hundreds of people take to the skies each morning at sunrise in Luxor to experience an air balloon flight and it’s something I would encourage you to try, Egypt is one of the cheapest countries in the world to fly in one, You could see all sorts of ancient monuments and the majestic Nile river in the distance.

Luxor has ranked second in the list of top seven hot air ballooning destinations published by Matador Network, the best time to fly is at sunrise so you can see the world waking up in Luxor!

that the number of hot air balloon rides in Luxor surpasses 30 rides per day, and the balloons are checked daily by accredited engineers and trainers to ensure the tourists' safety.

Trips are cancelled when the speed of the wind is high as balloons move horizontally depending on that speed, Balloons can go high in the sky by up to 500 meters depending on the extent to which the air is heated by the pilot.

Balloons in Luxor may land in locations different from those of departure where vehicles wait to pick up tourists after they enjoy a panoramic view of the city described as an open museum for housing many ancient Egyptian temples and tombs.

Before you fly

You’ll be greeted by a team member at the reception of your hotel and picked up in a mini bus to head over to the East Bank.

It can be chilly before the sun rises so make sure you have a scarf or cardigan to wear on the boat to the West Bank, But, the fire is quite hot while you’re flying and it’s warm after the sun rises

Once you’re sat on the boat, other tourist groups will show up. Then you’ll have a (extremely welcomed!) cup of coffee or tea with some snacks provided.

Then, once you’ve docked up on the West Bank, you’ll make your way over to another mini bus that will escort you to the take off point. This takes around 15 minutes or so.

Once you’ve reached the take off point, you will see all these beautiful balloons lit up waiting to take flight. Your party will wait with your guide until you get the all clear to board.

There’s no steps to get into the basket, so prepare to climb over or be man handled by three men and lifted into it like I was haha! There’s around 8 sections to a basket and they’ll probably have two or three people in each to balance the weight.

There will be around twenty guys trying to keep the basket on the ground while you’re being loaded in. Once the captain is happy it’s able to take off, you’ll slowly start to ascend.

During the air balloon flight

You will end up flying up around 1,000 – 2,000 ft in the air and the flight will last around one hour, The fire that allows the balloon to fly, is SO hot.

Then when you come to land, you’ll be waiting a while, The captain will need to find the perfect safe spot, Then you’ll land, get out of the basket and have a cheesy group photo,  Then, you’ll get in the mini bus and continue tour of temple hopping or go back to hotel.