Hot Air Balloon Port Douglas
Hot Air Balloon Port Douglas
Hot Air Balloon Port Douglas
4.7
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Full view
About
Take off on a romantic hot air balloon ride, every day, west of Port Douglas and the Great Barrier Reef, hot air balloons take off into the wide open blue skies. There's something about floating in the still morning sky in a hot-air balloon that brings out the romantic in all of us. It could be the absolute silence; it could be the feeling that you're as free as a bird.
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Hot Air Balloon Port Douglas
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4.7
102 reviews
Excellent
82
Very good
13
Average
3
Poor
2
Terrible
2
Paris Lawrie
Adelaide, Australia15 contributions
July 2024 • Couples
What an amazing way to spend our first wedding anniversary! The very early start was worth it, after thick fog nearly making it impossible to land safely and a possible cancellation, the crew did everything they could to make it go ahead .. and it did! the whole experience from start to end was fantastic & the flight was incredible, even with me being terrified of heights, it was the best way to get over my fear! The crew made the day even better: Tori, Frank our pilot and Brownie and Andrew was great, taking photos for us & making me feel at ease in the air! Highly recommend to have an experience you won't ever forget!!
Written 1 September 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks so much for flying with us, ParisTruman1991! 🥰🎈🎉 Fog is part and parcel of our local climate, and you're quite right, we'll always ensure that there's positive dissipation before even contemplating a flight. We're thrilled in your case this happened, and well done on overcoming a fear of heights! Thanks for the shout out to the staff that looked after you on the day - it's always much appreciated , and we do pass these direct mentions on. And most importantly, congratulations on your wedding anniversary - thanks for choosing to celebrate it with us!🙌💍🥳
Written 24 October 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Lynne M
Perth, Australia50 contributions
Feb 2020 • Family
We had the most fabulous time flying over the Atherton Tablelands at sunrise. Bob our driver was so helpful and fun and our pilot Rob was entertaining and very professional. We were in very safe hands. There is something magical about letting the wind take you somewhere. For us it was to a cane field as we had to jump the boom sprayer but what a lot of fun!
Written 6 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the wonderful review Lynne, and we've passed your comments on to Rob, Bob and the team!
Written 12 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
nickmorgan1994
Melbourne, Australia10 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
Such a beautiful way to start our trip. When Mark picked us up from our hotel in Port Douglas there was a big storm but once we arrived in Mareeba we were greeted by clear blue skies. Really appreciated Mark’s insights and conversation on the way up and back to Port Douglas. It is clear he is passionate about this special part of the world!
Written 6 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Nick, wonderful to hear that you enjoyed what turned out to be such a great morning! We'll of course pass your comments on to Mark, who indeed is one of our knowledgeable staff with a passion for North Queensland. Thanks again for taking the time to leave a five star review.
Written 6 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Steve
Chinnor, UK63 contributions
Feb 2020
Very well organised but an early start. We had booked the extended 60 minute trip so took off and landed twice which added to the fun and experience. For a couple who had never done this before we left feeling the the entire morning was just a wonderful adventure which we were glad we part off
Written 4 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the great review Grumpy1456. We're always happy to hear about our guests wonderful experience, especially first time ballooning!!
Written 9 February 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Fletchphil
Melbourne, Australia27 contributions
Nov 2014 • Couples
With a long planned trip planned to Port Douglas at the end of October, my very thoughtful partner surprised me with a balloon ride on my birthday (in July). This was on our ‘bucket list’ and she thought what better place than over the Atherton Tablelands.
Booked in for the 2nd November. We were told to be ready for a 4am pickup. At 4:17am my partner called to find out where our driver was. We were told he was nearby. A few minutes later he arrived. We were anxious as we wanted to make sure we were in a balloon for sunrise.
We traveled in our mini bus with an English couple and an elderly European couple. We had a long trip (over an hour) to where ever we were to take off from. Towards the end it looked ‘touch and go’ weather we would make it in time. The mini bus driver stopped us for a ‘toilet break’ (just get us there!) so he could ring ‘Tony’ to see where they were. Getting off the phone he said we will be missing the first 30 minute ride and will be going on the second one. We didn’t even know there was 2 rides just that there was options for a half hour or an hour ride. I quote the website “Enjoy the picturesque landscape at sunrise with 30 minutes minimum flying time”. That tells me that everyone is in the air for sunrise and that the hour long just stay up there longer. That’s the whole point! Over booked? Cash grab? I didn’t want my partner to think that I was disappointed that we would miss the sunrise so I didn’t say anything and tried to stay enthusiastic.
