Balloons Above the Valley

What a super fun way to spend a crisp January morning. We lucked out with one day of nice weather for our balloon launch. Getting a reservation was easy on their website and I even got a confirmation call the day before. Meeting at Model bakery was nice because they provided treats and coffee. Maya was a great host and made us all feel comfortable about our balloon flight. Drive over the the field was speedy, in a really warm van! Our captain, Jake, was really funny and answered all our questions. Even though the basket tipped over on landing, we had such a great time.

Epic experience!! Our family was visiting from overseas and this was on their bucket list. Everything went smoothly and the staff were so accommodating and friendly! It definitely made our experience amazing. We first got our breakfast at 5;45 am in front of model bakery. One thing that I would change is giving people a whole croissant/pastry. It's so easy and there's nothing else to eat! haha besides that the pastries were good and the coffee was awesome.

Around 6:40 we started getting in the vans to drive to our takeoff location. Our pilot was jake and he was awesome. He gave us a good tour of the napa valley and pointed out different landmarks and spots. He also joked around and chatted with everyone in the basket. I was surprised that there were 18 people in our basket! I didn't know you could fit that many people!

Our ride lasted about an hour and we finally landed on a hill. We got to take some pictures after and they drove us back to our cars at Oxbow public market. I think this is an experience everyone needs to try! I had so much fun and it was really incredible! We paid at the end of our stop.

My husband set up a balloon ride for my 30th birthday with Balloons Above The Valley, it was outstanding.
From the pickup at model bakery to the champagne toast package we added on at the end. It was a once in a life time experience and the best way I could have asked to spend the start of my 30th birthday.
Chad was our pilot, he was great, extremely knowledgeable and fun! Thank you for making it an awesome flight Chad!

Maya and Scott took great care of us from start to finish they were excellent and lovely to chat with at the end!

I would highly recommend Balloons Above The Valley to anyone who is looking to take a hot air balloon flight.

Thank you again to the whole crew!

Truly enjoyed the ride. Our pilot Chad was not only skillful but hilarious. Also the complementary breakfast coffee and pastry was on spot early in the morning. Thanks to the crew and the pilot for unforgettable experience

My husband and I had so much fun. I surprised him with a hot air balloon ride for his birthday, and it did not disappoint. It was definitely an early morning, but watching the sun rise over the mountains and flying over the valley during harvest season was an experience to remember. Our pilot was knowledgeable, made us feel safe, and even captured a great photo of everyone in the balloon mid air. Would definitely recommend!

Ballons Above the Valley should be your #1 choice for hot airballoons in the Napa area. We had the pleasure of having Jake as our pilot. Jake and the rest of the crews was nothing but professional and courteous of all of the guests. They made the proper accommodations to ensure we all had a great time and a lovely experience. Don't hesitate to took with them!

It's not cheap but it's a solid outfit and you probably won't get a better deal from any of the other operators. Meeting is early (I think 5am) at Model Bakery at the Oxbow Market near downtown Napa. Free pastry and coffee when signing in. If weather in Napa is not conducive to flying, they have an alternate launch site 40 min away. Model Bakery is a great place to eat breakfast after. Save $20 if you book Monday through Friday. Unfortunately no discount for repeat customers.

Amazing experience! Our Pilot Chad was great. Provided us with tone of information and entertainment too :) Highly recommend!

It was a really great experience! They are very organized! Our guide was so funny and attentive explaining and really making our ride so much nicer.

What a nice experience! It's pretty pricey (about $200 per person) but it's definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Here's a quick rundown of the schedule for the sunrise trip (which I think is the only time they fly probably due to weather/pressure conditions):

Evening before: Call them to make sure your flight is all set for tomorrow, weather-wise

Day of - 5:30 AM: Arrive at Model Bakery at Oxbow Market. Here they will provide you with some coffee and pastries (the almond croissant was amazing). You can also go to the back of the building for bathrooms (actual bathrooms, not porta-potties and I highly suggest you go because it could be a long trip). I believe you can park in the Oxbow parking lot but I'm not sure if it's free or not. We pulled into the first street parking spot we could find. Thankfully, it was a Saturday so street parking is free on the weekends

6 AM: Sign waivers and get loaded into vans that will take you out to where the hot air balloons actually are. Where they fly from depends on the flying conditions but our location was about a 40-minute drive out. Make sure you don't make any plans for after the flight (i.e. an actual flight on an airplane, or something you can't miss) because depending on the conditions of that day, you could be driving out further, which means you could be back later. It mentions that you would be back by 8:30 but when we were signing the waivers, they said there were instances where people weren't back until 11.

6:40 AM: Get loaded onto the balloons (maybe 10-15 minutes for everyone to get on), which are already set up when you get there so make sure you get your photo op quickly because they deflate the balloons as you are landing. The flight lasts about 45 min to an hour and you get great views of Napa. Make sure you dress warmly because it's cold up there, but the hot air from the propane (?) does help a lot

7:45 AM: Get your last photo ops (balloon is now mostly deflated) before they load you back into the van for the drive back to Oxbow

My only complaint was the capacity of the balloon. I believe the balloon had four compartments from what I remember - one in each corner. I appreciate that they put your parties together (and that there are plastic separators - well more like curtains - between each compartment. However, our group was 6 people. I would say we are relatively thin women and it was a tight squeeze. The couple next to us was chillin with a whole compartment to themselves so I feel like they could have split us into 3 and 3 for a more comfortable ride and better experience.

I probably wouldn't do another balloon ride in Napa but the experience definitely has me wanting to do one in other countries.