Balloons Over Bagan
Since the year 1999, visitors have been privileged to enjoy this unique spectacle from the enchanting platform of a hot air balloon basket. Balloons over Bagan takes you in complete safety and comfort high above the region for 45 minutes at sunrise to see the majesty of the ancient temples that dot the landscape in all their splendor.
The pilot guides the balloon at speeds not exceeding 15 miles per hour over the blanket of 1,000-year-old pagodas and the Ayeyarwaddy River below. Light winds and stable weather conditions are needed, the speed of the balloon and the length of the flight are governed by the strength and velocity of the wind. On landing, our fully trained Myanmar ground crew will pack the balloon whilst passengers enjoy a glass or two of celebratory champagne. All equipment is manufactured in the UK and all pilots and technicians are UK licensed pilots and public transport inspectors. Flights run from October to the end of March, at the safest and most visually splendid time of year.
The company is fully licensed and approved by the Department of Civil Aviation of Myanmar to operate a passenger balloon service in the area. ‘Balloons over Bagan’ are insured with third party and passenger liability for each balloon, reinsured through Lloyds of London. Effective December 2014, our third party and passenger liability has been increased to USD 10 million per balloon. Our claims per passenger have no limit up to a possible maximum of USD 10 million.
Golden Eagle Ballooning
Golden Eagle Ballooning is a subsidiary of Golden Express Tours, which is the first balloon tour operator in Myanmar since 1999.
Golden Express Tours has organized numerous international balloon meetings in Myanmar flying over Bagan, Mandalay, Inle, Yangon and other major cities like Myitkyina, Loikaw, Monywa and Magway.
Golden Eagle Ballooning intends to fill the needs of demand for hot air balloon operation in Bagan with highest safety standards and services. GEB's balloons are manufactured by Ultra magic from Spain - one of the best and well-known balloon manufacturers in the world and approved by European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The insurance is comprehensively covered by Lloyd from United Kingdom for both third parties and the passengers.
The company has three Swiss pilots and one Chief pilot from Barcelona, one Spanish examiner and inspector, one Swiss maintenance manager, two local operation managers, and 35 local ground crews for the operations.
Golden Eagle Ballooning operates three balloons with a total capacity of 24 passengers with one Sunrise flight every morning of 35 minutes to one hour duration, depending on the wind speed and weather condition on that day.
Oriental Ballooning
Oriental Ballooning was founded in 2013 and is a syndicate of leading professionals from the hotel and tourism industry.
With the advice of Gone-with-the-Wind ltd. the company purchased brand new balloons from Cameron Balloons, Bristol UK, the world’s largest balloon manufacturer.
All pilots have a commercial UK balloon license and many years of flying experience. Some of the pilots have lived and worked in Burma for many years and are happy to share their insight knowledge with you during the flight.
Most of our pilots speak at least a couple of foreign languages like French and German but some will also be able to communicate with you in Spanish, Chinese or Japanese.
Oriental Ballooning obtained its AOC (Air operators certificate) in November 2013 and has been offering flights in their boutique 4-12 passenger balloons over Bagan, Mandalay, Inle lake, Pindaya and now for this season Ngapali.
The company employs over 100 local staff who enjoy their job and will do everything to make your experience as comfortable as possible. They are fully employed – also during the off-season – and the company offers them free English lessons to improve their skills and opportunities for the future.