Finally 2 km up the road we come to the other riders. The 4 balloons were just taking off.
The 25 or so ‘left over’ people waited for the ‘chase’. Wow…. I guess this is to keep the leftovers excited. It did to a short extent. We drove about 1km up the road and stopped as there wasn’t much wind so 3 of the 4 were just hovering above. We were told which balloon we would be in so we took photos and even a couple of selfies!
We watched the sunrise…. From the gravel carpark. Inside I was disappointed but still egger to get up there to experience a hot air balloon ride.
The other leftovers (one group) were ushered into the bus as they were told they would be on one balloons breaking away. They were off on their ‘chase’.
As time went on and us 6 waited… and waited… the 30 minute balloon ride turned into 50 minutes. I told my partner that I had a bad vibe. There were only 6 of us. The only possibility was that our balloon would land and some passengers on a ’30 minute’ ride would disembark and we get on.
We were not kept informed by the socialising staff about anything. Then we were called together. I shook my head even before one of the staff member started his hard sell.
We were told that he had been informed by the office that they would not be able to take us up. I replied straight away “its because there is only six of us, right?” .He continued to make excuses blah blah head office blah blah we’re sorry blah blah out of gas….Full of hot air! The English fella wasn’t a fool. He said “it’s because it’s not economical for you to take 6 people up is it?” He saw what we all did. Heaps of spare gas tanks on the back of the basket trailers. He asked what compensation we would be given. “You will get a full refund” Really? Wow! Why thank you! Wise enough to knowing that was not compensation he asked again. He was told we would have to contact head office. Yeah good luck!
Pardon the pun…I was deflated! Disappointed for my partner, so embarrassed for our international guests, angry at the driver for being late, and livid for the weak excuses. The fact is, they decided to burn us 6.
Compensation? Well let’s talk good business practice. Sometimes a business needs to lose a little to keep a reputation or even from the embarrassment of this sort of situation. There was no “we will take you another day, guarantee first up, for an hour and give you half you money back for the inconvenience!” Nope…. just happy to dump us back at our hotels. Not even a phone call for the office later on. What a waste of time and a massive let down.
This being Tripadvisor the only advise I could think of if you decided to use this company is to take the hour flight because I am guessing from what I saw, they would have to take you up first.
A hot air balloon ride is still on our bucketlist.
Booked in for the 2nd November. We were told to be ready for a 4am pickup. At 4:17am my partner called to find out where our driver was. We were told he was nearby. A few minutes later he arrived. We were anxious as we wanted to make sure we were in a balloon for sunrise.
We traveled in our mini bus with an English couple and an elderly European couple. We had a long trip (over an hour) to where ever we were to take off from. Towards the end it looked ‘touch and go’ weather we would make it in time. The mini bus driver stopped us for a ‘toilet break’ (just get us there!) so he could ring ‘Tony’ to see where they were. Getting off the phone he said we will be missing the first 30 minute ride and will be going on the second one. We didn’t even know there was 2 rides just that there was options for a half hour or an hour ride. I quote the website “Enjoy the picturesque landscape at sunrise with 30 minutes minimum flying time”. That tells me that everyone is in the air for sunrise and that the hour long just stay up there longer. That’s the whole point! Over booked? Cash grab? I didn’t want my partner to think that I was disappointed that we would miss the sunrise so I didn’t say anything and tried to stay enthusiastic.
Finally 2 km up the road we come to the other riders. The 4 balloons were just taking off.
The 25 or so ‘left over’ people waited for the ‘chase’. Wow…. I guess this is to keep the leftovers excited. It did to a short extent. We drove about 1km up the road and stopped as there wasn’t much wind so 3 of the 4 were just hovering above. We were told which balloon we would be in so we took photos and even a couple of selfies!
We watched the sunrise…. From the gravel carpark. Inside I was disappointed but still egger to get up there to experience a hot air balloon ride.
The other leftovers (one group) were ushered into the bus as they were told they would be on one balloons breaking away. They were off on their ‘chase’.
As time went on and us 6 waited… and waited… the 30 minute balloon ride turned into 50 minutes. I told my partner that I had a bad vibe. There were only 6 of us. The only possibility was that our balloon would land and some passengers on a ’30 minute’ ride would disembark and we get on.
We were not kept informed by the socialising staff about anything. Then we were called together. I shook my head even before one of the staff member started his hard sell.
