I recently had an amazing bucket list experience in Morocco, A Hot Air Balloon Ride in Marrakech!
Gliding miles above the stunning Moroccan desert in the most novel mode of transport really is a once in a lifetime experience and one I’ll never forget! I videoed my entire Hot Air Balloon Marrakech experience and more from the trip here:
Interested in going on your own Hot Air Balloon in Marrakech?
This was my third experience of a Hot Air Balloon flight, I previously went on a Hot Air Balloon ride in The Serengeti and also a Hot Air Balloon Ride in Cappadocia bit this was the first time of flying over an African desert and the views were breath-taking!
Getting There
The experience itself is best at Sunrise and during the busier periods there are even 2/3 flights back to back. So unlike other Hot Air Balloon excursions I’ve done the wake up call wasn’t too shocking or startling at 6am! I was staying at The Royal Palm Marrakech so a driver from the Balloon company picked me up and it was a 45 minute drive to the site.
The Camp
I arrived to a beautiful Bedouin style set up with a stunningly authentic tent with seating arrangements and tea, coffees and pastries laid out to grab a quick fast-break before heading up into the sky.
As I was scheduled for the second flight of the say I was able to watch in awe at the other Balloons in the sky before getting on one myself! This made the experience even more exciting and precious. I felt like I was inside Aladdin’s first wish!
Here you can also enjoy a buffet style breakfast before or after your flight depending on the time you are scheduled in for the morning. It was a continental spread of jams and honeys with Moroccan pancakes and breads. It was a really lovely touch and so pretty to be able to sit inside the tents and look up in awe at the balloon filled sky whilst eating!
There were perfectly clean and spacious toilets on site so I was able to go for a little anxiety release before getting into my driver’s car and heading over to the selected balloon for my ride.
The Flight
We were lucky enough to have the most awesome guide, he was super passionate about his job and after giving up a very clear safety briefing all we had to do was bend our knees to a brace position and we were off and up in a matter of seconds!
The blast of fire above was a welcome warmth in the early hours of the morning and as soon as we started to glide through the air it was clear we were experiencing what felt like magic!
The steady slow movement through the sky is such a calming experience but I’d be lying if I say my legs didn’t go a little giddy 😉
A Hot Air Balloon over Marrakech is such a wonderful location to take flight because the plains below are vast in size but such a beautifully stunning rich array of colours.
Flight Time 1 Hour
The Flight latest exactly an hour which was more than long enough to really take in all the beauty! You could see down to all the small local towns and out towards the amazing atlas mountains.
Your diver follows the balloon whilst you are up in the sky so at the end of your experience they are waiting there to collect you, both with a smile on their face and a flight certificate for you to keep as a souvenir in hand 😉
What to wear?
Unlike other rides, A Hot Air Balloon in Marrakech is not that cold! Usually you’d need to wrap up warm for a sunrise trip over fear of freezing in the cold morning air but I only had shorts and a shirt on and I was absolutely fine.
I would recommend taking a sweater as it’s definitely cooler than the temperature you’ll be use to in Marrakech but should you be packing light for a luxury weekend break in Marrakech I wouldn’t panic too much about being cold on this particular experience. I was there in October so technically Autumn/Winter.
How to Book
We booked our trip via the hotel concierge team but it was with the Company Ciel D’Afrique and I would highly recommend them for their professionalism and exceptional service.
They offer a few different packages, VIP Flights, Private flights and there even the Royal Flight which includes a romantic breakfast for tow on board the balloon! Talk about a once in a lifetime experience!
For the claasci flight like the one I did the price is 2050 Dirhams Per Person – approximately £480.00
Did you Know?
The Balloon Experiences The Local Community
One thing I loved about this excursion was the fact that there’s an entire town in Morocco that is entirely dependant on the Balloon industry. Everyone that lives there is either a child of, married to or related to someone who works within the Hot Air Balloon Marrakech business, unless they of course work directly for them.
You can see the town during your flight and it’s a really heart-warming experience to see how much everyone in the community really loves their job, from the drivers to the pilots to the engineers to the chefs, it’s amazing what a tourist attraction has the power to do!
