Is a Hot Air balloon Safe in South Africa?
A reader reached out to us after the recent controlled landing of a hot air balloon in KZN, which involved using a tree to slow down, asking whether hot air ballooning is safe.
The reality is that any activity involving flight carries inherent risks. I've personally experienced a wide range of aerial activities: numerous commercial flights, small planes, military jets, parachuting, bungee jumping, several helicopter rides (including a Huey in Cape Town, over Victoria Falls, and the Grand Canyon), tandem paragliding off Signal Hill, and countless hikes involving scrambles with potentially deadly falls. With each of these experiences, I acknowledge that there is always a tiny risk of serious harm or even death. This is an inescapable truth of engaging in such activities.
Ultimately, the decision to undertake such adventures is a personal one, based on whether the thrill and experience outweigh the risks. It's perfectly valid for anyone to choose not to participate based on their own risk tolerance. I can't make that choice for you, but I can share my experiences, offer insights into safety statistics, discuss what I would avoid in the future, and provide an idea of what to expect if you choose to go hot air ballooning..
Ziplining Mishaps
My sole adventure injury was caused by overshooting on a zip line ride - had to have knee surgery to suture the cartilage in my knee. But I really love ziplining and this wont stop me from going again.
My never agains : military jets & rollercoasters
I love going on cruise ship holidays, and am fortunate I don't get sea sick on boats, but I have learnt that looping the loop on military jets gives me motion sickness, as does the more hectic roller coaster rides (the old Cobra at Ratanga Junction, I'm looking at you).
Hot air ballooning & windy landings
I've been lucky enough to do a handful of hot air balloon flights in South Africa (all in Gauteng). They OFTEN postpone the flights because of the weather; which is a pain in the neck but it also keeps you safe. Hot air ballooning becomes dangerous in windy conditions, with wind direction being the biggest determinant of where you are going to go (yes, you don't know where you are going to land upfront!). The pilots I have been with were all very experienced, and knew how to pick out the best landing spot. If the wind picks up; the basket may be dragged along the ground when you land in order to slow thngs down, or the pilot may use trees to slow the balloon down, as was purposely done in the KZN flight yesterday. This is part of the game, and you are forewarned about it in the prep for your flight. There's a real possibility of the wind picking up and your landing occurring like that. So; if that possibility is not for you, then don't go ballooning.
Our of the 4 flights I've done; in 3 of them the landings were really boring, with the basket being placed on the ground extremely gently. In the other, the wind picked up, we crouched in the basket, the basket dragged on the ground providing the friction required to stop. We were all fine, as were all the pax and pilot in KZN yesterday.
Would I go again? In a heart-beat I would, in fact I'll go as far as to say that hot air ballooning is the second most fun thing to do in Gauteng. What is important to me is that the pilot is experienced; I've only ever flown with pilots who had a high degree of expertise; and that the weather is good.
Ballooning safety statistics
Here's a list of hot air ballooning accidents which Wikipedia has made (I don't think a controlled landing through a tree would qualify as an accident, to put yesterday's KZN landing into perspective); so they do happen, but there are a LOT of flights in the world.
I did a bit of Googling and I'm a bit disappointed that I have not been able to find statistics for the mortality rates from hot air ballooning. If anybody has these handy, please share - I imagine the rate is very low, but it would nice to be able to see what the actual statistics are.
This study of hot air balloon crashes in the US is somewhat interesting, even though they acknowledge the difficulties with estimating incident rates.
Rovos Rail prices 2025
Click here if you'd like to check prices and make a booking on a Rovos Rail train trip.
Property Buyers - avoid scams! And earn travel vouchers!
We are tired of seeing property buyers getting ripped off and becoming victims of the "man in the middle" scam. Here's our offer for property buyers in September 2024:
- Email your offer to purchase to our friends at lawyer@capetownlawyer.co.za. For R1000 (maximum 20 pages), they will review it and provide suggestions to safeguard your interests and minimse risks.
- As a bonus, we’ll reward you with 10% back in travel vouchers for your next car rental, hot air balloon ride, or bus trip booked with us.
- For a modest investment, you’ll significantly reduce the risks associated with a major purchase.
Pay for Intercape bus tickets in 4 instalments
Click here to make an Intercape bus ticket booking using Payflex.
Payflex offers a simple way to pay for Intercape bus tickets (Only available on Full FLexi and Flexi Pay Classes) with 4 interest-free payments. You make an initial payment of 25%, followed by three additional payments of 25% every 2 weeks. To use this option, you'll need a debit or credit card and your ID number.
Start off at the usual Intercape online booking page ; fill in where you are travelling from and to, and the date you wish to travel on. Then select the Intercape bus or Big Sky Intercity bus (Intercape's sister company) that best meets your needs; ensuring that you select "Flexi" or "Full Flexi tickets" (PAYFLEX payments do not work on the "Saver" option). Click "Buy" and then select the PAYFLEX payment option:
Why 30 days car rental is sometimes cheaper than 29 days
We'll illustrate this using Gqeberha PE car rental rates, but the same applied at other spots we checked (OR Tambo and Cape Town); that it costs less to hire a vehicle with Sani Car Rental in Gqeberha for 30 days than for 29 days:
- 29 days from 1 Nov 2024 to 30 Nov 2024 : R9 531
- 30 days from 1 Nov 2024 to 1 Dec 2024 : R5 899
*Prices do change, the longer you take to book the greater the chance of prices changing.
Is Durban doable @ under R200 per person per night?
*Click here to check current prices.
*We sourced these prices on the morning of the 6th September 2024 for a couple wanting to spend a night in Durban on the 5th November 2024. The longer it is since the when we sourced the prices, the higher the likelihood that prices will have changed by the time you read this.
- Bayside Hotel Pine Street from R144* per person per night sharing
- North Lodge Cottages : from R149* per person sharing (R298* together).
- KwaMgozimba guest house 1 : from R180* pppns (R360* together)
- Bayside Hotel Pine Street from R202*pppns (R403* together)
Pretty cool that you can stay a night in Durban for less than R200 per person.
Car Hire from R188* per day if you rent for a full month (JNB)
*Click here to see whether this price is still available. Prices do change, the longer you take to book the greater the chance of prices changing. Of course if you rent for shorter periods than a month you can expect to pay a higher daily rate. This price was for car hire from JNB OR Tambo when renting for the full month from 1 Oct 2024 to 31 Oct 2024; for a Suzuki Swift/similar (price for full month R5,629*).
Once-off train Johannesburg to Durban | 26 to 29 Sep | Shosholoza Meyl
Shosholoza Meyl is offering a once-off return train trip from Johannesburg to Durban:
- leaving Johannesburg on 26 Sep 2024
- return from Durban on 29 Sep 2024
The cost is R2500 per person for return tickets; included in the package are:
- breakfast
- lunch
- bedding
- accommodation
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Until next time!
Team SA Travel Online!
E&OE we do make mistakes sometimes. We reserve the right to make any adjustments needed to rectify any mistakes. Prices subject to change - the longer you take to read this the more likely they are to have changed.
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