Kosupa Travel

In the previous article, we explained the process up to the balloon takeoff. In the “final part”, we’ll introduce in detail how to enjoy the flight and the landing process.

Following the previous two articles, I’m writing an experience report about the balloon tour in Oman. Located at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula, Oman may not be as well-known in Japan as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) or Qatar, but I’ve been secretly intrigued by it, knowing that it’s a country rich in history and traditions unparalleled in the Arab world.

In this Oman travel special, I’ll introduce Oman’s new attraction, the balloon tour, along with my personal experience!

Read the first and middle parts here!

www.kosupatravel.com

www.kosupatravel.com

About What to Bring

By the way, I’ll introduce some items that are good to bring for the balloon ride. Let’s prepare our luggage well so we don’t regret it later when experiencing this rare balloon flight.

Wide-angle Camera

The first is a wide-angle camera. During the balloon flight, you can look down on the vast desert from the air, but with a regular camera, the angle of view is narrow and you can’t fully capture its grandeur in photos. Therefore, I recommend bringing a camera with a wide-angle mode, such as an action cam.

Personally, I recommend the DJI Action 2. It can take ultra-wide-angle shots with a 150-degree field of view, so it’s useful even when carrying two cameras along with a GoPro.

Chest Mount

Next is a chest mount. If you’re carrying multiple cameras, it can be troublesome to keep switching between them. In such cases, using a chest mount to record videos hands-free can be very convenient.

This time, I used this chest mount. I carried two cameras, the aforementioned DJI Action 2 and a GoPro, attaching the GoPro to the chest mount for constant video recording, while using the Action 2 for handheld shooting.

By the way, since the balloon basket is quite high, people who aren’t very tall might end up filming mostly the basket with a chest-mounted camera. If you’re not confident about your height, I recommend using a head mount instead.

Telephoto Camera

You might feel busy with just cameras, but another recommendation is a camera with a telephoto function. What you see from above isn’t just the desert. There are plenty of attractive Middle Eastern scenes, such as camels and flocks of sheep leisurely walking through the desert. While smartphone cameras with analog zoom like the iPhone 15 Pro can substitute to some extent, their zoom performance is limited, so if you want to shoot in high quality, a DSLR is recommended.

By the way, the camera I use is the NIKON D7500. It’s a high-performance DSLR that’s not too expensive and light enough to easily take on trips. I use it combined with a lightweight 55mm – 300mm telephoto lens.

During the Flight, Enjoy the Unique Desert Scenery to the Fullest

Well, the explanation about what to bring has been long, but I recommend thoroughly enjoying the unique desert scenery during the flight. Take photos, shoot videos, and sometimes just gaze at the scenery outside. Spend the nearly one-hour flight as you like. And occasionally, you’ll see camels, goats, settlements, and more. There will be many discoveries waiting for you.

Also, if the weather is good, you can see the sunrise from above the horizon.

Landing in a Settlement Several Kilometers Away

For about an hour, the balloon floats aimlessly, blown by the wind. Then, when it finds a suitable landing spot, it quietly descends. During descent, as explained earlier, we firmly grip the rope inside and lower our posture to prepare for the landing impact.

And with a signal, we land quietly. There was no significant shaking, and we landed softly.

As soon as we landed, children from the settlement swarmed around and surrounded the balloon. From their perspective, it must have felt like “Suddenly, a balloon full of foreigners landed out of nowhere in the morning!” Children kept rushing over one after another, looking curious.

Some children even climbed onto the balloon for photos. They’re so free and adorable. It feels like we’re being welcomed to the village by the children.

The moment of folding the balloon we just rode is also a sight to see. When folding the balloon, the desert sand that accumulated during the flight falls off, and the amount is extraordinarily large.

Balloon Ceremony

The balloon tour doesn’t end right after landing. After landing, there’s a “balloon ceremony” time. It’s a time to chat while drinking juice with the pilot, passengers, Royal Balloon Oman staff, and local children.

During the balloon ceremony, while celebrating the success of the flight, the pilot tells us about the history of human flight. From the first manned flight by the Montgolfier brothers, to the Wright brothers inventing the airplane, and how we can now easily fly in balloons like this today. We quench our thirst while listening to the story about celebrating our safe return from the sky.

At the end of the ceremony, each participant was awarded a commemorative medal in honor of their return and courageous flight. There were jokes like “Shouldn’t you be receiving the medal, pilot?” and indeed, we were able to return safely thanks to the pilot.

And so, we received medals commemorating the “Sharqiya Sand Oman” balloon flight. Royal Balloon also operates flights in Turkey and Akagera Park in Rwanda, so I hope to get medals from these countries as well in the future.

Booking Royal Balloon Oman Through a Tour Company is Recommended

Lastly, I recommend booking Royal Balloon Oman through a tour company. As explained before, to use Royal Balloon Oman, you need to gather early in the morning at a campsite in the middle of the desert. In that case, you need to drive through unfamiliar desert roads at night, which carries risks of overturning, getting lost, or being late for inexperienced tourists driving on their own.

The local tour company that cooperated with this coverage is “Golden Highlands Oman”. It’s a tour company run by an Omani family, and their friendly and hospitable tour coordination was very attractive. While this balloon tour was their first attempt, they plan to include it as an option in their desert tour packages in the future, so please consider using it along with Wahiba Sands, Wadi Shab, and Wadi Bani Khalid!

If you mention “I was introduced by a Japanese blogger named Yam”, they might give you a discount!

www.goldenhighlands.com