Off the Map Travel will debut a northern lights hot air balloon excursion in Swedish Lapland later this year. The Aurora in the Sky program was created by the founders of the Aurora Safari Camp, Jonas Gejke and Fredrik Broman, in partnership with ballooning expert Andrew Peart, who will lead the Lapland ballooning team.
The evening aurora flights will launch in December 2020 and run through April 2021, with bookings starting in May. The hot air balloon will hover at about 130 feet in the air, anchored to the arctic ice below, for the best northern lights viewing position.
The Lapland hot air ballooning experiences are available for groups of up to six and are recommended for guests ages 6 and older. As flights will be weather dependent -- seeing the Aurora is not guaranteed -- and the company recommends booking a multiday stay to allow flexibility for the balloon flight.
Off the Map packages are customizable, but a sample three-night Aurora in the Sky itinerary will cost from about $2,999 per person, not including international flights. The rate includes all meals, private transfers, accommodation at the Outpost and the Aurora Safari Camp, a snowmobile adventure with lunch on the Arctic Circle, the Aurora Hot Air Balloon experience and a snowmobile adventure to "meet the locals."
The Lapland ballooning team will also run daytime expedition flights from its home base in Gunnarsbyn, Sweden, in the Ranea River Valley.