We fly over Mareeba on the Atherton Tablelands, not over the Great Barrier Reef. Mareeba is a perfect place for hot air ballooning, just over one hour drive from Cairns. We don't fly near the coast because morning sea breezes can often make the take off rate unreliable and we would need to cancel the flight,  heading just an hour inland over the mountains and into the valleys close by gives us the most reliable takeoff conditions and a spectacular flight location too.