San Francisco is a tourist destination, as well as a starting point for other interesting tourist spots such as the Wine Country. After all the sight-seeing and dining in the downtown, you’d sometimes crave for some adventure. So how about hot air balloon rides near San Francisco?
Fortunately, the Wine Country — where the Napa Valley is located — is a great place to enjoy hot air balloon rides due to it’s expansive and absolutely stunning landscape. This is really best viewed through flying a hot air balloon in either early in the morning or in the late afternoon.
Let Balloons Above the Valley (BATV) take care of your adventure cravings. We offer packages that will suit your taste, schedule, and budget.
If you’re specifically staying in the city, you may want to take BATV’s “San Francisco Balloon & Wine Tour Package.” This two-day package (for $836.50 for two persons) serves up impeccable wine tours and hot air balloon experience all the way from the downtown to the Wine Country. This package includes a seven-hour wine tour from San Francisco in a limo bus comfort, plus an onboard continental breakfast with a mimosa.
You and the other guests will be transported to two wineries in Napa and two in Sonoma, where they will learn the delectable differences between the wines coming from the two regions. To cap off the day, a delicious buffet-style picnic lunch is served at one of the wineries, in an utterly idyllic setting.
Day two is the one you’re waiting for – your hot air balloon ride adventure! Fill your tummies first with a warm breakfast that consists of Starbucks coffee and freshly baked pastries. After that, you will be transported to the launching site where the balloons are in the final phase of inflation. Once the balloon rises, you’ll be transferred to the wicker basket and you’re ready to go!
As the balloon leaves the ground, you feel as though you’re transported into another entirely different dimension, into an entirely different world. Since the hot air balloon just moves along with the air’s movement, it just floats in the air and you will feel absolutely no wind during the course of your flight. Everything feels quiet and tranquil too.
But in spite of the tranquility, you will be nevertheless excited by what you see: endless rows of vineyards arranged in a neat fashion, the rolling hills and the majestic mountains (which would sometimes be shrouded by clouds or fog) that surround the deep valleys. All of which makes Napa Valley one of the world’s most prestigious wine regions not only in America. It is one of the famous wine regions in the world too.
After the one-hour flight, you and the other guests will be treated to a feast: a buffet-style seasonal brunch with a sparkling wine. Celebrate the successful and wonderful flight with a toast of champagne, over the sumptuous brunch meals.
Following the post-flight brunch, you will have the option to do some sight-seeing or shopping at either the Oxbow Public Market or The Napa Premium outlets, before being sent to the Ferry Terminal in Vallejo where you will take the ferry back to San Francisco. Or you may want to be driven off to the Ferry Terminal right away after the post-flight brunch.
If you don’t wish to have the wine tours, or if you have done a wine tour of your own already and want only the hot air balloon ride, BATV also offers the base package “Sunrise Balloon Flight & Brunch” which includes the pre-flight breakfast.
Hot air balloon rides in San Francisco provide an excellent opportunity for those who are staying in the city but are otherwise craving for nature, thrill and adventure. If you choose us at Balloons Above the Valley, we will do our best to make sure that your cravings will be satisfied!