Napa Valley Aloft Hot Air Balloon Rides

My friend and I were in Yountville last year about the same time. Our balloon ride was cancelled due to wind... understandable. This year I re-booked and everything went a smooth as butter. Loved that we were staying at the hotel (Estate Villagio), where the balloons take off from. Right there in the parking lot, just a short walk away. They supply coffee, tea, water and a continental breakfast along with restroom facilities.

We arrived 5:45 AM at the meeting spot for a 6:00 AM checked in. The employees that all work for Aloft are extremely nice and friendly offering to take photos throughout the whole time on the ground. Once everyone is checked in, you are placed in groups and escorted to your balloon as it is being blown up... great photo opts. The balloon baskets are divided into 5 compartments. The pilot is in one and 3 passages in each of the other 4 compartments. To note: it is very very snug. no room for big purses bags or backpacks. Derick was our pilot, very nice, very informative as we flew over the CA. region. Just beautiful watching the sunrise and enjoying the views and peacefulness. Due to the unpredictable winds of mother nature while trying to land the balloon, we were able to stay up for 90 minutes, a real treat!

An activity not to miss if you are not scared of heights. Thank you for making great memories.

7/23/22

I booked a hot air balloon ride with Napa Valley Aloft as a gift for my boyfriend's birthday. This was an experience we've never done before as we were both very excited. We were expected to arrive at the meeting place in Yountville around 5-5:30AM. The whole experience is very organized from start to finish. There are signs posted to direct you to the parking lot and to the meeting area once you get to Yountville. What I found to be really helpful was that they send you an email confirmation the day before because I had booked this experience months in advance and am prone to forgetting things haha.

When we arrived at V Marketplace, there were tables set up with tea, water, coffee, muffins and granola bars. Since the experience starts really early, it's pretty cold, but when you go up in the balloon, it will get warmer so dress in layers and have comfy shoes because you will be standing in the balloon the entire time. And once you are up in the balloon, it gets sunny so bring sunglasses or a hat. This one is for the ladies, and my other recommendation is to wear pants or shorts because you'll need to climb in and out of the basket.

After everyone was checked in, one of the staff did a briefing where he explained next steps and safety procedures. When that was over, he recommended to us to use the restroom and then come back to be split into groups. After everyone came back, we were split into groups of 12 and grouped by names of dances which I thought was really cute. Each dance group (ex. Hula, Salsa, Samba, Disco) was assigned to a van with a specific driver. We piled into our respective vans and it was a 30 min drive to the launch site.

When we arrived at the launch site, we could see the staff getting the balloons ready which was pretty cool! Each group is assigned a basket and they direct you carefully once the balloon is ready for its passengers. Our pilot that day was Pete. He's a super-skilled pilot and very friendly.

It was quite amazing to be up there and very quiet. I have a fear of heights and I did feel a little scared going up but the overall ride was very smooth. It was very beautiful to get the aerial view f the vineyards. We were up in the air for about an hour before landed. After we got out of the balloon, we were shuttled back to Yountville (30 minute ride again).

Overall, it was a truly, unique and wonderful experience. Zach and I both enjoyed it but it does come with a hefty price tag. I'm glad I got to go up in a hot air balloon with a professional company like Napa Valley Aloft !

EXCEPTIONAL EXPERIENCE!!!!
From booking to flying to communication, this family trip we took was very, very impressive. The team were professionals through and through. Our family of four (including an 8 year old & 11 year old) felt incredibly safe the entire flight and flying over Napa at sunrise couldn't have been more perfect. If you're even considering a hot air balloon ride, you won't regret this one with NV Aloft!!!

Supper cool experience! Everyone's safety was the top priority. We had a great time and a very experienced pilot!! A wonderful way to celebrate a special occasion!

Wanted to celebrate a special moment with my girlfriend and Chelsea took care of everything. If you're thinking about ballooning just know it's an early activity. Check in is at 5:30am. They provide a few snacks, coffee and other beverages while you get sorted into groups. The float is AWESOME and the views are spectacular. It's one of those life experiences that everyone should do at least once.

Justin was our pilot and he was super friendly. Highly recommend booking with Aloft.

Napa Balloon ride is another must apart from wineyard tours, Napa train rides and excellent food joints. Now that I am 50 minutes away from Napa it was a must to do it with parents!
We decided to stay in Napa for the night after hopping wineries day before.
The assembly is usually early AM one hr before sunrise.

The best part of the experience is watching the gas flare up and balloons rising from sleeping positions, the take off and absolutely the landing.

All co-riders were split into groups of 10-12. The basket is big enough for 15 people.
They offer a step stool or your can climb in using little footholds around the basket.

Once everyone is aboard the pilot would maneuver using different gas vents and ropes. Reaching the certain altitude or slowing down and stopping is a game of physics and aerodynamics.

