• While floating above the Atherton Tablelands behind Cairns on your hot air balloon, do keep your eyes peeled for animals, they often hide but suddenly you could spot some ’kangaroos take off!  
• Inflating the Hot Air balloon is impressive as the skin seems to suddenly expand into life so try to get a shot in front of it! Share your selfie to our Facebook page.
• It’s a good idea to wear a hat because of the heat from the hot air balloon burner which can also give off soot, so also avoid wearing white or light clothes.
• Cairns offers the cheapest place in Australia to fly in a hot air balloon so take advantage of this amazing way to explore Cairns and Far North Queensland from the air.
• Ask about our romance hot air balloon flight packages with breakfast on the beach. Book a solo hot air balloon, pop the question and then be transported to a beachfront restaurant in Palm Cove 
• Book a Gift Voucher Hot Air Balloon flight for a loved one.

Hot air balloon rides from Cairns, Northern Beaches and Port Douglas is the cheapest and best value hot air ballooning in Australia! Cairns Hot Air Ballooning takes you over the beautiful Atherton Tablelands. Have you always wanted to go up in a hot air balloon?

Cairns Hot Air Ballooning takes you over the beautiful Atherton Tablelands where you have the opportunity to sneak up on grazing kangaroos, wallabies and other wildlife in their natural habitat, even unsuspecting people coming out of their house in their pyjamas to collect the newspaper.

Please note with the Cairns Classic Balloon Ride Experience guests get a light snack upon landing and a glass of bubbly or orange juice. 

Glide in your hot air balloon over all the beautiful farmlands aptly named the Tablelands as this is the ultimate region for growing tropical fruits, vegetables and macadamia nuts.

Hot Air Balloon Rides From Cairns Or Port Douglas

We fly our hot air balloons from the Atherton Tablelands so we keep our costs down and our guests win with the cheapest and best value hot air balloon tours in Australia!

Riding along warm air currents in a hot air balloon is one of the most unique, once-in-a-lifetime experiences to be had, and is synonymous with tranquillity and romance.

Choose a Hot Air Balloon Rides  

• Classic Self Drive
• Classic with return transfers from Cairns, Northern Beaches & Port Douglas
• VIP Ballooning Package from Cairns, Northern Beaches & Port Douglas

***Classic Flight Self Drive From Cairns, Northern Beaches & Port Douglas***

5.00am Meet our Pilots & Crew at the Mareeba Heritage Centre. Meeting times are confirmed on booking. 

Port Douglas: 1 hours 15 minute drive

Cairns 1 hour

6.30am Spend 60 minutes floating in a hot air balloon

7.50am Return and landing - packup games

8.00am Drop off to the Mareeba Heritage Centre. The tour finish time varies with the seasons (summer, winter and the time of sunrise).

***Classic with return transfers from Cairns, Northern Beaches & Port Douglas***

5.00am Pick up from your accommodation in Cairns & Northern Beaches

6.30am Spend 60 minutes floating in a hot air balloon

7.50am Return and landing - packup games

9.00am - 9.30am Drop off at your accommodation in Cairns & Northern Beaches. The tour finish time varies with the seasons (summer, winter and the time of sunrise).

***VIP Ballooning Package from Cairns, Northern Beaches & Port Douglas***

Minimum 2 guests

5.00am Pick up from your accommodation in Cairns, Northern Beaches & Port Douglas

Designed for two people only, enjoy private and exclusive door to door pickup at your Cairns, Palm Cove or Port Douglas Resort.

Enjoy the scenic drive to the Atherton Tablelands for the gentle beginning on Australia's only Luxury Hot Air balloon tour this morning!  

6.00am A great team of pilots, expert and knowledgeable are your guides. Your Arrive just in time to see the spectacular sight of your hot air balloon inflate.

Take off & experience the fun & unique sensation of hot air ballooning over the Atherton Tablelands, Australia.

Your hot air balloon ride gently floats over the picturesque landscape as the day begins, allowing you to relax and breathe in the wide-open spaces!

6.30am The patchwork panorama below brings new sights every day, watch out for the variety of Australian birdlife & take in the peace & serenity that is hot air ballooning.

8.30am - 9.00am Come back to earth and be whisked off by your private transfer to a beachfront five star resort to enjoy a private breakfast at your own table. 

Breakfast is at one of  The Norths most famous restaurants, NuNus based in Palm Cove. 

Your delicious breakfast is cooked to order is your choice from a gourmet tropical breakfast menu and a glass of cold crisp sparkling wine too

Return - You decide Maybe a stroll after breakfast on one of Cairns' beautiful tropical beaches or a few more photographs with a palm tree background and no shoes! Return private transfer is available of course but , please advise your driver when you wish to depart for your accommodation

 

 

What You Will See On Your Cairns Hot Air Balloon Ride

Departing from Cairns & Northern Beaches in your coach pick up you arrive on the Atherton Tablelands for your early morning adventure.

Your hot air balloon glides smoothly through the soft white clouds as you gaze below at the enchanting display of Australian nature at its finest.

