The sight of hot air balloons drifting serenely over the plains of Bagan has become an iconic image in Myanmar (Burma). Most flights are in the early morning, through the delicate mist and towards the rising sun, offering an unrivaled perspective of the thousands of temples spread over the vast plains.
Highlights
- Fly over thousands of temples towards the rising sun
- Unwind with beautiful scenery while drifting through the air
- Enjoy interaction with your pilot and small group
- Be inspired by unparalleled perspectives of the region
- Celebrate your safe return to earth with a drink of sparkling wine
- Receive a flight certificate and in-flight photos
Why Sign Up
You will be amazed by a new horizon of discovery, as you drift serenely with the breeze. Bagan, with over 2,000 ruins of religious sites scattered across arid plains, is one of the richest archeological attractions in Asia.
Viewing at sunrise from the air is the most exciting way to see the panoramic views of Bagan and its surrounds, from the many monuments to the Irrawaddy River.

Your adventure starts as the sun rises, with a magical take-off. The balloon floats gently in the wind, providing a well-poised platform for viewing the breathtaking scenery. Gradually monuments appear through the mist.
The buildings look particularly beautiful with sunlight intensifying their hues. You may fly over villages and can sometimes see people feeding their animals.
By taking a balloon ride, you're actually giving back to the locals. In recent years, ballooning operators have continued to play an active role in public projects, such as hiring and training locals, delivering relief and food to flood victims, building schools and providing supplies to children. In this way, part of your money will help locals improve their lives.
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Excellent planned and executed Myanmar excursion
Asia Highlights and their local Myanmar partner "mAsia" did an excellent job in planning and execution of a one week trip to Myanmar.The various tour guides and drivers had good knowledge and good command over English. More
Gerd,
Jan 2018
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Planning our trip
We have spend that last eight months planning a trip to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. Alisa Lia was creative & patient helping us customize our tour to include the sites and adventures we were excited to see. Hard waiting for the trip to start. More
Jamie Danner,
Oct 2023
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My experience in Thai
All of this was well organized by the local office. The holiday was wonderful. Our guide, Mr. Longdy( Siem Reap)were exceptional. He shared his extensive knowledge of the many wonderful places we visited, and were flexible to take us to additional places along the way based on discussions. Thank you so much .shared their extensive knowledge of the many wonderful places we visited, and were flexible to take us to additional places along the way based on discussions. More
kelli,
Jul 2023
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Seamless Planning
From the day I submitted an inquiry request, I instantly received a response from Monica asking my preferences for my trip. She has been attentive and responsive to our every needs and we very much appreciate it. Looking forward to our trip in November but many thanks to Monica for making this experience to seamless thus far. More
Sana Samhouri,
Jul 2023
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Very professional agency for a memorable trip to Asia
A special thanks to Albee who worked with us and helped to tailor the itinerary to our taste, she was amazing and always available for whatever we needed. The trip would not have been the same without her and her team. Thank you! More
Daniela,
Jul 2023
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It was our first time in Cambodia and …
It was our first time in Cambodia and we had a wonderful time. The accommodations, food, and sites were really beautiful. We ended our trip with a relaxing massage. Sam was very accommodating to our needs and knowledgeable. Thank you for the laughter and for being so kind. More
Amy Oakes Moon,
Jun 2023
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Our guide Borin - never boring!
Our guide Borin, in Cambodia, was knowledgeable, understanding and thoughtful in every aspect of the plan he put together for our trip to Siem Reap and in its execution. He can read the room, and knew exactly how to pace the tour, when to pause, when to break, and how to prepare us for the maximum benefit. He is extremely kind and caring, and it showed at every turn. He also is a dab hand with the camera, and we have a lot of great pictures to show for it. Kudos to my Asia Highlights coordinator - Cathy Chen, for picking Borin. Borin works with a driver (007) who was also very kind and caring. Whenever we returned to the car, he would have cold towel rolls and chilled water to refresh us. So amazingly considerate. It was an unforgettable experience More
David Muliyil,
Jun 2023
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Great visit!
Our guide, Anna, was fantastic! She was highly informative and a delight to spend our days with. Would request her again if we were to return! More
Alejandra M Almonte,
Jun 2023
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We've had such a great experience…
We've had such a great experience planning our honeymoon with Alisa at Asia Highlights! We gave her our dream itinerary, thinking that it might be impossible to do all the things we wanted, but Alisa made our dreams a reality! She's gone so far above and beyond to answer ALL of our questions and make little adjustments that will make a huge impact on our experience. More
Lauren,
Jun 2023
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Alisa knows how to work fast and please a customer.
