The private airfield of Villanueva del Pardillo is the reception point for the flights run by The Balloon Company. This is one of the Madrid Region's most experienced companies when it comes to organising these activities.

From the beginning the customer is involved in flight preparations as the pilot explains how the hot air balloon works. Once instructed by the professionals, some of whom have more than 25 years' experience, you get into the balloon baskets that can fit 4 or 8 people.

The basket where the passengers stand or sit is 1.2 metres high so it is recommended that children under this height don't fly. In any case, for safety reasons, children cannot be carried or use boosters. The minimum age for taking part in this activity is 8 years old.

The balloons begin to take off at dawn 

The hot air balloon ride lasts an average of three hours including the preparation, the flight itself and the return to the airfield in an all-terrain vehicle.

Of course, the most intense experience is the flight, when passengers can reach altitudes of up to 1,000 metres. Flights usually start at dawn in order to enjoy a good, clear view with no smog. They last approximately one hour, depending on weather conditions. 

This time, which flies by for most people, gives passengers the chance to enjoy a feeling of freedom the likes of which they've never experienced before. At the end of the activity, passengers receive a diploma and a late breakfast outdoors.

El Guadarrama, an area filled with attractions

These flights are organised in the natural surroundings of the Curso Medio del Río Guadarrama Regional Park. Therefore you fly over protected areas of great environmental interest, such as the Valmayor reservoir with native species of flora and fauna. You also get a bird's-eye view of the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, with the impressive monastery that Phillip II of Spain ordered to be built.

In these surroundings, it is best to try typical mountain fare. In San Lorenzo you will find the Parrilla Príncipe hotel and restaurant (tel.: 918 901 548) and La Fonda Genara (tel.: 918 101 636), with hearty dishes like oxtail stew. In Galapagar you'll find Garnacha restaurant (tel.: 918 583 324), where you can try pig's feet with wild mushrooms. And in the small village of Guadarrama, there is the Asador los Caños (tel.: 918 540 269), with great morcilla  (black pudding) and milk-fed lamb.