Watch green patchwork paddocks melt into tropical forest, glimpse native Australian wildlife scurry through the trees as exotic birds soar through the forest canopy.

The majestic forest clad mountains of the Great Dividing Range soar out of the ground, tall and proud, and command your fullest attention.

The horizon, an extraordinarily impossible distance away dissolves into the ground below, creating a breathtaking and enchanting spectacle for you to appreciate.

***Private Charter Flight can also be arranged***

How To Get To The Cairns Hot Air Balloon Site

Hot Air Balloons from Cairns provide guests the unique opportunity to experience ballooning for a 60 minute balloon flight.

The day begins at 5.00am approx with a comfortable coach transfer from your hotel accommodation (hotel transfers are available from Cairns, Cairns Northern Beaches, Palm Cove)

Hot air balloons use the rural region of Mareeba on the Atherton Tablelands as a point of departure for balloon flights, as it’s renowned for stable weather conditions that are conducive to successful ballooning, thus providing the most reliable ballooning experience in Australia and the cheapest ballooning experience in Australia.

If you are staying in Port Douglas you will have to self drive to Mareeba to meet the Hot Air Balloon team OR book the Luxury Package.

Should you wish to book the very special exclusive hot air balloon ride from Port Douglas we can also include a personal pick up and drop off to your Port Douglas accommodation.

Where Do The Cairns Hot Air Balloons Fly?

Your take off point Mareeba on the Atherton Tablelands is located roughly an hour west of Cairns and Port Douglas, and the morning journey showcases some beautiful native Australian forest that has a mysterious ambiance in the dusky ebony twilight.

On arrival at the launch site you will be greeted by the spectacular display of the inflation of the Hot Air Balloons.

Each balloon has its own distinctive design (including native Australian designs such as koala’s and kangaroo’s), that is only revealed upon inflation.

We have the largest range of balloons in the Southern Hemisphere, thus providing guests with the unique carnival atmosphere of a balloon festival each morning.

The Cairns Hot Air Ballooning Experience

The Cairns hot air ballooning experience is simply breathtaking. From the moment the majestic balloon begins its smooth and silent ascent into the powder blue tropical sky, and the ground below starts to quietly fall away, there is a unique sense of calmness and tranquillity.

As the balloon gently glides through the sky, and the sun rises over the forest clad hills, there is an exquisite feeling of harmony and oneness with nature that no other experience encapsulates.

Feel the extraordinary exhilaration as you share the sky with other hot air balloons, and marvel at the amazing heights the balloon soars over the lush green Cairns countryside.

Our fleet of Cairns hot air balloons is the largest in Australia, with the capacity to carry up to 20 people, thus the unique feeling of flying can be shared with others. The ballooning experience is so exquisite that many people conduct weddings and marriage proposals in the hot air balloon with family and friends.

Hot air ballooning is such a unique experience, largely due to the fact that no two ballooning journeys will ever be alike. Ballooning relies solely on wind currents, thus the location for landing will always be different.

Cairns Hot Air Balloon Pack Up Time

The fun really begins once you’re back on terra firma, assisting the hot air ballooning staff deflate and pack up the balloon, while playing fun games that provide an entertaining finish to an exquisite experience.

There is plenty of time for more photographs, and lots of laughs. After the balloon is packed away, it’s the quiet calm journey back down the mountain range to your Cairns or northern Beaches resort or to meet your next tour adventure connection for the day such as a day on the Great Barrier Reef at beautiful Green Island .

Ask us about our great value hot air balloon package deals.

View more scenic flights around Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef and great value combo package tour deals.

Tour Languages Offered

• English

Departs From

Cairns

Departure Time

05.00 am (approx) pick-up at all Cairns, Cairns Beaches holiday accommodation

Departure Instructions

• Self Drive Option for Guests Holidaying in Port Douglas for Self-Drive Classic Ballooning
• For Guests Holidaying In Port Douglas and booking the Luxury hot Air Ballooning Package we will provide private transfers
• Please note varying prices for Coach Transfers for Guests Staying in Cairns & Cairns Northern Beaches
• Self Drive Options For Guests Staying in Cairns

Pickup Locations

• Cairns
• Cairns Northern Beaches
• Port Douglas

Destinations

• Atherton Tablelands
• Mareeba - Atherton Tablelands

Months of Operation

January - December

Days of Operation

Daily

Does not operate Christmas Day
Does not operate New Years Day

Duration

60 Minute Flight

Fitness Level Required

Low

Restrictions

Height: From 120 Cm / 3ft11in

Additional Information

Not suitable for pregnant women

• Take a jumper for the early morning flight and a peak cap and sunglasses
• Don't wear white clothes or shoes

There is no height limit for flying. The basket is approximately 120cm high with a couple of footholds on a side of the basket where small children can have views through these holes. The minimum age for a child to fly is 3 years old. Children must be supervised at all time and cannot fly on their own. Children's rates are applicable for children aged 3 - 12 years inclusive. Proof of age is required under 5 years, we suggest passport. Children under 3 cannot fly and must stay with an adult at all time.