over Loikaw does not accept liability for loss or damage to personal effects.
Flights cancelled by Balloons Over Loikaw for safety reasons or as a result of unfavourable weather or operational difficulties will be refunded in full in the original payment form. All tickets purchased directly through Balloons Over Loikaw websites or purchased via agents will be refunded in the same initial payment method. For bookings made through tour agents, passengers must contact the respective agent for refunds.
Balloons over Loikaw reserves the right to alter, revise or review any terms, conditions or rates, at its discretion.
Balloons over Loikaw will not fly children under the age of 8 years. A child under the age of 16 years will only be flown if accompanied by a responsible adult, and the child is over 4’6” tall (or 137 cm).

Important Security Briefing (as given by the pilot before take-off)

NO SMOKING IN AND AROUND THE BALLOON at all times.
If you are feeling unwell, if you have any medical conditions or you might be pregnant please inform the Pilot before the balloon is inflated.
During inflation do not walk between the trucks and the balloon. Stay behind the red barrier cord until asked to "Climb Aboard” by the Ground Crew.

To climb in - use the step-holes in the side of the basket.
Once you are in the basket do not get out, even after landing - stay in the basket until the Pilot tells you it is safe to get out.
Do not touch any coloured ropes, the fuel-hoses or any of the burner controls.

Before take-off your pilot will ask all passengers to practise the landing position as follows:

Safely stow all phones, cameras, binoculars etc, do not have anything loose around your neck if you have long hair-please tie it up or tuck it away).
Face backwards to the direction of travel.
Hold onto the rope handles woven into the basket side-wall in front of you.
Sit down on the seat.
LEAN BACK against the basket padding, sit upright and do not lean forward.
Place your feet flat on the floor with your toes away from the basket wall.
Stay in this position until the Pilot tells you it is safe to move.
When the Pilot gives the command "LANDING POSITIONS" please comply IMMEDIATELY this is very important for the SAFETY of all of the PASSENGERS.
The landing might be a series of bounces and the basket might lay on it’s side and drag along the ground until it stops.
Stay in the LANDING POSITION until the Pilot tells you it is safe to move.
In the unlikely event of an emergency - please follow the instructions given by the Pilot at all times.
If you do not understand any part of these instructions, please inform the Pilot before the balloon is inflated.

Thank you for reading these instructions and I hope you enjoy your flight with us.

BOOKING TERMS & CONDITIONS

We are currently reviewing and updating our Booking Terms and Conditions for 2020/2021 hot air ballooning season to provide assurance and comfort for our guests with the most flexible and convenient terms and conditions. Please watch this space.

Prices

Balloons Over Loikaw

$250

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