We were told that he had been informed by the office that they would not be able to take us up. I replied straight away “its because there is only six of us, right?” .He continued to make excuses blah blah head office blah blah we’re sorry blah blah out of gas….Full of hot air! The English fella wasn’t a fool. He said “it’s because it’s not economical for you to take 6 people up is it?” He saw what we all did. Heaps of spare gas tanks on the back of the basket trailers. He asked what compensation we would be given. “You will get a full refund” Really? Wow! Why thank you! Wise enough to knowing that was not compensation he asked again. He was told we would have to contact head office. Yeah good luck!
Pardon the pun…I was deflated! Disappointed for my partner, so embarrassed for our international guests, angry at the driver for being late, and livid for the weak excuses. The fact is, they decided to burn us 6.
Compensation? Well let’s talk good business practice. Sometimes a business needs to lose a little to keep a reputation or even from the embarrassment of this sort of situation. There was no “we will take you another day, guarantee first up, for an hour and give you half you money back for the inconvenience!” Nope…. just happy to dump us back at our hotels. Not even a phone call for the office later on. What a waste of time and a massive let down.
This being Tripadvisor the only advise I could think of if you decided to use this company is to take the hour flight because I am guessing from what I saw, they would have to take you up first.
A hot air balloon ride is still on our bucketlist.
Written 12 November 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Sir, thank you for your feedback, and apologies that your morning wasn't as both you and we would have wished.
Flight cancellations here are rare, but are occasionally made for safety reasons, weather changes etc. Ballooning operations are very much dictated by the prevailing weather conditions and these can of course be sometimes be unpredictable even with the best weather forecasting to hand as we do have.
The balloons do, most mornings, conduct two flights, this is covered and explained in our terms and conditions on our website which can be accessed here in detail www.hotair.com.au/conditions as is some other topics you raise such as sunrise. We try at all times to deal with these matters transparently.
The Pickup time against your booking in our system is 04.15 and so our driver was only 2 minutes late, not 15 as you state. We do recommend that guests reconfirm with us the day before to clarify any inconsistencies that sometimes get involved with multiple agencies or travel agencies handling the booking process. Apologies that you may have been given the wrong information there which is never fun at that time of the morning.
On your morning specifically the first flight did indeed extend to nearly an hour and with the hot temperatures on the day it meant we indeed did not have enough gas on board or on our trailers to safely conduct the second flight. Two of the balloons on the day were in the same situation and so two of the second flights regrettably had to be cancelled that day not only yours.
The team here try very hard to ensure we operate at the top of our game and ensure that even when the plan has to change from plan a) to plan b) that all guests should be kept well informed and understand the safety decisions made especially when a flight has to be cancelled. I can assure you that there was no economic reason for cancelling your flight, all our pilots are fully salaried professionals and make no extra money personally from cancelling or flying you. It also means that they are completely independent of financial pressure from the company when it comes to making safety decisions about operational conditions and flying or having to cancel – the best way to be. These decisions are made purely on individual practical operational grounds by the individual licenced, skilled and experienced pilot in charge of each balloon.
Whilst we do have very reliable wind and weather conditions in Mareeba where we fly on the Atherton Tabelands and lose very few days to the weather, ballooning is always at the mercy of the prevailing conditions. On the morning that you flew there was very little wind and all the balloons flew well over an hour as they couldn’t find a suitable safe spot to land to changeover guests. This is unusual, but meant that a suitable flight path and gas were not available for the second flights. Im sorry that it seems this was not well explained to you by your driver and we will take steps to ensure all the team are reminded how important these matters are to be cleary explained, its distressing for us also to have to cancel the flight and we certainly wish we had been able to fly you on the day chosen.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention on Trip Advisor. Should you wish to try another flight at any time in the future either in Cairns, Port Douglas or with our sister company from the Gold Coast please contact me personally at the company and Ill ensure that you receive two free tickets to fly. Best regards, Andrew Steel – Owner.
Written 16 November 2014
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Juju008
Melbourne22 contributions
May 2011
We were met by our driver in Port Douglas at 405, alongwith one other couple. The next hour was quite disturbing as our driver sped like a maniac in the dark to the meeting point. We wondered why we had a drive the speed of a bullet (and nearly hit a kangaroo) to get there in such a rush, as other busloads of tourists arrived after us. Once we were there, we were told that we had to watch the balloon take off and follow the balloon to the next stop while others took the first ride. So, we then jumped back into the van and went for another hellish ride in the dark to find the landing of the balloon. Go figure? Just as the sunrise was breaking, we saw the balloon come into view. Our ride in the balloon was peaceful like most balloon rides. But the scenery was boring. We did a loop and not much travel distance, so that we were back to our starting point in just over 25 minutes. We didnt travel far and see much diversity - apart from some gardens, farms, school yards and a river. We were also sold a breakfast when purchasing the tickets and were told they would not be providing one, so a refund was provided. We didnt understand why we had to wait for +3 hours and why the driver had to drive at hellish speeds to enjoy a very short peaceful balloon ride. Improvements to this trip and itinery would be greatly appreciated. Save your money and go elsewhere.
