Bagan Hot-Air Balloon at SunrisePrivate Basket

Bagan's temple plain, on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River in central Myanmar, holds more than two thousand surviving temples and pagodas, built mostly between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries, when Bagan was the capital of the first kingdom to unify the region. Seen from the air at sunrise, with mist lying between the spires and the light turning the brick from grey to gold, it is one of the most extraordinary sights in Asia.

Before planning, check your government's current travel advice for Myanmar. The political situation has changed significantly since 2021, many governments advise against all or non-essential travel, and some travel insurance policies do not cover trips made against that advice. Balloon operations in Bagan have been interrupted in recent years, so check whether flights are running for your dates before you plan around them.

When flights operate, the season runs from around October to March, when the weather is dry and the winds are calm. Pickup is from your hotel in the dark, around 4:30 AM, and you are driven to the launch site, where the ground crew inflate the balloon with cold air, then heat. After a safety briefing, you climb into the basket and lift off as the sky begins to lighten.

The balloon rises gently to a height that can reach several hundred metres, then drifts with the wind across the plain. Below, the temples appear one by one out of the mist: the great white Ananda, the massive Dhammayangyi, the tall spire of Thatbyinnyu and countless smaller shrines scattered across the fields. The sun rises over the hills to the east, and the colours change by the minute. The pilot controls the altitude but not the direction, so each flight follows a slightly different path depending on the wind. The flight usually lasts forty-five minutes to an hour.

The private basket carries a maximum of six guests, giving everyone space at the edge and the chance to talk to the pilot about the flight and the landscape below. Landing is usually gentle, in an open field, and the ground crew help pack the balloon while breakfast is served on the plain, a celebration that has become a tradition of ballooning in Bagan.

Flights depend on the weather and are sometimes delayed or cancelled when winds are too strong. If a flight is cancelled, it is usually rescheduled for another morning or refunded, so plan more than one morning in Bagan if possible.

Wear warm layers for the early start, as mornings can be cool in the dry season, and comfortable shoes. Children must meet minimum age and height requirements set by the operator.

The experience lasts around three hours. A private basket, a ground crew briefing, the flight, breakfast after landing and pickup from hotels in Old Bagan are included.