Hot air balloon flights suspended during monsoon resumes

Kathmandu. The hot air balloon flight, which was suspended due to the rainy season, has resumed operation after three months.

Bikram Bade, president of Balloon Nepal, informed that hot air balloon flights have been resumed from Thursday. The company, which was previously providing services with only one balloon, is going to use two balloons in its flights from September.

According to the demand of tourists who like adventure sports, two balloon flights including one more have been launched, President Bade said.

Tourists can see the scenery of Pokhara by flying in a hot air balloon. Operated at Pame in Pokhara, a one-time flight fee of 9,500 rupees for domestic tourists, 100 US dollars for tourists from SAARC countries and 130 US dollars for foreign tourists has been set.

He said that if one can fly up to about 6,000 feet with a balloon, one can see the mountains like Machhapuchhre, Annapurna, full-sized Phewatal, Pumdikot Mahadev, Paragliding from Sarangkot Mandre and Pokhara Valley.

He informed that the company has hired two pilots, an American and a Vietnamese, to operate the service. The flight operates in two shifts, morning and evening. There are flights from 5 am to 9 am and from 3 pm to 6 pm.