Balloon amongst the stars in Arctic skies

If you’ve not heard of ‘Soft Adventure’, it’s the opportunity to experience memorable adventures without the hassle of pre-planning or the requirement for specific skills or training. It works well for families as the trips are suitable for a range of ages and incorporate creature comforts as well as activities that are less physically rigorous.

Off the Map Travel specialises in Soft Adventure, particularly in authentic experiences not used by many larger travel companies. It has launched a new way to see the Northern Lights in Swedish Lapland by taking to the Arctic skies and hovering amongst the stars in a hot air balloon.

The first Aurora flight will take off in December 2020 and will be available through to April – with bookings officially due to open in May 2020.

An expert guide will accompany the flight, ascending up to 40 metres into the air where the balloon will hover to hunt for the Northern Lights, anchored to the Arctic ice below.

The new Lapland Ballooning experiences are available for groups of up to 6 people and are recommended for kids over 6 years old. The experiences work best as part of a multi-day stay as the weather doesn’t always play ball on any particular day!

If visitors are more interested in the Arctic landscapes, then the new Lapland Ballooning team will also be running daytime expedition flights from its home base in Gunnarsbyn, Råneå River Valley, over the spectacular Arctic wilderness.

It’s a luxury experience so comes at a price. No two trips are the same as itineraries are tailor-made to fit but as an example, the full board 4-day 3-night Aurora in the Sky itinerary costs from £2275 per person, not including flights. But this does include meals, private transfers, accommodation at the Outpost and Aurora Safari Camp, a snowmobile adventure with lunch on the Arctic circle, Aurora Hot Air Balloon experience and a Snowmobile adventure to ‘meet the locals’. Phew!