Is it worth the 4 am alarm?
Condition one, the wind: a balloon goes where the air goes. Some mornings drift towards Amber Fort, others wander over mustard and millet. If the fort is the only thing you want, a balloon will sometimes disappoint you.
Condition two, the season: flights run in the cool months only. Outside them there is simply nothing to book, however much you ask.
- Best for
- Couples, families with older children, photographers
- Not for
- Anyone who needs a fixed plan
- Fort guaranteed
- No, the wind decides
- Back-up
- A second free morning in Jaipur
- Condition three, the spare morning: cancellations are normal and sensible. A trip with one possible morning is a gamble, and we don't like gambles with something this special.
- What you get in return: an hour of near silence above the oldest hills in India, the sunrise turning the forts gold, and village life seen as if someone had lifted the roof off.
- What surprises people most: the calm. You move with the wind, so the basket feels still. Many guests who fear heights tell us afterwards they felt less nervous than on a hotel balcony.
- Our family verdict: we would put a balloon among the five best mornings in Rajasthan, alongside a tiger in Ranthambore, the ghats of Pushkar at dawn and a boat on Lake Pichola.
The morning, hour by hour
In the dark, the pick-up
Who collects you: your own chauffeur, well before sunrise, with chai or coffee in a flask. We never put guests in a shared van.
- How long: from twenty minutes to an hour, depending on your hotel and where the operator has chosen to launch.
- What to wear: warm layers you can peel off. In December and January the pre-dawn cold is sharp, and it is colder still in the basket.
First light, the launch field
No fixed airport: the operator picks a field the night before and confirms it at dawn, so the balloon will drift over good country and land somewhere safe.
- Test balloons: pilots often release a small balloon to read the wind at different heights. Watch it go. It tells you where you are heading.
- Inflation: a big fan fills the envelope with cold air, then the burners roar and it lifts upright. It is the best photograph of the morning.
The briefing
Listen closely: the pilot explains where to stand, what to hold and the landing position, which you practise once on the ground.
- Speak up: if you are nervous, say so now. Pilots are used to it and will keep an eye on you.
- Small bags only: phones and cameras on straps. Anything dropped from a basket is gone.
About an hour in the air
Steering by height: the pilot climbs and sinks to find winds blowing in slightly different directions. That is the only steering a balloon has.
- Low and high: sometimes you skim fields close enough to greet farmers, sometimes you rise until the Aravalli ridges fade into haze.
- The sunrise: it comes while you are aloft, and the light on the hills is the whole reason for the early start.
Landing, and the village
The ground crew: they chase the balloon by road and meet it wherever it comes down, usually a fallow or harvested field.
- The bump: most landings are gentle, some end with a short drag. Brace exactly as you practised.
- The welcome: children and farmers appear from nowhere. The crew often asks them to help fold the envelope, and it becomes the warmest moment of the day.
Back by breakfast
- The drive back: the crew returns you to your car, and your chauffeur takes over.
- Two good choices: straight to Amber Fort as the gates open, ahead of the crowds, or back to the hotel for a long breakfast and a sleep. Both are right.
What you see from the basket
The ridges: the Aravallis run in long broken lines from south-west to north-east. From above you see at once why every fort sits where it does.
The walls: the battlements of Jaigarh and Nahargarh follow the crests for kilometres, turning grey, then gold, then rose as the sun climbs.
- The water: Maota Lake below Amer and the village tanks shine like mirrors. After a good monsoon there are far more of them than you would guess from the road.
- The fields: green after the rains in October and November, then mustard in flower through January and February, vivid yellow against brown hills.
- The villages: square courtyards, flat roofs with grain or chillies drying, a woman lighting the chulha, the clay stove, and buffalo walking to water.
- The brick kilns: thin lines of smoke on the plain, a reminder that this is working country, not a postcard.
- The birds: egrets and herons lift from the ponds as you pass, and on still mornings you can hear them call.
