Wine Country Hot-Air Balloon Ride from Yountville in Napa & Sonoma booking from $338.00

Wine Country Hot-Air Balloon Ride from Yountville

Overview

Experience world-famous wine country from the air on an early morning hot-air balloon ride. Then climb into a comfortable basket to take to the skies as the valley below you awakens. Enjoy a bird’s-eye perspective of rolling hills, expansive vineyards, and elegant estates during your flight. Your pilot will offer insights on ballooning and the landscape as you float above it all!

* Wine Country Hot-air balloon ride
* Learn about the world famous Wine Country as your soar above it all

City: Napa & Sonoma

Fri 20 Sep

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $338.00

Make a reservation

Fri 20 Sep

Starting at $338.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Post Flight Sparkling Wine Celebration with the Pilot

40 min to 1 hour hot-air balloon ride (weather dependent)

Preflight Coffee or Tea

Additional Info

Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Minimum age is 8 years and minimum height is 57 inches tall. It is at the pilots discretion who is deemed safe to fly
MUST provide on the road phone number at time of booking. Failure to provide this information will result in cancellation
Guests with weights of 260 lbs (118kg) or more will be charged an additional fee of $275
Individuals who have done a deep scuba dive within the past few days
People suffering from chronic pain, have a recent injury or who have recently had major surgery, anyone who is unable to stand without assistance for more than an hour
Someone who requires assistance walking or who cannot climb stairs.
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons

What To Expect

Napa Valley

Then it’s off into the wild blue yonder. Our experienced pilots will share with you some of ballooning's colorful history and the regions highlights!

Sonoma

Our experienced pilots will share with you ballooning's colorful history and the regions highlights

Cancellation Policy

If you cancel at least 4 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel within 3 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (474)

DrAVM

Oct 2011

At 6:15am, we arrived bright and early (a group of 6 from all over the US, who drove in from San Fran) and surprised my sister with the prospect of a hot air balloon ride. She was thrilled. But that didn't last long. After the coffee and pastries (which were pretty darn good, by the way), we were told that the ride was not possible over the Napa Valley and we would try to launch elsewhere over some Nut Trees. Fine - not their fault - they offered to drive us "45 minutes" to the new launch site and loaded us up in vans, which proceeded to be the bumpiest, most nausea-inducing ride possible. After an hour (at least!), we arrived at an empty pasture where the baskets were waiting to be readied and a wild dog scratched at the ground watching us drive up. They told us we couldn't get out of the vans and even had child-lock on the doors. When we asked to use the restroom, they told us there wasn't one available. A few minutes later, we hear over the intercom that it's "too windy" here as well so we have to drive over the the "Nut Tree Airport" (or something like that). Pray tell, why could they not have redirected us earlier when there were obviously people at the site before us who were testing out the winds??? Then we proceed to drive another 35 minutes to the airport, which thankfully, we thought, would at least have a bathroom we could use. When we reached the airport, we found out the balloon ride was canceled. Too windy at 5 MPH, they said. We were obviously disappointed but of course, would rather be safe than sorry. So we at least got to use the bathroom. A line of 20-25 women waiting to use the restroom and they announce that we "should not flush unless [we] have to." Are you serious? Everyone had to use the restroom on top of everyone else's business. Awesome. Twist of the knife? We saw a hot air balloon floating in the not-too-far distance on the drive back. How did they manage to fly? After the nearly 2 hour ride back to the Domain Chandon vineyard, where we had met initially, they did not so much as offer us a drink. It was like, "ok here we are, sorry we couldn't go up. Get out now." That was it. They told us to try to come back tomorrow, which we couldn't do as we were from out of town. In any case, there was supposed to be a brunch after the balloon ride, which they apparently decided not to make or something because it was left completely ignored that this was supposed to be part of our trip. Thanks for nothing. The only thing we got out of this was that our driver, a nice fellow, gave me some good advice on vineyards in the area we could go to for wine tasting. At 10:00am, we were ready to drink- so we did.

