Hot Air Balloon Tour of Israel!

February 17th 2011

You’ve come to this distant land to tour Israel, observe Israeli culture and scenery, and gain inspiration and a new perspective on the world.   What better way to look at Israel than through a literally different perspective, 500 meters up in the air?

“Rize”, in the North of Israel, is ready to take you on the hot air balloon flight of your life!  Its flight overlooks the breathtaking scenery of the Golan Heights and Gelilee, floating above birds, trees, kibbutz and moshavim, and Mt. Gilboa.

If you’re searching for the perfect way to propose to your spouse, Rize has already been the hosts to more than 30 marriage proposals. And the chances are good- all of them have ended with the words, “Yes”. In an exceptional episode, an unprepared lady fainted from shock and an emergency landing was in order. But a “yes” was still the final result after the fiasco!

The ride begins a half hour before sunrise, with a cup of coffee (Israeli Nescafe) pre-flight safety instructions. Then, you’re off! Up, up and away!

There’s more to the Rize flying experience post- landing, besides the inevitable kissing off the ground ( even though the balloon is a very safe experience, with almost little sensation of motion, and a ground crew following you wherever you go in case of an emergency landing).   Rize wants to party with you and a bottle of champagne, in classic hot-air ballon style.

A little known fact -champagne celebrations are a post- hot air balloon tradition the world over. Historically, as hot-air balloon rides gained popularity in the late 1700s, farmers fearful of British invaders attacked them. The story goes that a Frenchman brought with him a bottle of champagne, which he raised in the air during a landing, and the farmers, understanding it was a celebratory flight and not an invasion, refrained from attack.  Bubbly and balloon riding have been an inseparable pair ever since.

After champagne, satisfy your appetite with a Rize- provided hearty, deluxe Israeli breakfast, and bring home your balloon-flying certificate to frame, a souvenir to prove to your grandchildren that yes, when you were young, you knew how to live it up while touring Israel.

Rize is aware of the life-changing effect such an excursion can have on the mind of its participants. On it’s website, the quote from Leonardo da Vinci sums up their perspective on the flying experience: “Once you have flown,” it predicts, “you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you long to return.”  One hour, five hundred meters up in the air, and a new perspective on the world thereafter.