Tours and Tickets by Vol de Coloms
Overview
Soar above Catalonia’s ancient dormant volcanoes on a thrilling hot air balloon ride over the Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park. Soak up panoramic views that stretch as far as the Mediterranean and the Pyrenees on a clear day as the winds carry you up to 6,500 feet (1981 meters) in the air. Sip pink cava and enjoy the spectacular silence during the 1.5-hour flight. After landing, cap off the unforgettable morning with a traditional Catalonian hot breakfast.
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Consider this: you are outside and it is completely silent, no wind not even a breeze. Unearthly sensation. Silence. The sun is just now rising at the horizon far away to the east. When you look down, you get an eerie feeling in the pit of your stomach... because you are 3,000 feet above the ground, nothing below but space, you are floating freely in a basket suspended below a massive hot air balloon! The feeling is magical, as you and the balloon are indeed floating horizontally about 20 km/hr, exactly at the speed of the wind. Thus the air is perfectly still inside the basket as you drift along within the current of wind. If you think that this feeling is no different from staring out of an airplane window midflight, think again. Firstly, you are outside -- there is no window! And, you can very distinctly see all the details below: the trees that make up the forest, the streets, houses and people that comprise the towns, the farms, the cows and even the chickens. You can even hear the cows mooing, the roosters cock-a-doodling, and especially the dogs barking. It seems the dogs get spooked by us above and respond as all mutts do. As exciting as the flight is, it pales in comparison with landing this huge contraption! First a large field or meadow must be identified ahead amongst the forests and farms, altitude lost just so, structures, power and telephone lines avoided at all costs, and finally plenty of margin for error as the actual point of impact can only be estimated. And... surprise... the basket will bounce, become airborne again and bounce again a few metres downwind. Depending on the pilot's skills, there may be two or three bounces before we stay put. Once the immense balloon is deflated and rolled up, out comes the obligatory bottle of champagne, glasses are filled, clinked together and then quickly emptied!…
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Date of experience: September 2019
1 Helpful vote
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Arriving at the location at 7:00 am, it was still dark outside, we were welcomed and served coffee, juice, and snacks at the bar, while we could see the two hot air balloons being inflated outside. When the balloons were inflated, we boarded the one that we were assigned to and started taking off. The basket contained about 10 people + the operator. Since it was our first time, the heart started beating more intensively, but the look of the ground getting farther and farther away while feeling the wind and air around you is something you don't feel on other activities. we went up pretty high, to get over the clouds, and surprisingly, other than realizing you are VERY high, you almost don't feel the motion... The basket rotated slowly so we could see all around. After going over the clouds we could see the Pyrenees and the sun rising. At that point, we had a small surprise, I'll leave that disclosed, just saying it is related to beverages... Going lower with the ballon, we had a straight path over Besalu which is an old medieval town. It was a very beautiful flight and great experience. After landing in a field, we helped the team fold the balloon, and were picked up by a car back to the location we took off (about 20-25 minutes drive). At the location, we were served the "breakfast" which was more branch since it was almost 11:00... however, the breakfast was very rich with cold and hot dishes, wine and water. So, to sum the experience, it is not cheap, but worth every cent and more....…
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Date of experience: October 2019
2 Helpful votes
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On the GPS our air speed was 28 MPH, but it felt like we were standing still and we felt no wind because we were moving with it. The views were the best, the service great, the coffee and snacks excellent, and the breakfast afterwards was great too!
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Date of experience: September 2019
1 Helpful vote
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+1
This was the highlight of our family trip in Catalonia, and a great surprise. The day starts with watching the preparations and the balloons being inflated, while drinking coffee and having some snacks. Riding the balloon for almost two hours was amazing, the views were stunning, and Xevi our pilot and guide provided very interesting information on the landscape and gladly answered any question on both landmarks and balloon operation. During the trip we had some champagne and a cake. After the balloon ride we expected a light breakfast, but were surprised that the experience developed into a Catalan feast. With delicious Catalan dishes, and a lot of wine. Xevi was sitting with us, explaining more on the food, the local culture, and a lot more, and just having fun with the extended group. The gift shop is very nice, and the staff was not pushy around it. All in all this is a full experience, with the balloon ride obviously being the highlight. All family members ranked it the #1 activity of the trip!…
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Date of experience: August 2019
2 Helpful votes1 Save
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Response from Voyage03306258968, Guest Relations Manager at Vol de Coloms
Responded Aug 20, 2019
Dear Mr./ Miss. / Mrs. Thank you a lot for your great feedback, we are very happy that you enjoy the hot air balloon over La Garrotxa, we try to make a complete experience, showing our landscape and our gastronomy. We work to make you feel the same passion that we have for the balloon and for our country. I hope we can see again. Kind regards.
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What a fantastic experience we had in this hot air balloon. This is a rural family run business that is highly professional and well organised. As a family of four we had an amazing time and totally enjoyed it from beginning to end. Highly recommended.
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Response from Voyage03306258968, Guest Relations Manager at Vol de Coloms
Responded Aug 14, 2019
Thank you for this grad feedback. We try to give all our passion that we have for the balloons and for the region.
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