Why not fly in a hot air balloon over Andalucia?
As you slowly drift downwind with only the occasional burst of the burners to remind you that air must be heated in order to hold you aloft, hot air ballooning is a graceful yet at the same time nail-biting sport.
With cloudless skies of azure blue for more than 300 days a year, ballooning over the mountainous landscapes of Andalucia is an invigorating and popular pastime.
Due to its popularity, there are numerous centres that enable locals and tourists alike to experience Andalucia’s stunningly diverse landscape from the privileged view of a hot air balloon.
The balloon pilots of Andalucia are experienced flyers and they will know exactly where to land safely in any given wind direction. The ground crew will be waiting for you at the finishing post ready to whisk you back to the start point.
If a touch of glamour takes your fancy, you may even feel a little tipsy because of the champagne dished out high up in the balmy Spanish air as you look at castles, mountains and lakes below.
The weather in Andalucia is well suited for balloon flying and as a consequence of the near-perfect weather conditions, fewer postponements occur as they do in the likes of Britain.
Depending where you start from, you may fly over cities such as Cordoba, Granada, Seville, Guadix or Rhonda. You will have the opportunity to take photographs as you fly over historic landmarks, famous cities and alongside jagged mountain sierras, snow-capped in all but the summer season. Some of the flights will permit the passengers to take in a vista of the Mediterranean Sea sparkling like a huge jewel with the mysterious north coast of mighty Africa peeking through the haze on the horizon.
If your airborne venture flies over Mini Hollywood near Tabernas in Almeria where many legendary westerns in the 1960s were made, you could think to yourself what Clint Eastwood might have said as you fly over – “There’s two types of people in this world my friend, those who fly in hot air balloons and those who don’t.”