- The history: the Kachwaha rulers held Amer for centuries before Sawai Jai Singh II founded Jaipur on the plain in 1727. From the air the reason is obvious: safe hills, but little room and little water.
Where and when we arrange flights
- Main areas
- Around Amer, and the Samode valley
- Samode
- About 40 km north of Jaipur
- Best weeks
- February, then November
- Fog risk
- December and January
- Pushkar
- Some fair mornings, confirmed each year
Around Amer
- The country: villages, small lakes and fields, with the fort, Jaigarh and the Nahargarh ridge somewhere in view on a good morning.
- The honest part: no operator can promise to pass close to the fort. Some mornings you will see it from a distance, and some not at all.
The Samode valley
- The country: farmland, scrub and hamlets below the hills, quieter than Amer, with the painted palace of Samode somewhere in the picture.
- Easiest if: you are staying at Samode Palace, when the drive to the launch field is short.
Pushkar, at fair time
- When: on some mornings of the Pushkar Camel Fair, in the Hindu month of Kartik, balloons have lifted over the fairground and dunes.
- Our caution: arrangements change from year to year, so we confirm each autumn and never promise it in advance.
Month by month
October and November: the season opens as the heat breaks, with green fields and generally calm dawns. Diwali weeks book up early.
- December and January: still, cold mornings that can be perfect, but winter fog may delay or cancel a flight.
- February and March: our favourite weeks, with mustard in flower and clear air, until the wind and heat build in late March.
When the sky says no
Why flights stop: too much wind, gusts, rain, fog, poor visibility, or a wind blowing towards somewhere unsafe to land.
When you hear: often only on the morning itself, sometimes at the launch field. Pack patience along with the shawl.
- Our back-up: we keep a second Jaipur morning free and rebook at once. Your chauffeur already knows the plan.
- If both mornings fail: we have a quieter dawn ready, such as the ramparts at Amer as the light comes up, or a walk in the old city before the shutters lift.
- A wider view without weather risk: a private helicopter flight over the forts. Our page on helicopter and charter journeys explains how we arrange them.
- The free alternative: sunset on the Nahargarh ramparts, with the whole pink city below. It is not flying, but it is the next best view in Jaipur.
Flying safely, the way our grandmother would ask
Established operators only: commercial balloon flying in India comes under the civil aviation regulator. We book only operators with proper permissions and pilots we have flown with ourselves.
We ask the dull questions: about pilots, maintenance and safety records, every season. If we ever have doubts, we stop booking.
- Regulator
- India's civil aviation authority
- Pilots
- Licensed, with maintained equipment
- Children
- Operator rules on age and height
- You must
- Stand for an hour and brace to land
- Health matters: operators set their own rules on pregnancy, recent surgery, heart problems and back or joint trouble. Tell us honestly, and we check before you book.
- Agility: climbing in and out of the basket takes a little effort. Ask us if anyone in your party struggles with steps.
- Children: usually welcome if they meet the operator's minimum age and height, because they must see over the basket and brace for landing.
- Follow the pilot: without argument, especially in the final minutes. A balloon is not the place for opinions.
- Drones: separate rules apply in India, and we ask guests not to fly them near forts or villages without permission.
What to wear and what to bring
Layers: a thermal, a sweater and a light jacket you can tie round your waist once the sun is up.
Shoes: flat, closed and comfortable. You will stand in a field of stubble and climb over the basket edge.
- Trousers or a long skirt: something you can climb in without worry.
- A hat and a scarf: the burner gives off real heat above your head, and the scarf doubles as a dust cover after landing.
- Sunglasses: the sun rises straight into your eyes on many flights.
- Leave behind: big bags, loose hats, selfie sticks and anything you can't bear to lose over the side.
- Cash for the crew: small notes for a tip. They were up long before you and did the hard work.
- Our packing list: the full version is in our packing guide.
