Napa Valley Aloft Hot Air Balloon Rides — Attraction in Yountville

The whole NV Aloft staff, Pilot Jim and Tango gave us exactly the experience we were looking for; and then some! Floating in thin air over Pope Valley was the most serene and zen experience. We had great communication with the staff, they even reached out to us the day before to give us some extra information about the trip which we really appreciated.

Upon arrival, you will be directed to check-in where the staff holds a informational meeting before flight. They advise you that your head might get hot due to the heat blast above. Momentarily wearing my hood seemed to solve that problem when needed. Also could be avoided by slightly crouching. They will assign you to a pilot/balloon here.

Overall, there was 5 hot air balloons in flight at the same time over the valley, which made for more colorful and interesting pictures actually. Our balloon basket had 12 people + Jim in it. This basket specifically was divided into 4 quadrants with the pilot in a separate 5th in the middle. Each quadrant accommodated 3 people. There was plenty of elbow room. Ride lasted about an hour in pristine weather conditions with plenty of photo opportunities. My camera roll is just full of beautiful photos and videos.

I was skeptical but I did purchase the add-on breakfast because I knew we would be starving after the flight and wanted to avoid the hassle of planning a breakfast stop afterwards. YOU WON'T REGRET IT! It is self-serve buffet style and everything was just so phenomenal! Food was yummy, and no shortage in mimosas :D The owner did note that breakfast is usually completely packed, but our group from July 3rd dwindled down to maybe just 10 guests for breakfast. Perhaps we got a better experience because of that. Balloon pilots sit with you at the table for the duration of breakfast so don't hesitate to start conversation or ask questions about hot air balloons. Jim was very insightful and helped us comprehend how balloons work, etc. It's all part of the experience! Take advantage of it.

I researched several other balloon ride companies in the area, but glad I ended up choosing this one because everything was just so well organized and everyone was very kind.

There's very few experiences worth waking up at 4am for - this, is absolutely one of them. I booked this flight on a whim as a surprise for my boyfriend for our 4 year anniversary while we were visiting San Francisco/Napa Valley. He was stunned to say the least.

*When they say "leave your backpacks, etc" behind in your car - it is obviously for weight reduction but also for your own comfort. Please bring ONLY yourself and a camera! You won't need anything else, I promise. After the flight in Pope Valley, all passengers were driven back to the main parking lot where you were then free to go or proceed for the (amazing!)...

We had a great time! The staff was friendly and shared tons of information about the local area and hot air ballooning. The meeting spot was inside of a building and due to the fact it was dark it was a little hard to find. Check in was quite easy once we found the spot. As an FYI you cannot bring bags with you so just have your phone and keys and plan on keeping your other items either in your car or at home.

We were separated into balloon groups and given instructions about what we would do to get into/out of balloons. I was quite surprised how quickly the balloons got inflated and up in the air. The flight was smooth and almost like an outdoor elevator. We were in the air for about 45 min to an hour. I was confused about where we would land but the captain (driver of the balloon) told us it depends on the winds and that they make decisions about landing based on that. The crew was in radio contact with the captain and met us where he decided would be a good spot to land. The team was very skilled and worked diligently to ensure our safe return to land.

Once we landed we had to climb out of the balloon basket and walk to the vans. I would suggest wearing tennis shoes because you have to walk in wet grass and it is a little uneven but nothing serious. We got to the van and drove back to the meeting point and then went home! We did not do the brunch after but found a local spot to go to that we liked a lot.

Over all it was a great experience. The views were beautiful. I would have loved take an earlier flight to be up there when the sun rises - I am sure that would have been...

What an amazing and magical experience! Celebrating my daughter’s 34th birthday we travelled from San Jose and Oakland to arrive in Yountville to meet up with Napa Valley Aloft! The team of drivers and assistants were super efficient and drove us to a Pope Valley site with a wonderful tour presentation of the passing wineries and town on the way. (They have their own launch site above the clouded Yountville area so we stayed in the vineyards!!!)

5 marvelous ballon we’re there. We hopped into this huge basket (super safe and comfortable) and before you knew it we slowly started to rise! So slow that it was not scary at all! They explained wind currents and lift so clearly that there was no reason to be scared at all.

We floated above the Peju and Hess cabernet and Zinfandel grape vineyards for almost an hour! We passed another balloon and experienced a ‘Balloon Eclipse’ which was so very cool!

The landing was like a cloud. We got low enough then the capture team grabbed out rope and walked up to a grassy place where we landed so gently! I was surprised.

It was great to see a variety of people on the trip. We were African American and it was good to see other black families, folks visiting from Japan, a couple from Mexico celebrating an anniversary! Everyone was offering to take pictures of each other with the balloons in the background.

We landed and then stayed for the brunch! It was very tasty, eggs, pastry, yogurt, fruit, bacon/sausage, mimosas, coffee/tea. Very lively.

Definitely a bucket...