Ural Expeditions &smp; Tours
Tours

Visit «Sky Fair of the Urals» 2009

VIII Festival of aeronautics “Sky Fair of the Urals – 2009», 27 June - 5 July, 2009

For the eighth time, the ballooning festival of “Sky Fair of the Urals” will be held in the period from 27 of June till 5 of July in an old small town of Kungur, Perm district, situated at the western slope of the Ural Mountains. The town of Kungur is one of the most attractive venues in Russia, where ballooning festivals are held.

Since 2001 the ballooning festival of “Sky Fair” is held in Kungur annually. This year, about thirty balloon crews from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Poland, Check and other countries are planning to tale part in the “Sky Fair”. The first festivals held in the Urals were approved by specialists and have become popular among citizens and guests of the town. In 2007, Cornelis van Helden, Belgium was sports director of the festival.

It should be noted that the sky above the town is free-flight area, so balloonists can enjoy flights in any direction and this makes this area unique and very attractive for ballooning. In some other regions it will hardly ever be permitted.

It was this town, where the unusual sport role-playing game, named "Sky Battles" has appeared last year. This team championship of hot-air-balloons crews was held for the first time in the world and it is confirmed by the Federation of Aeronautics, Russia. The organizer of the "Sky Battles" is Andrey Vertiprakhov (Russia). All the crews are divided into two opponent teams. Locals also take part in the battle as part of ground forces. The battle tactics is next: the balloons fly over the town and have to capture various targets and defeat the enemies with small bags with sand and a colored ribbon as a marker. Every crew has their own place of landing, parachutist, a sniper and a navigator.

Video of last hot-air-balloon festival 2:50 min

This year the “Sky Fair” organizers are planning to cross the border of Europe-Asia on balloon and it will be a unique unprecedented flight over the border between two parts of continent.

Annually, hundreds of ballooning festivals are held all over the world, but in Russia, hot air ballooning is not so popular and it is not considered as a sport activity for the time being. In 1991, the first ballooning festival was held in Russia, and since that time the public interest to such sport activity has been growing rapidly. Nowadays there are more then 100 pilots of balloons, and every year almost half of them take part in festivals and competitions.

In 2009 in Kungur the regular Aeronautics Championship of Russia will be held during the festival «Sky Fair of the Urals». More than 35 foreign and Russian crews are planning to take part in traditional competition in the sky of the Urals.
The sky over Kungur seems to be specially created by God for ballooning: hilly landscapes, an unexpected winds, a lot of places to land and take off. Panoramic views of Uralian landscapes are breathtaking and even after landing your soul is still somewhere in the sky.

Flight of a hot-air-balloon depends on power of wind and some other weather factors. All the flights begin only in the early morning or in the evening - during the calmest time of day.
Even if you are far from the flight romanticism - let's take a chance to visit the balloons festival!  If you do not miss the chance to flow up and up in the sky you will get unforgettable feeling of real freedom and it will be a flight of your lifetime. A lot of air-balloons in the sky are really unforgettable splendid sight.
It is also impressive to watch "Night's lights" of balloons from the ground, when the illuminated multi-colored balloons are blazing in the night sky darkness.

The town Kungur is not only famous for its ballooning festival - In Kungur you can take a tour around the town, be part of an exciting excursion to the ice cave, which will reveal to you its 20 marvellous grottos: the Diamond and the Polar grottos with their glaring snow crystals; the Meteor grotto, reposing in pitch-darkness; the Ethereal grotto with its all-the-year-round dripping and “organ-pipes” - well-like holes which water drops formed in the rock mass. You will see magnificent underground lakes, amazing stalactites and stalagmites and so much more.
During the excursion of Kungur you will visit some old churches and temples – architectural masterpieces all displaying the magnificent skills of craftsmen from a bygone era.

After the festival you can continue your travel in Ekaterinburg. On the way you will have the opportunity to admire the nature of the Urals in all it’s splendor and get acquainted with the history of settlements in the region - fascinating stories about the Great Siberian road (also called the Moscow road) and the populated areas nearby.

The possible program of visit of the VII Ballooning Festival of  «Sky Fair of the Urals - 2009»

Note: Because of unpredictable weather (but usually the weather is settled) in July - the program may be corrected on the eve or during the event.

1 Day Arrival to Ekaterinburg (Perm). Accommodation in a hotel. City excursion. Free time.
2 Day Transfer to the town Kungur. Accommodation in a hotel. Sightseeing excursions. Free time.
3 Day The show of the opening of VIII Festival of aeronautics «Sky Fair of the Urals – 2009».
4 - 7 Days «Sky Fair of the Urals – 2009». Aeronautics Championship of Russia. "Sky Battles". Sightseeing excursions. Visiting of Kungurskaya ice cave. Rafting (easy) down the river Kolva. Ballooning.
8 Day Solemn finishing of the «Sky Fair of the Urals – 2009». "Night's lights". Farewell dinner.
9 Day Transfer to the city of Ekaterinburg (Perm). Departure of tourists.



Copyright © 2004 «Ural Expeditions & Tours»
Ñîçäàíèå ñàéòà: ñòóäèÿ âåá äèçàéíà «Softmajor», 2003 ã.