Up thousands of feet in the air, how this one detour alone makes a trip to Laos worthwhile.
In Vang Vieng the most coveted spot isn’t at a riverside bar or a mountaintop café (although both can be charming). It’s in the woven wicker pod of a hot air balloon that hovers thousands of feet above Laos’ jade-green valleys and limestone mountains. The journey gives a whole new perspective on the tiny Laotian town famed on the South East Asia backpacking trail.
The morning begins, with us bleary eyed in the dark at 5:30am, being picked up by a minivan collecting guests from various hotels around Vang Vieng. We are driven to a mist-laced field in Nathong Valley. There the stage is set: colossal, red balloons lie unfurled like sleeping giants. The pre-flight briefing at Above Laos is accompanied by strong coffee and snacks, as the local crew offers reassurance and soon start firing up roaring burners as each balloon slowly turns into bright upright orbs, starting to tug at their tethers.
We climb into the basket, each carrying about 8 passengers and one pilot, and learn how to brace for landing before slowly lift off the ground. That’s the first magic moment, a smooth ascent as the earth below gently recedes from our view.
That Friday dawn, we see the sun breaching a serrated horizon of limestone karsts as the views unfold to be nothing short of surreal. Here, hot air ballooning is perhaps the most transcendent thing to do – a ritual of quiet awe. It also gives a totally different perspective to the dusty energy of a backpacker town whose reputation for activities like tubing, kayaking and hiking is recently marred by tourist deaths due to fake alcohol poisoning at backpacker bars.
Up high, there is no engine rumble, only the occasional loud whoosh of the balloon burner and the (almost religious) stunned silence of passengers as Vang Vieng unfurls below. The Nam Song River, dramatic karst mountains, forest canopies and rice paddy checkerboards glow in the first golden light of sunrise. Across the sky, other hot air balloons rise in synchronicity to catch the moment day breaks amidst mist. The views are ones of sublime beauty. You might feel a quiet adrenaline rush, especially when looking straight down. Needless to say, the experience is not recommended for anyone with vertigo.
Skilled pilots navigate by wind and fire alone, communicating with each other the whole way as we reach maximum height of 4800 feet up in silent communion with the clouds. Our flight lasts a sublime 70 minutes before returning gently to solid ground. There, a celebratory toast awaits: a glass of champagne (apparently the ritual after any hot air balloon journey) with pastries and fresh fruit. The memory of this adventure is pressed firmly into the mind: a striking perspective that’s hard to forget, and for us, the ultimate detour up above the clouds.
Tickets: USD150 pp for group flights or from USD450 up for private flights. Tickets can be bought from your hotel or the website: www.abovelaos.com/en/
Flying times: Twice a day. Either sunrise or late afternoon pickup offered
