Mini-Group Tour
- Flight location: Athens
- Quantity of people: 1-8
- Flight duration: 30-40 minutes
About this activity
Embark on a memorable small-group adventure and experience the magic of watching the sunrise or sunset in Greece from a hot air balloon.
Our half-day tour takes place near Thebes, offering you the chance to capture stunning views and breathtaking scenery from the sky. During this 40-minute flight, you’ll enjoy the beauty of the landscape at altitude.
After landing, we’ll treat you to sparkling wine, a light snack with croissants, juice, and fresh fruit. As a keepsake of your adventure, each participant will receive a personal certificate and a special souvenir from «VIVA let’s fly!».
If your hotel is far from the flight location, we offer convenient transfer services. In Athens, we have three standard meeting points: Glyfada (St. Constantine & Helena Church), Syntagma Square (Greek Parliament), and Omonia (Hondos Center).
What's included
- Flight
- Sparkling Wine
- Breakfast
- Flight Certificate
- Transfer
- Other Extra Services
You need to know
A hot air balloon ride is a source of new and vivid emotions. Those who have been in the basket of a balloon at least once say that they felt amazing lightness and freedom during the flight.
There are no age restrictions for ballooning. But you should adequately assess your body and health capabilities. We do not recommend ballooning for pregnant women, children under 6 years old, people who have suffered serious injuries, fractures or sprains.
Balloons are an adventure and an unusual form of transport. To make the flight safe and bring only pleasant impressions, you need to take into account several important points.
Before the flight
A balloon has no rudder or engine. It is the only air transport that flies freely in the air.
The starting location can be changed even the day before the flight starts if weather conditions change. We do not guarantee a specific region of Crete or Athens for the flight. Weather conditions, especially wind strength, take precedence when choosing a start location. ‘VIVA let's fly!’ reserves the right to change the starting place and time even a few minutes before take-off.
If the pilot specifies your weight, don’t take it personally. The information is needed to calculate the lift of the balloon, according to the air temperature.
The warmer the air, the less lift the balloon has.
Need a ride? We can arrange pickup and drop-off, making it easy to join us for this unforgettable adventure. We have a comfortable minivan and a minibus at your disposal. Transportation depends on the tour program and the number of passengers.
If you did not book a transfer, our representative will contact you approximately 12 hours before your adventure to inform you about the meeting place and the meeting time.
We recommend that you do not drink alcohol or eat fatty foods before your tour to avoid motion sickness during the flight. Passengers usually tolerate the flight well, but you may want to take a motion sickness tablet just in case.
We recommend our passengers to wear cotton clothes and sports shoes for the tour. It may be windy at altitude — better bring a jacket.
You can take a photo or video camera. It would be better to keep the equipment in soft cases on a string or chain. That way it won’t fall overboard and won’t be damaged upon landing.
Balloon flights are possible if there is no rain, fog and wind strength does not exceed 5 meters per second. We check the weather forecast the day before the tour, but sometimes the weather situation can change suddenly. We are responsible for the safety of our guests and can cancel the flight even just before take-off if the weather is unfavorable.
Briefing
Before the takeoff, the pilot explains how to behave during the flight: what you can and can’t do. These are simple rules that will help make the excursion comfortable and safe.
During the flight
Forbidden: pulling on ropes and hoses; opening and closing valves; sitting on and hanging over the basket; taking weapons or explosives, such as fireworks, on board; smoking in the basket; drinking alcoholic beverages; sitting on the floor of the basket.
Allowed: holding on to the rope loops on the sides of the basket; taking photos and videos; enjoying the view.
The flight usually lasts about 40 minutes, but due to weather conditions or any interference, an emergency landing may be necessary. In this case, the flight time may be shortened without rescheduling the flight to other dates. Money for the tour is not refundable.
During the landing
Landing a hot air balloon is an unusual experience. At this point you should hold on to the rope loops on the sides of the basket until the balloon comes to a complete stop.
In order to land comfortably, you need to bend your knees slightly or squat the moment the basket is about to touch the ground.
You may only drop the basket with the pilot’s permission.
After the flight
After landing passengers will continue to enjoy the adventure with a sparkling wine and a light breakfast.
Each participant of the flight will receive a certificate and a special souvenir from ‘VIVA let's fly!’.
Then we’ll take you back to your hotel or meeting point if you’ve booked a transfer service. If not, you’ll have to drive yourself from the starting point.
Flight cancellation procedure
If the weather does not permit the flight, we reschedule it for another date. Therefore, we recommend to schedule the excursion at the beginning of your vacation in Greece.
If you leave Greece before the next flight date, we will provide you with a full refund.
If the tour is cancelled on your own initiative: you are late, change your mind about the flight, etc., unfortunately we will not be able to issue a refund.
