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With Nepal’s snowy Himalayan peaks as a backdrop, the sky above Pokhara transformed into a vibrant canvas of colours for the country’s first hot-air balloon festival.<\/p>\n
Tourism is a major earner for Nepal, which saw over a million foreign visitors this year after a post-pandemic bounceback, and investments are being made in hotels and airports to cater to travellers.<\/p>\n
“We felt that we must bring a balloon festival like this to Nepal,” Sabin Maharjan, an organiser of the event, told AFP.<\/p>\n
Hot-air balloons from more than 10 countries participated in the festival.<\/p>\n
“A ride here can be very exciting as you can see mountains, hills and lakes,” Maharjan added.<\/p>\n
“All passengers tell us that they are very happy — such a festival will boost our tourism.”<\/p>\n
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– ‘Spectacular’ –<\/p>\n
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The balloons created a mesmerising display against a stunning sight of the snow-capped Annapurna range.<\/p>\n
“It is spectacular,” \u00a0American balloon pilot Derek Hamcock, 67, said.<\/p>\n
“As soon as you go above the small range here you see all the Himalayas. Unbelievable, every time you see them it is unbelievable.”<\/p>\n
Balloons shaped as a rat and a frog from were among those joining in the fun, slowly drifting with the breeze.<\/p>\n
“You never know where you are going,” said Diego Criado del Rey, 29, a balloon pilot from Spain.<\/p>\n
“So it is pretty much you and the nature — not fighting, but being together.\u00a0 You go where the nature tells you.”<\/p>\n
Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority issued a notice for the skies over Pokhara for a duration of nine days to allow balloon flights.<\/p>\n
Although more than two centuries have passed since France’s Montgolfier brothers made the first manned flight, ballooning can still capture the imagination.<\/p>\n
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