FLY BALLOON > Teambuilding

"In a balloon you are the prisoner of the wind, and you can go only in the direction of the wind.  In life people think they are prisoners of circumstance; but in the balloon, as in life, you can change altitude. When you change altitude, you change direction. You are not a prisoner any more". (Bertrand Piccard).

Combining a typical Balloon Safari with the Ballooning Challenge is a great adventure that provides a new and exciting medium for teambuilding. On a teambuilding balloon safari, participants are placed in a unique situation, enabling them to challenge themselves and develop co-operative and interdependent relationships with their peers and business associates.

This experience provides insight into how teams work together and how they can become more effective. Not only will the group teambuilding balloon safari be a most enjoyable experience but the participants will fondly remember their companions and the message your company was projecting for many years to come. They will "dine out" on their ballooning story.

During a teambuilding group balloon safari program, each team is allocated a balloon and a pilot. Just after sunrise, a "Met" balloon is released to determine the various wind directions at different altitudes, so that a "target site" can be chosen.

Each team assists their pilot in preparing their huge colourful hot air balloon for flight. After a safety briefing, the balloons take off and each team is required to direct their pilot to fly at the correct heights to catch the most favourable wind directions.

Towards the conclusion of the balloon flight, each team must drop their individual marker as close to the target as possible, direct the ground team to identify the exact spot where the marker has been dropped and at the same time tell their pilot where to land.

In order to gain points, teams are scored according to certain criteria. The pilot's decision is final, as they will only fly within safe and permissible parameters.

After about an hour, the balloon must land in an accessible field to enable an easy retrieval and, if necessary, a changeover of teams. On completion of the final landing, the group balloon safari ends with a return to base where they are greeted with a hearty champagne breakfast.

All participants will be awarded a "Citation for Bravery" and the winning team will be presented with "Gold Medals" and maybe the chance to participate in the South African Hot Air Ballooning Championships.