Would like to know what have those of you ,who had the pleasure of doing the balloon trip paid.

There seem to be several prices and pricings, it would help to know what one should pay

The price we paid in 2007 was $230 per person, booked in advance through Santa Maria. If we went "standby" (not a good idea), the price would have been $250pp.

I see on the Balloons Over Bagan website that the price is currently $295pp or $275 if you go standby. I believe it was cheaper for us to go through the agent rather than reserve directly though.

Thanks for that info, Craig.

Thank you Craig that is useful to know

that costs more than most people in that town make in a year..

I have to say I'm flabbergasted at those numbers. To each their own--but I don't think I could ever see paying that much for a balloon ride in the States, nonetheless in a country where most people live below the poverty level.

My God...$295?!! PER PERSON? Unreal! I can't believe people can get away with that.

Actually, you could well pay more than that in the States. If you have never been on a balloon ride then you probably would not understand what's involved - the training, maintenance, fuel etc. A balloon is considered an aircraft, just like a jet - they are highly regulated - manufacturing and maintenance requirements are strict (for good reason). The difference between a balloon and a jet, is that there is little control over where you go and where you land - it's all totally dependent on the wind. Now I am sure the Balloons-over-Bagan folks are making a nice profit and you can bet that labor in Myanmar is cheap. Of course there are those that think making large profits ANYWHERE is some sort of crime that needs to be regulated. You should understand that the Balloons-over-Bagan pilots are trained in the UK and the balloons are in really good shape. The fact that they are able to pull this off in a country like Myanmar is pretty amazing. That all being said, I would rate our early morning balloon ride as one of our top 5 travel experiences ever - well worth the expense.

filmwill, it seemed like WAY too much money when I first looked at it a couple of years ago. But I mentioned it to a friend of mine who took a hot air balloon ride for her birthday about 15 years ago here in the Seattle area, and she said it was $200-250 then. It's probably doubled by now. And in Europe it's more. And in Africa it's WAY more (about $500 per person). So when you look at prices for hot air balloon rides world wide, it's a bit of a bargain. Reviews by both Craig and Hanuman convinced me that this is something I shouldn't miss. One of the things I like about the hot air balloon ride is that it's not intrusive to others enjoying the temples, unlike, say, the helicopter rides at Angkor or in scenic areas like the Grand Canyon or Hawaii.

I will assuage my guilt about spending that much money on it via generous donations to charities in the area. Since the generals skim off money given to NGOs in Burma, I'll make donations at monasteries, pay those who provide services for us in Burma very well, and give money to groups in Thailand who work with refugees from Burma.

i don't doubt for a minute that it is a fantastic experience or that it costs a lot to maintain the ships, i just think over all its a lot of money.... but then i paid $250 to bribe Paraguayan immigrations officers so who's to say...

Filmwill's quote
My God...$295?!! PER PERSON? Unreal! I can't believe people can get away with that.

Have you ever visited a lawyer, or had a plumber at your house? This is a bargain compared to those prices.

It is interesting to see the comments of outrage to spend that kind of money on an excursion. What about spending untold $$$ on a hotel room per night? The nightly rate at La Residence probably keeps a Laotian family in rice for a year.

I have no guilt whatsoever about taking that balloon ride, it is a most exhilirating experience, to be gliding over a landscape, seeing the sunrise. Cannot wait to see those pagodas from a different perspective.

I took a balloon ride over Cappadocia, 8 years ago, it was about the same price then as Bagan now, however got a discount for being Swedish. The owner of the company was a fellow Swede. It is one of the most memorable moments in all my years of travel.

If one was to think in terms of the cost of something, in proportion to the per capita income, would any of us truly travel in the less developed countries of the world.

No one's telling you not to anything, nywoman--or asking you to have guilt about it. In fact, I was only addressing craig's comment about their current prices, not your decision to go or not go on a balloon ride.

I'm just expressing a subjective opinion about the cost of something.

Coincidentally, there are plenty of travelers who don't stay at expensive hotels or go on fancy tours. Does this make them any more noble? Hell no, but it certainly does lend credence to the fact that not all travelers go to underdeveloped countries and stay in expensive places and do expensive things.

Subjectively-speaking, to me, a balloon ride that costs $300 is extremely expensive for a relatively short (even if memorable) experience, whereas paying $300/night for what could be an entire 24hr experience of enjoyment doesn't seem as unpalatable. Everyone measures their experiences differently. If a plumber comes to my house and fixes a potential $7000 problem -- that's a payment that lasts a lot longer than a balloon ride. But I digress...

...you say potato, I say potahto. To each their own. Enjoy your trip!

The balloon ride was $295 pp when we took it last December. We almost did not go as the price seemed very, very steep. In the end we were swayed by friends who had been and are not easily wowed -- they said it was a "once in a lifetime" and it was indeed. It was a simply magical experience and (if you can afford to splurge) a trip to Bagan without it would miss something special. We cannot recommend it enough.