Looking for a private balloon for four? Sometimes you want the hot air balloon experience, but you do not necessarily want to share the basket with other passengers.

For October and November 2026, Bill Harrop’s “Original” Balloon Safaris is offering The Private Four, an exclusive private hot air balloon safari created for exactly four passengers.

R21,995 for four passengers
A private balloon experience normally starting from R32,000.

To qualify for The Private Four rate, the reservation must be booked, paid in full and flown during October or November 2026.

A private balloon for four in the Magalies River Valley

Perhaps you are two couples planning a morning together. Four friends looking for an excuse to escape the ordinary. A family celebrating a birthday or milestone. Or perhaps you simply prefer the privacy of having the balloon to yourselves.

Whatever brings the four of you together, The Private Four means exactly that: one balloon, four passengers and no other guests sharing your basket.

The experience is available at R21,995 for four passengers, compared with our private balloon experience normally starting from R32,000.

The morning is still unmistakably Bill Harrop’s

Private does not mean missing any of the traditions that make a Bill Harrop’s balloon safari what it is.

Your morning begins before sunrise at our private launch site in the Magalies River Valley, with tea, coffee or hot chocolate and mini muffins while you watch the balloon being prepared.

Then it is time for the four of you to climb aboard.

Once airborne, the morning belongs to the winds. There is no predetermined route in ballooning. Your pilot works with the different wind directions and speeds available at altitude, while the landscape unfolds below.

After approximately an hour in the air, the flight concludes with a landing celebration of sparkling wine and orange juice, followed by a return to our Clubhouse Pavilion for a full buffet breakfast.

Allow approximately three to four hours for the complete experience.

Who is The Private Four for?

We deliberately haven’t designed this around one particular occasion.

It could be a birthday, anniversary or milestone celebration. Perhaps four friends have been saying for years that they should do something together. You might be parents and their adult children, two couples, or simply four people who want a more private way to experience ballooning.

You don’t need an occasion to make the morning special.

Sometimes the occasion is simply getting the right four people together.

Only for October and November 2026

The Private Four is a limited offering available on selected Monday to Thursday mornings during October and November 2026.

As with all our balloon safaris, flights are weather dependent and subject to availability. All four passengers must also meet our standard passenger eligibility requirements, and passenger weights are required before a booking can be confirmed.

If four of you have been waiting for the right excuse to fly, this might be it.

Discover The Private Four and enquire about your preferred flight date.

Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to welcoming you on board.

The post The Private Four: When Four People Want the Balloon to Themselves appeared first on Bill Harrop's "Original" Balloon Safaris.

Some gifts are opened, admired and eventually forgotten. Others become stories that are told for years.

A hot air balloon safari with Bill Harrop’s “Original” Balloon Safaris is an unforgettable way to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, engagement, wedding, retirement or any other special occasion. Instead of another ordinary present, you can give someone the opportunity to experience the Magalies River Valley from an entirely new perspective.

Our personalised hot air balloon gift voucher letter is supplied in PDF format, making it easy to print and present as a physical gift or send electronically to someone special.

A Gift Worth Waking Up Early For

The adventure begins before sunrise at our private launch site in the beautiful Magalies River Valley, conveniently located approximately one hour from Johannesburg and Pretoria.

Guests can enjoy tea, coffee and other hot beverages while watching the balloon crew prepare the aircraft for flight. As daylight begins to appear, the balloon gently lifts into the morning sky.

Every flight is different. Depending on the wind direction, guests may drift above rolling farmland, natural bushveld, river systems and the surrounding mountain scenery. The peacefulness of ballooning, interrupted only by the occasional sound of the burners, makes the experience unlike any other form of flight.

After landing, guests celebrate the occasion with sparkling wine and orange juice before returning to our Clubhouse Pavilion and Restaurant for a full buffet breakfast.

What Does the Gift Voucher Include?

A hot air balloon gift voucher includes the complete Bill Harrop’s balloon safari experience:

• Pre-flight tea, coffee and hot beverages
• A scenic sunrise hot air balloon flight
• Sparkling wine and orange juice after landing
• A full buffet breakfast at our Clubhouse Pavilion and Restaurant
• A certificate of bravery to commemorate the adventure

The complete experience generally takes approximately three to four hours, including the pre-flight preparations, balloon flight, landing celebration and breakfast.

Choose a Dated or Open-Dated Gift Voucher

Gift voucher letters can be purchased as either a dated voucher or an open-dated voucher.

Dated Gift Voucher

A dated gift voucher is issued for a specific, confirmed date of departure. This is ideal when you already know when the recipient is available and would like the balloon safari arrangements to be confirmed before presenting the gift.

The selected departure date is booked and confirmed at the time of purchase, subject to availability and receipt of the required payment.

Open-Dated Gift Voucher

An open-dated gift voucher allows the recipient to choose a suitable date of departure after receiving the gift.

The recipient must contact our reservations team to redeem the voucher and arrange a flight date within the voucher’s validity period. All requested departure dates are subject to availability and must be confirmed by Bill Harrop’s “Original” Balloon Safaris.

An open-dated voucher does not constitute a confirmed reservation for a particular date until the recipient has completed the redemption and booking process.

Gift vouchers are valid for 12 months from the date of issue. Advance booking is strongly recommended, particularly for weekends and popular travel periods.

A Personalised Gift Voucher Letter

Your gift will be presented as a personalised voucher letter in PDF format. It can be printed, placed in an envelope and presented in person, or forwarded electronically when distance or timing makes that more convenient.

The voucher letter gives the recipient something tangible to open while allowing you to choose whether to confirm the experience for a particular date or leave the recipient to select their preferred departure date.

An Experience for Life’s Special Occasions

A balloon safari gift voucher is especially suitable for:

• Birthdays and milestone celebrations
• Anniversaries
• Engagements and wedding gifts
• Retirements
• Mother’s Day and Father’s Day
• Christmas gifts
• Bucket-list adventures
• Thank-you and appreciation gifts

It is also an excellent choice for the person who already seems to have everything. There is only so much room in a cupboard, but there is always room for one more wonderful memory.

Important Information Before Purchasing

Hot air ballooning is entirely weather dependent and operates at the discretion of the pilot. Flights take place at sunrise, when conditions are generally most suitable for ballooning.

For safety reasons, passengers must meet the applicable age, height and fitness requirements. Children must be at least seven years old and a minimum of 1.35 metres tall. Passengers must also be physically able to climb into and out of the balloon basket and stand for the duration of the flight.

If you are unsure whether the intended recipient meets the participation requirements, please contact our reservations team before purchasing the voucher.

Give Them a Sunrise to Remember

For more than 45 years, Bill Harrop’s “Original” Balloon Safaris has helped guests celebrate meaningful moments above the Magalies River Valley.

A personalised gift voucher letter offers more than a flight. It gives someone the anticipation of an upcoming adventure, the wonder of seeing the landscape from the sky and a memory they can carry with them long after the balloon has landed.

Purchase a dated or open-dated hot air balloon gift voucher and give someone special a sunrise they will never forget.

Thank you for your continued support. We look forward to welcoming you on board.

The post Give the Gift of a Hot Air Balloon Safari appeared first on Bill Harrop's "Original" Balloon Safaris.