Alisa is very helpful and works very fast. I am a very difficult client because Inknow what I want in therm of hotels and comfort. She had a lot of patience with me, and moved a lot the plan of the trip, always following my requests. It was a pleasure organizing my trip with her. I recommend her a lot! Thanks Alisa. Malala from Argentina. More
maria laura artola,
Jun 2023
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Trip-of-a-lifetime
In addition, I want to specifically mention the guides provided in certain locations. Rum, in Siem Reap, made the most memorable experience possible. His positivity was contagious - even when it felt like 1000 degrees and we were tired. He brought it all to life, and created a couple days of Ankor Wat, etc. that we will never forget! He heard my daughter's request for specific Cambodian food, and changed our itinerary to go to a village and eat at a locally known shop. He brought the dessert she asked about to us in the car! Overall, he and his driver "Lucky" were a reason to go to Siem Reap. In addition, the other guides (minus one which was switched out immediately) were stupendous. Mon in Bangkok was friendly and provided a great day there; Eak in Chiang Mai gave us a world-class food-tour and day touring the city and its surrounding temples with lots of laughs; Tommy in Hanoi kept us from getting killed in the traffic and gave a stupendous food and architecture/history tour - so very friendly and funny; the fishing village tour in Hoi An, as well as the side-car tour in Saigon, were both unforgettable! Thank you Sharon, and Asia Highlights. Would definitely use again for future trips! More
Teri Simpson,
Apr 2023
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Cambodia and Vietnam adventure!
Our guide in Cambodia, Meas Darapolaith (Pol), was absolutely amazing. He was knowledgeable, friendly and so helpful. His English was excellent and he shared important insights about history and the magnificent sites we visited. We highly recommend him! More
Jennifer Roth Krieger,
Apr 2023
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My daughter and I wanted to discover SE…
My daughter and I wanted to discover SE Asia. Being the first in that region, we wanted to use a tour service company. We ended up using Asia Highlights. From the beginning we were impressed with their services. We left home with of mind because all the pre-travel arrangements were taking care and communicate to us efficiently. All our questions were answered promptly. Once in the countries, we were welcome by our excellent tour guides. Everything was taking care for us. We did not have one issue. They selected the right tours guides for us, they were highly knowledgeable and so much attentive to our needs. We had Dhat in Vietnam and Borin in Siem Reap, Cambodia. I highly recommend Asia Highlights. I came back home so much rested, and with plenty of wonderful pictures and memories. I will definitely use Asia Highlights again for my next trip to Asia. More
Isabelle Dessaux,
Apr 2023
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Fabulous tour and guide in Cambodia
We have been touring Cambodia, guided by Borin ( and driver 007) for the last 2 days. What a fabulous experience! Borin has been a wonderful guide, the best so far in Southeast Asia, explaining the history and culture of Cambodia through his tours of the temples in and around Angkor, as well as the Landmine museum. He has answered all our questions, made sure we were comfortable, and that we have had great food. 007 made sure we always had enough water and cool towels for our face/neck.We highly recommend Borin as a tour guide for Cambodia!! More
Monica,
Mar 2023
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Best Travel Service for Asia Travel
Alisa Liu was in charge of making the arrangements and she helped us from the start to make all of the arrangements and also helped us when we had questions and requested some adjustments. Her service is of the highest professional level. We are 100% confident that our trip will be perfect. We’re also 100% confident that, if anything comes up during our trip, that Alisa will be there to guide us through and take care of us. We won’t even consider using another agency for travel around Asia and we would like to have Alisa work for us again. More
Leo Pospichal,
Mar 2023
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Tour of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand
The tour guides and drivers were another high point. All were very good, friendly, knowledgeable and spoke English well. There were two that I want to call out for their excellence. Chan Sovannarith in Siem Reap was our guide in Cambodia. He really made the experience special. His knowledge, willingness to answer all my questions, helpfulness and general attitude made him fun to be around. In order to praise the second exceptional guide I have to explain about an unfortunate occurrence that I had. I'm normally a very active senior, but after leaving Cambodia for Laos I was suddenly struck by the most intense back pain I've ever experienced, couldn't even roll over in bed (turned out to be sciatica). The guide, Mr. Sonophet, really went the extra mile. He went with my traveling companion and bought a back brace and medications for me. When that didn't help much he took me to a clinic where I was seen by a doctor, given a shot and pain meds. He hand-made a walking stick for me that I'm still using! He made it possible for me to somewhat participate in the activities, i.e. a bed on the boat down the river. When it was time to move on to Bangkok he got me a wheelchair at the airport. I can't thank him enough for these kindnesses! This problem lasted for the remainder of the trip, through Bangkok and Phuket and these guides were also very helpful getting wheelchairs, etc. It was a terrible disappointment to have this wonderful trip disrupted, but it would have been SO much worse without the great help that I received from the guides and my poor travel companion! More
Deb M,
Mar 2023
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In good hands with Sam
Sam Ol took very good care of us - lots of information, listened to and answered all our questions, was passionate about the places we visited and about his people and country. He was kind, had a great sense of humor, and made sure we felt safe and comfortable at all times. He helped us to fall in love with Cambodia in 3 short days. More
Carol Jones,
Feb 2023
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Best tour guide in Cambodia
When we first arrived at the airport in Siem Riep it was so nice to be greeted by Mr Sam Ol. We instantly fell at home when we saw his friendly smile. We were impressed by his great English and knowledge of the temples. On the tour to the temples Sam took care of us every step of the way. He took awesome pictures of us. It felt like we were on a tour given by our brother who is also a professional photographer. Also, we appreciate his humor as well as the fact he had an answer for every question we had. I give Sam 5 stars, best tour guide ever :) More
Len S,
Feb 2023
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Mr. Sam
Mr. Sam our guide in Cambodia, he and the driver out standing service they went above and beyond touring, my wife so amazed beautiful country, we're planning back here near the futures. Thank Mr. Sam,We'll feedback the whole trip next week when we be home in US More
Pho Lover,
Feb 2023
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Vietnam/Cambodia/Thailand
We are still in the middle of our trip, but we are just finishing up our time in Cambodia and our guide, Borin, has been AMAZING!!! He has truly made our time here unforgettable and I plan on referring all of my friends and family to come visit this beautiful country! Thank you, Borin, for everything you did to make our trip so fantastic! More
Danielle Blount,
Feb 2023
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What's It Like
The balloon itinerary is different every day due to changes in wind and weather conditions. The flights usually start a few minutes after sunrise, around 6:15 am to 6:45 am depending on the time of year. Pick-up times and take-off locations will be confirmed the night before your flight.
