Go up in a balloon or a helicopter

Going up in a balloon or a helicopter shows you a place the way no road can: a valley of rock chimneys, the top of a glacier, the full width of a waterfall. A balloon drifts quietly at dawn wherever the wind takes it; a helicopter goes straight to the view. Either is a splurge, and a moment worth sharing with the person beside you.

Where to do it

Cappadocia, Turkey

At sunrise, balloons lift off over Göreme's fairy chimneys and cave churches, a World Heritage landscape. Turkey's civil aviation authority decides each morning whether balloons may fly, and wind can ground them all for days, so book your first morning and keep spare ones. Winter brings the most cancellations.

Luxor, Egypt

Balloons rise at dawn on the Nile's west bank, over the Colossi of Memnon, temples and green fields, with the Valley of the Kings in the hills beyond. Hotel pickups in Egypt come well before dawn.

Serengeti, Tanzania

A balloon safari floats low over the plains at sunrise, often followed by a breakfast in the bush. In migration season you may drift over the herds. Book well ahead in Tanzania's busy months.

Albuquerque, United States

Every October, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta fills the New Mexico sky with hundreds of balloons over nine days, and local operators fly passengers the rest of the year in this corner of the United States.

Teotihuacan, Mexico

At dawn, balloons drift over the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, north-east of Mexico City. It's an easy early start from the capital of Mexico, and you can walk the site afterwards.

Franz Josef Glacier, New Zealand

On the South Island's West Coast, helicopters fly up the glacier and land on the snow, and heli-hikes walk the ice with a guide. Low cloud grounds flights often in this wet corner of New Zealand, so allow a spare day.

Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe and Zambia

Short helicopter flights circle the falls and the zigzag gorges below, a way to see the whole curtain of water at once. They leave from both Zimbabwe and Zambia. At high water, spray hides much of the falls from the ground.

Iguazu Falls, Brazil

Helicopter flights from the Brazilian side give a few minutes over the Devil's Throat and the rainforest around it. Combine the flight with the walkways on both sides of the falls in Brazil and Argentina.

How to make it happen

• Choose a licensed operator. Ask who licenses them, how long they've flown and whether they're insured.
• Expect dawn starts for balloons. Balloons fly in the early morning, when winds are lightest. Most trips spend about an hour in the air.
• Leave room for weather. Book early in your trip, and ask what happens if the flight is cancelled; good operators rebook or refund.
• Listen to the landing brief. In a balloon, you'll be shown a landing position: knees bent, holding on, facing away from the direction of travel.
• Dress for it: flat closed shoes, layers, a hat (the burner is hot overhead).
• In a helicopter, you may be weighed for seating, and loose items must be secured.
• Check health limits if you're pregnant, have back or heart problems, or have trouble climbing into a basket.
• Do it cheaply: watching Cappadocia's balloons rise from a hilltop at dawn costs nothing.