Getting the photographs
One body, two lenses: a wide zoom for the inflation and the landscape, a short telephoto for rooftops, forts and the balloon's own shadow.
Straps on everything: camera, phone, sunglasses. A dropped lens can hurt someone below.
- Shoot the inflation: stand beside the basket as the burners light, then turn round at lift-off for the crew and the field falling away.
- Look down: courtyards, field patterns, a line of women walking to a well. The vertical view is what nobody else has.
- Use the haze: in December and January, mist softens the distance into layers. Work with it rather than against it.
- Put it away to land: both hands, knees bent, exactly as briefed. No photograph is worth a twisted ankle.
- Ask in the village: photograph villagers, especially women, only with a nod of consent. A smile and a lowered camera work in every language.
- More on light: our photography tips and the photographer's journey build a trip around Rajasthan's best hours.
Landing in someone's field
Crops first: good crews choose fallow or harvested ground and walk carefully round standing crops.
Stay with the basket: until the crew says so, then wait at the field edge rather than wandering into the crop.
- No handouts: please don't give sweets, pens or money to children. If you want to help, ask us about a local school we can suggest.
- Thank the farmer: the crew usually knows how to do it properly, and we make sure they do.
- Learn one word: ram ram is how many villagers greet each other around Jaipur. Said with folded hands, it opens every face.
- Take your time: the folding of the envelope, with a dozen children pulling on it, is worth watching to the end.
Proposals, anniversaries and quiet celebrations
Tell us early: we speak quietly to the operator so the pilot knows the plan and the moment.
Mind the ring: keep it in a zipped pocket, never in your hand over the side. We say this every time, and we mean it.
- Shared baskets: many flights carry other passengers. If you want privacy, ask us whether a private basket is possible that season.
- Plan the breakfast: the celebration is best on the ground. We arrange a table somewhere special near Amer, or a private palace dinner that evening.
- More ideas: our journal on proposal ideas in Udaipur and our Rajasthan honeymoons page have many more.
Planning the rest of the day
The evening before
- Confirm and rest: we confirm the flight with the operator in the evening. Early dinner, alarm set, warm clothes by the door.
- No late night: the Jaipur rooftop bars will still be there tomorrow.
After landing
- Amer at opening: the fort before the crowds, then the stepwell of Panna Meena ka Kund a short walk away.
- Old Amer: the Anokhi Museum of Hand Printing in the village, a quiet half-hour on block printing before lunch.
Afternoon and evening
- Rest properly: lunch, a swim and a long sleep. You have earned it.
- A gentle evening: drinks on a terrace, or a walk in the bazaars at dusk. Our Jaipur things to do guide has more ideas, and Jaipur in three nights shows how a flight fits a short stay.
Who will love it, and who won't
Couples: the silence, the sunrise and the shared nerves make it one of the most romantic hours in Rajasthan.
Families with older children: the burner, the crew and the village children running to meet the basket are pure delight, provided the operator's age and height rules are met.
- Photographers: soft light, a stable platform and a view nobody else on your trip will have.
- Repeat visitors: if you have already seen Amber Fort from the ramparts, seeing it from above makes Jaipur new again.
- Less suited: anyone who hates early starts, struggles to stand for an hour, or will mind if the wind takes them nowhere near the fort.
- Our alternative for them: a dawn heritage walk in the old city, or sunrise at one of our favourite sunrise and sunset points.
Where to sleep before a flight
In the city: Rambagh Palace, The Oberoi Rajvilas and Samode Haveli are all an easy pre-dawn drive from the launch areas.
Towards Amer: Fairmont Jaipur stands on the Delhi road north of Amer, which shortens the morning.
- In the hills: Samode Palace sits in the second flying area, and Alila Fort Bishangarh is a dramatic hill fort for the night before or after.
- Compare them all: our guide to luxury hotels in Jaipur sets them side by side.
- The experience page: for the full practical detail, read our page on hot-air balloon flights.