Written 30 May 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi Juju, I'm personally very sorry that you didn't enjoy your flight with us as we endeavour at all times to operate to a very high level of safety and satisfaction of all our guests, and also to address any complaints that are directly brought to our attention as quickly as possible ideally on the same day as travel.
If you would like to fly with us again either in Cairns or with our for operation on the beautiful Gold Coast to get a different perspective please contact me directly as the owner, and I will ensure that everything is taken care of smoothly and enjoyably for you. Best wishes, Andrew Steel, Owner
Written 2 October 2013
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
butler46203
Indianapolis, IN158 contributions
July 2015 • Couples
Let's start with what the website states, dress in layers! It was very cool on our trip with a resort pick-up time of 3:35am. We were prepared, but there were many that showed up in shorts or no jacket and were complaining. Their own fault.
We took the hour trip - and it is so worth it! There were 7 people in our shuttle van and only 2 of us took the hour trip. So we boarded first and the remaining 5 were in the chase vehicle and joined us on the second half. The basket we were in had 22 of us total. Plenty of room, so don't fret about being cramped.
The entire staff of Hot Air is a true joy and fun. You can assist with the deflating and folding of the balloon - it is not required! I opted to take pictures, but helped with pushing the air pockets out when the balloon was packed in the bag.
This is a great early morning excursion and you have the rest of the day to do other things. We were back safe and sound in our resort by 10am.
We took the hour trip - and it is so worth it! There were 7 people in our shuttle van and only 2 of us took the hour trip. So we boarded first and the remaining 5 were in the chase vehicle and joined us on the second half. The basket we were in had 22 of us total. Plenty of room, so don't fret about being cramped.
The entire staff of Hot Air is a true joy and fun. You can assist with the deflating and folding of the balloon - it is not required! I opted to take pictures, but helped with pushing the air pockets out when the balloon was packed in the bag.
This is a great early morning excursion and you have the rest of the day to do other things. We were back safe and sound in our resort by 10am.
Written 13 July 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Janice D
Huskisson, Australia28 contributions
Apr 2015 • Solo
This was a pretty great experience. It is certainly beautiful when you arrive watching the balloons being inflated. Downside, it is cold and you are walking around in long wet grass avoiding the cow pats. They had two flights and we were on the second flight so we were taxied around in the mini bus following the balloon. When it landed in an avocado orchard (which was amazing how he landed it between the rows of trees) they did a reasonably quick change over and off we went. It is not easy climbing in or out of the basket. It is very peaceful and the scenery was pretty nice. Priced at $255 I thought it was worth it. They picked us up from our accommodation right on time and you get to see a bit of the country side on the trip up to the tablelands to Mareeba. Once we had landed it was all hands on deck to pack up the balloon. I don't think anyone was expecting this although it was quite interesting to see how it is done. I can now tick this off the list.
Written 15 May 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kayerich
Cleethorpes, UK266 contributions
Feb 2011 • Couples
We had to set off at 4am in order to get the sunrise and no wind. Everyone was tired and quiet until we got up in the basket. The mood soon changed when we saw the kangaroos, hundreds of them, wallabies, possums - all waking as the sun rose. The one hour went so fast. It was expensive but was a once in a lifetime experience. Fantastic.
Written 23 January 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
EBDB
55 contributions
Apr 2019 • Family
The trip to Mareeba with our tour guide Dave was fantastic, picked up on time and greeted with a smile and plenty of energy, which at 4:15am was very impressive.
Once we arrived at our site for our flight the ground crew were accommodating and happy to have us there.
Our pilot Bob was professional, funny and knowledgeable.
We will definitely be back for further flights.
Once we arrived at our site for our flight the ground crew were accommodating and happy to have us there.
Our pilot Bob was professional, funny and knowledgeable.
We will definitely be back for further flights.
Written 10 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi davidbrennan2 - great to hear your hot air balloon ride experience was memorable. Always wonderful to be able to pass on fantastic feedback directly to the crew. Thanks for flying with us and look forward to seeing you again!
Written 17 May 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
gmcd2004
Wodonga, Australia
Prices? Would love to fly in an amazing contraption like this
Written 7 February 2017
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