The Westhoek and the Great War, seen from a balloon
No region in Belgium carries the history of the First World War as visibly as the Westhoek. A hundred years on from the Armistice, its traces are still woven into the landscape: ponds that were once shell craters, cemeteries that punctuate the fields, and in places even the faint, still-recognisable pattern of old trench lines. From a balloon, silent and without the drone of an engine, you see that landscape in a way you never can from the ground.
For many of our passengers, that is exactly why they book: relatives wanting to see the place where a great-grandfather served, history enthusiasts, or simply those who want to grasp the sheer scale of that history from above, for once. A flight of at least 60 minutes gives plenty of time for that.
What you can see from the basket
Ypres & the Menin Gate
The rebuilt town centre, the Menin Gate and the ring of the ramparts — a town that has never hidden its history.
The IJzertoren & Trench of Death
Near Diksmuide, the IJzertoren rises like a beacon above the flat polder landscape, with the Trench of Death (Dodengang) along the IJzer river nearby.
Zonnebeke & the ridge
The gently rolling ridge around Zonnebeke and Passchendaele, marked by its many war cemeteries.
Our exact route and altitude always depend on the wind on the day, so we can never guarantee flying over a particular spot. We do, however, regularly launch from Ypres, Diksmuide, Zonnebeke and Poperinge, right in the heart of this heritage landscape, and on almost every flight you will spot some trace of that history below you.
A quiet moment of remembrance
More and more visitors from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland come to the Westhoek to remember an ancestor who served here. A balloon ride is not a substitute for visiting a specific cemetery or memorial, but it does offer a complementary, quiet way to grasp the scale of the front line — away from the crowds, at complete ease, with only the occasional sound of the burner.
No, our route and altitude depend entirely on the wind on the day. We do regularly launch from areas right in the heart of this heritage landscape, such as Ypres, Diksmuide and Zonnebeke.
Many passengers find it a valuable complement to a visit to a specific cemetery or memorial — a quiet, sweeping moment that helps you take in the true scale of the region.
Ypres, Diksmuide, Zonnebeke and Poperinge all lie right in the middle of this landscape. See the full regional overview for details on each launch site.
