Seeing the northern lights and riding in a hot air balloon are experiences that top many people's buckets lists, and a new experience being offered in Swedish Lapland manages to combine both. The new travel concept will allow travellers to float into the Arctic skies and hover there, hoping to see the lights.
The Aurora Hot Air Balloon experience will see the balloon take off and ascend up to 40 metres in the air, where it will hover while anchored to the Arctic ice below. It has been created by the founders of the Aurora Safari Camp, Jonas Gejke and Fredrik Broman. Their hot air balloon operation has been created along with ballooning expert, Andrew Peart, who has been flying hot air balloons for more than 25 years over African savannahs.
The experience is available for groups of up to six people and is recommended for guests over six years of age. "To experience the northern lights from the tranquility of the balloon in a remote wilderness region of northern Sweden is a very special experience and one that will serve as a highlight for any luxury Arctic adventure,” says Off the Map Travel’s Jonathan Cooper. “Although the aurora is never guaranteed, what better place to hunt for it than by ascending into the stars yourself?”
If visitors are more interested in the Arctic landscapes than the aurora, the team will also be running daytime expedition flights from its home base in Gunnarsbyn, Råneå River Valley in Luleå, over the spectacular Arctic wilderness. The first aurora flight will take off in December 2020 and will be available through to April, with bookings officially due to open for guests in May 2020.
Off the Map Travel is offering itineraries that include the Aurora Hot Air Balloon experience, and every adventure can be tailor-made to fit the guests' wishes. For more information, please visit its website here.
