( CNN ) -- Ever since the Montgolfier brothers launched the first manned hot air balloon flight in France in 1783 , enterprising balloonists have capitalized on our fascination with open-air flight by offering rides that soar over some of the world 's most stunning landscapes . Just watching the graceful globes aloft is mesmerizing , especially when they 're en masse . Here 's where to catch them or hitch a ride . Quebec , Canada . International Balloon Festival of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu ( August 11-19 ) : Every August , more than 125 balloonists descend on Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu , midway between Montreal and Vermont , for the largest hot-air festival in Canada . Mass balloon launches at dawn and dusk bookend nine days filled with live music performances that range from Canadian folk group Cowboys Fringants to rapper T Pain , and family activities , including Balloon Planet , an inflatable amusement park . Come dark , dozens of tethered balloons are illuminated for `` night suns , '' a multimedia event with music and projections . Reserve your own flight starting at $ 170 . Glen Falls , New York . Adirondack Balloon Festival ( September 20-23 ) : This is the 40th anniversary of the Adirondack Balloon Festival , the oldest and largest balloon gathering on the East Coast . Some 100 balloonists , including a slew who man special-shaped airships like dragons and bald eagles , converge on the region 's parks and airports to launch against a backdrop of mountains awash in fall foliage . Spectators can arrange flights privately with pilots . `` It 's so beautiful seeing the meandering Hudson River , the Adirondacks to the north , the Green Mountains in Vermont and the Catskills to the south , '' says pilot Greg Livadas , a Rochester , New York pilot who has been flying in the festival for more than 30 years . The free event keeps the fun going in the afternoons with live music , aircraft displays , kite flying and meet-and-greets with pilots . Albuquerque , New Mexico . Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta ( October 6-14 ) : What started in 1972 as a local radio station promotion to round up the most hot air balloons in one place has become the world 's largest ballooning gathering and , boast organizers , the most photographed event anywhere . Fueled by Albuquerque 's crisp fall climate and predictable air currents that allow balloonists to control their flights , the Balloon Fiesta attracts some 700 balloons from more than 50 countries . The weeklong festivities include fireworks and concerts and showcase all manner of dazzling displays , from a special shape rodeo to lighted nighttime `` balloon glows , '' but the climax is the handful of spectacular mass ascensions in which all participants take to the sky in two waves . Cappadocia , Turkey . Book a private balloon flight in Cappadocia , Turkey , and you 'll get to see lava deposits at Turkey 's Mount Erciyes twisted by two millennia of erosion into hundreds of pillars and minarets known as fairy chimneys , making the landscape in the country 's central Anatolian region look like a set from Lost in Space . Soak up the spires in all their glory , as well as hand-hewn churches and homes carved from the limestone , from 1,000 feet on a 90-minute balloon flight from Royal Balloon . Napa Valley , California . With a patchwork of vines stretching for miles across gently rolling countryside , Napa Valley 's signature landscape is even more breathtaking by air . By late summer , the fog dissipates and you might even spy San Francisco and the bay in the distance . Napa Valley Balloons has been offering sunrise , hourlong flights from Yountville for some 30 years . Passengers enjoy a champagne brunch at the winery after touching down at Domaine Chandon . Luberon , France . From the vineyards of Champagne to the peaks of the Pyrenees , France 's diverse topography packs plenty of potential for ballooning . Named for the pastime 's French inventors , the more than 25-year-old France Montgolfieres company offers launches from nine sites throughout the country . The newest base , Forcalquier in Haute Provence , has fast become one of the most popular . Nestled between the Alps and the Mediterranean , it 's the perfect jumping off point to float over the medieval hilltop villages and lavender country of Provence . Upon landing you 'll celebrate with a traditional toast de l'aeronaute . Serengeti National Park , Tanzania . A bird 's eye view of unsuspecting wildlife takes safaris to new heights . Serengeti Balloon Safaris offers year-round flights over the Seronera Valley in the vast Serengeti National Park , home to zebra , giraffes , hippos , lions and leopards . The company also offers seasonal flights in other areas of the park during the annual wildebeest migration . Equipped with `` stealth '' burners , the balloons quietly float above the acacia treetops , launching at dawn when winds are favorable and game are most active .
Looking to see the world from a different perspective ? Ballooning could be for you . Visit Quebec or France for mass displays of ballooning enthusiasm . If you 're looking for a refined aerial trek , check out the Seronera Valley and Albuquerque , Quebec .