The best part- when you look around you get the beautiful picturesque postcard views of wine county. All the balloons lining up and forming colorful dots in blue sky with sun shining are best picture ops for social media frenzies!!

They have specific places to land but it was interesting to hear how. Your landing directions can switch in complete 180 ° compared to balloon next to you. We walked down the trail and hopped in the ride back to starting point with pocketful of memories.

Big applauds to all enthusiasts taking these tours over multiple decades or interning as crew (!!) and giving us tourists special moments of our lifetime, all the hard work to make you land safely and definitely thanks for awesome hot cocoa at the start of the tour.

It's definitely worth experiencing.

Tip 1: Don't forget to ask questions about this wonderful experience. They have tonnes of stories and it's all fascinating
Tip 2: always follow instructions for the best experience.
Tip 3: use restroom before boarding as you could be riding more than an hr depending upon how safe they feel to land you.
Tip 4: winter morning even though cold are a bit better as we have less fog here in California. But don't forget to layer up despite the season
Heads up: tours can cancel due to no wind or other weather changes!

But it's all definitely worth it. You'd cherish this lifelong...

Hot air balloons are such a fun and unique experiences. Aloft does a great job of making your experience special. Although we went in a morning with a. thick marine layer, they still took us to a launch spot further in Napa valley and we still got to fly over the vineyards. The ascent in the balloon is way smoother than I expected, as well as the descent. The time goes by so quickly when you are up there. The only bummer is that the balloon doesn't rotate, so you only see the perspective from your side of the basket. Would definitely recommend this to anyone.

It was a complete disappointment! I booked a hot air balloon ride to celebrate my boyfriend's BD, I wanted to do something special. I knew that there was a chance of cancellation but I talked to them a few times and they told me that in case of cancellation I would receive a text message an hour before meeting time (at 5.30am). I didn't receive the message. We got up at 5.30am, left the place where we stayed, we went to the meeting point, I felt so excited to have that special experience! and right before the flight, the pilot told us (there were about 30 people who booked the flight) that it wasn't going to happen. Not an hour before - right BEFORE the flight! We couldn't go back to the place we stayed in (it was a nice place, and it would be nice NOT to get up that early in the morning, and have a chance to spend some time there, have a relaxing morning), our plans were kind of ruined. I understand that the safety of the flight MUST be a priority but in that case, they should have informed us before we got there, as they promised!
I hope this review will not be hidden.

My friend & I booked a hot air balloon ride with Aloft even though we are afraid of heights, because we wanted to try something new & unique while on vacation. I'm so glad we did! It was beautiful & the anticipation while they inflated the balloon was worth the amazing view. Aloft confirmed my reservation ahead of time & provided all the necessary details for me to feel confident about where to go & when.

I thought it would be windy & cold up in the air, but I ended up ditching my coat & hat. Instead, I wore just a sweater on top while we were in the basket. For context, we went in October & I'm from the mid-west, so weather-wise it wasn't cold for me.

I also felt very solid & safe in the basket. I was expecting it to feel wobbly & insecure, but if I hadn't known better I would've thought I was on solid ground. Our pilot said he has been flying hot air balloons since 1978, so I knew we were in good hands. An awesome experience that I definitely recommend.

Nothing short of amazing! We got a very early start, arriving when it was still dark a little after 5 am. It was easy to find because the signs set out in the parking lot were well lit and guided us directly where we needed to go. Upon arrival, we were warmly greeted by the the check-in staff with coffee, pastries, and the obligatory paperwork. We left to the launch site right on time and it was a quick 30 minute drive to get there (it is a windy road so if you get motion sickness, plan accordingly). Our driver, who also happened to be our pilot, was sure to point out all the animals and sights along the way. He educated us on some wineries as well as some humorous stories, quite the entertainer Mr. Farrell was (highly recommend requesting him as a pilot if you get to choose!) Upon arrival, the flight crew was already hard at work setting up the two balloons going out that morning. Once inflated, the twelve passengers riding our balloon (ours was named 'Samba' and the other balloon 'Lindy', both named after dances) climbed in and we were ready to go. The ride was absolutely gorgeous as we caught the sunrise as we ascended. The ride lasted right about an hour and full of entertainment from our enthusiastic (and highly seasoned) pilot. He was quite the jokester and came deliberately close to the grape vines, pine trees, and even touching down on a pond for a moment. The landing was so smooth we didn't even need to 'assume the landing position' when we landed, it was a completely smooth and delicate landing, which all spoke to the highly skilled pilot, Farrell. Did I mention how amazing he was?
We were told that Aloft is actually the only balloon company that tours over the vineyards, the other companies trek out a whopping 90 minute drive away from Napa and don't get to see any vineyards! This is a must-do for a unique vantage point of the beautiful districts around Napa valley. Highly recommend and we will definitely be back again.