Ballooning near Uluru

In Australia, hot-air balloon flights to view Uluru (Ayers Rock) from afar are offered by Outback Ballooning (P.O. Box 2702, Alice Springs, NT, Australia 0871; phone +61 0 8 8952 8723). Guests are picked up from their hotels at Yalara before dawn and driven to the takeoff site 10 to 25 kilometers south of the rock. The flight, itself, covers about 10 kilometers in 45 to 60 minutes, while the entire excursion takes four to five hours. In 2012, flights run March 1-Oct. 31 and cost AUD450 (near $453) per person, with a light breakfast.