The balloon will go anywhere the wind takes it, so the landing point could be next to a pagoda, on a sandbank, in a field by a village or even along the riverside. You may need to wait a little for the crew to reach the landing point, before starting your landing celebration.

The following schedule is only approximate, so don't make any time-critical decisions , such as booking an early airplane, based on the following times.
The Schedule
05:30—06:00 Be picked up from your hotel and brought to the take-off site.
06:00—06:30 Meet your pilot and listen to a safety briefing/Coffee or Tea with cookie/watch the balloon being inflated.
06:30—06:45 Get into the basket and prepare for lift-off.
06:45—07:30 Enjoy the magical flight over the archaeological zone.
07:30—08:00 Join in a light champagne celebration and receive a flight certificate, have a light breakfast.
08:00—08:30 Return to your hotel.
Onward Transportation:If you need to catch a flight after taking a balloon ride, flights departing any time after 12-midday are recommended.
How Much Does It Cost
It's a bit expensive to balloon over Bagan, but the unique experience is worth the price. The balloons are from well-known manufacturers in the UK or Spain. Most pilots come from the UK, holding commercial balloon licenses and having years of flying experience, and they observe the highest safety standards.
The current ballooning season is from 1st October 2016 to 31st March 2017, when blue skies are at their clearest and the air is at its coolest. The prices of three ballooning operators are as follows:
Balloons Over Bagan
Classic flights: US$ 330 per person, with 12 to 16 people max per balloon (US$ 340 per person at Xmas and New Year)
Premium flights: US$ 390 per person with 8 people max per balloon (US$ 400 per person at Xmas and New Year)
Oriental Ballooning
Premium flights: US$ 395 per person with 4 to 12 people max per balloon
Golden Eagle Ballooning
Standard flights: US$ 320 per person with 12 people max per balloon
Premium flights: US$ 380 per person with 8 people max per balloon
What's Included
- Pick-up and drop-off service from/to your hotel
- Light, pre-flight breakfast
- Detailed safety briefing from your pilot
- A ballooning experience lasting about 45 minutes
- Light champagne celebration
- Flight certificate award

If you take the premium flights, you will receive more guide-interaction, a special souvenir and in-flight photos.
As the balloon flights are in heavy demand and often fully-booked during the tourist season, it's recommended to make reservations well in advance. Note that flights may be cancelled prior to departure, due to weather conditions. In case this happens, you will receive a full refund.
How to Choose Between Operators
If you are looking for a standard flight, we recommend Balloons Over Bagan. There are four compartments in each basket and you will share your corner with two or three others.
For more intimate interaction and more space, choose a smaller balloon. You'll only need to share the compartment with one other person, rather than two or three. The better experience will probably be worth the extra money. For this case, we recommend Oriental Ballooning, as they are focused on providing premium flights.
Golden Eagle Ballooning is a good option if the two operators above are fully booked.
Operator | Balloon color | Passengers per balloon | Price per person | Strength |
---|---|---|---|---|
Balloons Over Bagan | Red | Classic flights: 12 to 16 people max Premium flights: 8 people max |
Classic: US$ 330 Premium: US$ 390 | The most experienced operator with over 14 years of experience |
Oriental Ballooning | Green | Premium flights:4 to 12 people max | Premium: US$ 395 | Provides a more intimate personal touch and premium service in smaller balloons |
Golden Eagle Ballooning | Yellow | Standard flights:12 people max Premium flights:8 people max |
Standard: US$ 320 Premium: US$ 380 |
A relatively new company offering good flight experiences |
Fly with Asia Highlights
We provide booking service of balloon flights and tailor-made tours to Myanmar. Just tell us when you would like to fly with us and we will get in touch with you as soon as possible.
Why Travel with Asia Highlights (98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+)
- Unique experiences tailored to your interests: Enjoy a premium trip that goes beyond the typical tourist attractions.
- Hassle-free travel and peace of mind: Every aspect of your trip will be carefully planned and organized by your 1:1 travel consultant.
- Experienced and knowledgeable guides: Your guides will be local and love to work for travelers' smiles.
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