2CtheWorld4Two

Aug 2010

As this is our “Up in the Air” year (gliding, hot air balloon ride, and skydiving), we chose the package offered by “Platypus Tours:” Hot air balloon ride in the morning followed by a day touring the “Wine Country.” It was a dream fulfilled! It was still dark when the "Napa Valley Balloon" van pulled up at our hotel at 5 am sharp. Wide awake with excitement, we didn’t know what to expect. Our driver informed us that the fog which blanketed Napa Valley, would not lift, and so we’d need to drive to their alternate site about 50 minutes away. Although we were told that we could choose not to fly (no charge or fees to our card), we were not about to miss this opportunity and agreed to the alternate location. “Going with the flow,” we began our journey. After a few other stops at hotels to pick up passengers, we drove to the “Domaine Chandon Winery” for a light “Continental Breakfast” and briefing. Nicely done, we thought this was the breakfast that was included with our package. Wrong! (More on this later.) The briefing was simple. The pilots described the procedure, formed us into groups, and we drove through the hills and into the next valley. It was exciting to drive up to the airport and see several balloons, in various stages of inflation, waiting to whisk us away. Cameras in hand, we climbed into our balloon with 6 others and Gabe, our pilot. In a matter of minutes, we were airborn. There was no sensation of even moving since we were actually riding with the air current! The farmland, mountains, and lakes below were spectacular! Wanting to share this with our families back home, I snapped a shot with my iPhone and emailed it then and there. After our delightful flight, we returned to the “Domaine Chandon Winery” to enjoy our REAL breakfast and to wait for “Platypus Tours” to pick us up for our all day “Wine Country” tour. A nice spread of eggs, muffins, bacon (the best I’ve ever had!), potatoes, fruit and champagne was laid out and we gladly indulged. Dan, the photographer, worked his magic and had the photos he took of us available for a very reasonable price. This experience was not only first class, it was first rate. Don’t hesitate to take the plunge, make your reservations, and be swept away into the heavens!

ReturnJune

Jun 2010

As we planned out trip to the Napa Valley we researched hot air balloon companies. We wondered,"Can one company really have this many five ratings?" Now we know the answer and it is a resounding, "Yes." With a slightly nervous feeling we approached Domaine Chandon’s Etoile Restaurant in the early morning to meet our pilot. The facility was an awesome meeting place with a separate room for the ballooners and hot coffee and croissants waiting. We listened to the directions for safe ballooning and headed by van to an alternate flying location because of the day's wind. Although we initially thought an hour drive to the launch site was a waste of our time it was completely worthwhile to be able to see another part of California and learn information on the area as we passed. Our driver / pilot was friendly and accommodating. From temperature control during the van ride to special accommodations to passengers when entering and exiting the basket, our friendly pilot made everyone feel comfortable. The ride itself was awesome: gentle and smooth and peaceful other than the noisy burners which needed to be used occasionally. We sailed over fields, a river, a greenhouse and some cattails which provided an extra thrill for a young child riding in another balloon. Friendly neighbors came out to wave and invite us for coffee and the not so friendly dogs barked whenever the balloon needed to be inflated. We flew low enough to see rabbits in the grass and turtles in the pond. The skill of the pilot was fantastic and we were not even aware we had touched down. Again assistance was immediately given to make it easy to get out of the balloon. The chatter back and forth between the pilots and friendly talk with the crew added to the family feeling of the flight. The flying time was perfect to hold interest and the drive back to Napa was again informative and comfortable. The breakfast that awaited us when we arrived was phenomenal. We appreciated the private setting and the camaraderie. At no time were we rushed as we sipped our sparking wine and orange juice and discussed our reactions to the flight. As we prepared to leave our group of six between the ages of 55 and 88 stopped at a small bridge to look at the ponds below. Two pilots, who were now finished for the day and, could have been hurrying home, stopped to point our bull frogs and tadpoles. This was just one more small touch showing what this group is all about.

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Wine Country Hot-Air Balloon Ride from Yountville

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