Riding a Hot Air Balloon had been something that we wanted to do atleast once in our lifetime. So when we heard that it was possible to do so in Luxor, and that too get to do it over the Valley of Kings and Queens, we did not want to miss the chance. And that is what we did.

We finalised our decision to do the Hot Air Balloon in Luxor, a day before we arrived in Luxor. Once decided we made the booking online for the activity through a very popular travel activity site. The activity coordinator was to pick us up from our cruise boat the following morning at 4:30am. Yes, you read that right 😄. What did you expect? It was to be a balloon ride to catch the sunrise over the Valley of Kinds and Queens.

Come 4:30am the next morning, we were ready at the cruise boat lobby. Soon we were huddled in a vehicle that had other guests joining for the activity. We headed towards to the boat jetty to catch a boat to other bank of the Nile. Here is us in the boat enjoying a hot cup of tea while we waited for a few more guests to join.

Once on the other bank of the Nile, we again got put into a vehicle which eventually took at us to the launch site for all the Hot Air Balloons. There we were then taken close to the Hot Air Balloon that was to be our ride.

Hot Air Balloons across the launch site were being filled with hot air to get ready for the launch. It was a sight to watch all of them turning bright with the fire being lit by the engine under them to fill them with hot air. And then they finally getting upright.

They were all waiting for the go ahead from the Air Traffic Control (ATC). Soon we saw some of the balloons starting to go up. This indicated that the permission to fly had come through 😃.

Our Hot Air Balloon however was still getting ready.

But soon we too were asked to get into the basket. And we were off!

What can I say; the sights were just breathtaking from up in the air. Here are some of the views;

And finally the sun starting to rise at the horizon. Magical, don’t you think?

Here are a few more pictures of us:

Shortly after it was time to descent and land. Now that was an entirely different experience 🙂. One may think that we would land at the same site where we had taken off from. That was not the case. The pilot only has the ability to control the altitude of the Hot Air Balloon, i.e. decide if it should go up or down. The direction in which it flies is entirely dependent on the wind. So he has to be constantly in touch with the ground crew to coordinate where it can be put down. Ours was brought down on a mud path between two agriculture fields 😃. The ground crew also tied down the basket so that all the passengers could safely alight.

The journey back to our cruise boat was just the reverse order of what we had done in the morning.

Summary

This is an experience not to be missed. We had a great time. We were so happy that we had decided to do it, inspite of the really early morning start. It is cheaper than many other places in the world. It is also considered a safe place to do it. Hence I would really recommend doing it. There are few things to keep in mind though, based on what we experienced:

  • It is an early morning start. So be prepared for that.
  • It will usually take a short vehicle ride and maybe also a boat ride, depending on which bank of the Nile your cruise boat is docked, to get to the launch site.
  • There are no toilet facilities at the activity site. So one will need to to “hold it” till you get back to your cruise boat 😊.
  • I feel that even people with fear of heights can do it. The balloon rises and descends pretty slowly.
  • You will be standing in a big basket attached to the balloon. The size of the basket can vary depending on how many people it is designed to accommodate. They are pretty sturdy.
  • You will need to climb into and out of the basket. The basket walls are a bit high. But it has some foot holes to help.
  • Wear something comfortable owing to the need to climb into and out of the basket.
  • It can get cold in the early morning ride. So wear warm clothes.
  • Keep in mind that there is no guarantee that the balloon will be allowed to undertake the ride. Like I had mentioned, they have to get clearance from the ATC. Safety comes first!
  • The activity can be booked online through many popular travel activity related apps. We had booked it through GetYourGuide.
  • The activity partner will usually get in touch with you over WhatsApp. So make sure you have mobile data connectivity. We used an eSIM plan from GigSky. They offer excellent plans and good coverage for destinations across the world.
  • Be on time for the pickup. Else you will be holding up other guests of the ride.
  • Take your phones/camera. You are sure to get awesome views during the ride.

Have you done some adventure activities in your trips? Tell me about it in the comments to this post.