Pokhara, 23 November: Pokhara, the tourist capital, is famous not only for its natural beauty but also for its adventure sports. Adventure activities such as paragliding, zipline and bungee jump, skydive, canoeing, rafting, hot air balloon are being conducted in Pokhara.
Recently, the attraction of tourists from SAARC countries towards ‘Hot Air Balloon’ has started to increase as they can enjoy the natural beauty and the adventure experience at the same time. Balloon Nepal Pvt. Ltd. President Bikram Bade said that tourists from SAARC countries have started to like adventure travel and among them, 60 percent of the passengers participating in the flight are from the neighboring country of India.
“Pokhara is not only a natural but also a city of adventure activities and recently the attraction of tourists from SAARC countries towards hot air balloons is increasing”, Bade said. .” He said that balloon flight has opened a new door of adventure and entertainment for all those who are physically and mentally fit who are interested in adventurous activities above the age of five. Bade also informed that an international balloon festival will be organized in Pokhara from December 24 to January 1, with the belief that it will provide a different and exciting experience for tourists and also have a positive impact on the local economy.
“Not only tourists come but there should be activities to forget and enjoy after they come, we have prepared the festival to develop Pokhara as a center of adventure activities by paying attention to this,” he said. According to him, the festival will include hot air balloon night glow, Tethered and other famous bands, balloon competition, DJ music and other programs, and professional balloon pilots from 20 countries will participate in the competition.
Taranath Pahari, chairman of Pokhara Tourism Council, said that the hot air balloon has succeeded in attracting not only tourists who prefer adventure activities, but also tourists who want to enjoy the natural beauty. “Pokhara is not only a center of natural beauty but also an important city of adventure activities, recently hot air balloon is becoming a center of special attraction for tourists from SAARC countries”, he said.
President Pahari expressed his belief that balloons will play an important role in enriching Nepal’s tourism by establishing the tourist capital Pokhara on the international map through adventure sports and tourism. According to European standards, hot air balloons are imported only after checking in cans. Sunrise Balloons introduced hot air balloons in Kathmandu in 1991.
Balloon flights were stopped after the air pressure started to rise in Kathmandu. In Pokhara, balloon flight was attempted for the first time in 2009-10, but Balloon Nepal Pvt. Ltd. started it commercially in 2018. At present, the company has three separate hot air balloons of different carrying capacity. Five, eight and 12 people can fly in it, and its price ranges from Rs 7 million to Rs 14 million.
Balloon flight costs Rs 11,000 for Nepalese, US$ 120 for tourists from SAARC countries and US$ 150 for citizens of other countries. Passengers traveling in hot air balloons are insured for $20,000. This fee includes attractive cap, two-way transport from Lakeside to Pame, photo, video and certificate along with the flight. The facility to reserve a balloon and fly is also available. There are no flights due to rainy season in June, July and August. The flight time is 40 minutes. The company has been flying from 5 am to 9 am and from 4 pm to 6 pm keeping in mind the time of sunrise and sunset.
According to Sabin Maharjan, Managing Director of Balloon Pvt. Ltd., the balloon takes off from Lauruk in Pokhara and lands in Changkhpur area. Pokhara International Airport’s tower frequency has been flying so that it remains in contact. Although the company has received permission from the Civil Aviation Authority up to 9,000 feet, it is currently flying between 6,000 and 7,000 feet with balloons. Now Cleto from Spain and Harvey Alexander from Britain are pilots. According to the company, 2,400 tourists enjoyed balloon flight in Pokhara last year.
A hot air balloon is a special type of balloon filled with air. It is done according to some special procedures. It can be blown using hot air. Hot air is filled inside the balloon using a gas heater to inflate the balloon. As the density of hot air is less, it is lighter than cold air. This causes the balloon to fly up. Before the flight, the safety condition of the balloon is checked. Pilots and technicians fly the balloon safely after inspecting all parts of the balloon, controlling the wind, weather and direction. In case of adverse conditions like wind pressure, rain or storm, the flight is postponed.
