My First Time in a Hot Air Balloon: A Personal Story from Luxor

My First Time in a Hot Air Balloon: A Personal Story from Luxor

There is one thing that I need to confess. I have always had an unusual attitude toward heights.

The view from glass-floor balconies always leaves me a bit nervous, and standing on a high balcony and looking over the edge makes me hold onto the railings with sweaty palms. So, the fact that the alarm clock in the room of a luxurious hotel in Luxor woke me up at 4:00 am with a loud “Why on earth did you book this?” was quite logical.

In case you find yourself preparing for your first ever hot air balloon ride with both anticipation and fear, I can fully comprehend you. Here is my genuine experience of my first day in a Luxor balloon.

Waking Up in the Dark

The streets of Luxor at 4:00 AM become a whole new city compared to the noisy and sunny one of daytime. It was dark out there and the cold air of the desert woke me up immediately without even drinking any coffee.

I put on a light jacket, put on my old and comfortable sneakers, and went down to our driver who waited for us in the hotel lobby. Together with several other sleepy tourists, we headed straight to the river docks of the East Bank.

The ride on a motorboat in absolute darkness across the Nile River creates the perfect atmosphere. The water was pitch-black as the glass and was reflecting the dimmed lights of the city. On the other side, the huge silhouettes of the Theban mountains were towering. Nobody talked out loud, everybody was huddled in their jackets and watching the silent night in amazement.

The Launch Field and the Roaring Giants

As soon as we arrived at the landing station on the West Bank, a short van journey had us at the launch field. If you have never experienced a balloon launch field firsthand, this experience will surely fill your senses with everything that is great about it.

Amidst the vast open field of dirt, gigantic nylon balloons lay on the ground as if being asleep. The ground crew hurriedly ran around with industrial fans blasting cold air through the fabric to inflate them.

Then came the fire.

The sound of the whoosh was heard as soon as the pilots switched their burners on, filling the air inside the giant balloons with heat. In a blink of an eye, a gigantic fire of bright orange flamed up from the bottom, illuminating the whole balloon like a lantern and filling our faces with its heat. This sight was loud, overwhelming, and utterly breathtaking.

Our pilot was a seasoned captain from Egypt who greeted us with a calm smile. He introduced us to the "landing stance" which consisted of holding onto the handles of the interior ropes and slightly bending our knees. He also advised to keep our cameras tightly attached to our wrists as we would need our hands free.

And before we knew it, we found ourselves getting inside our cabin.

The Moment of Liftoff (And Where the Fear Went)

It was time of truth. As we sat ourselves down in our spot inside the basket, I grasped the inner railing with both hands, ready for that familiar feeling of falling through the air on a roller coaster or an elevator.

But the drop never happened.

The pilot tugged on a cord, and as the burner fired up with an audible roar of heat, the ground simply drifted away from us downward. There was not even any sort of jerk or swaying, but in one instant we were on the solid ground and then we were slowly drifting up a few feet off of it in utter smoothness.

We were no longer passengers in a plane; we were now like a floating balcony. Within thirty seconds, the ground crew looked like miniature figures and my fear of heights disappeared, leaving only peace behind.

Floating Above History

As we proceeded higher and caught the first light of sunrise, the whole world beneath us changed its appearance.

It went from dark blue, then to pale pink, then fiery orange, and, finally, to blinding golden colors. Observing the landscapes of Luxor, you will see that they consist of two different parts – the bright green strip of fertile land along the banks of the Nile and endless yellow bone-dry mountains of the West Bank.

In total silence we were floating past all those objects that used to be described in the history books:

We could see the geometric terraces of the temple of Queen Hatshepsut cut into a vertical rock.

We observed the giant stone figures of the Colossi of Memnon standing out against the background of the green fields.

Underneath us, the local farmers were going to their job accompanied by their donkeys while children were coming out of mud-brick houses waving their hands and shouting "Good morning, welcome to Egypt!" at the top of their lungs.

Absolute silence reigns when you are up there. When the burner stops its roar, it feels like you are hanging somewhere between time and space, above the centuries of history.

The Landing and the Celebration

And in no time at all, the pilot checked the radio, discovered a clearing in a nearby farm and declared that it was time to land.

The descent is as smooth as the ascent. We drifted over palm leaves and landed softly on a dusty field owned by a local farmer. Our basket tilted softly to one side as the wind caught the balloon envelope just as the pilot had forewarned us; there was a general burst of delighted laughter from all passengers on board.

The ground crew rushed to secure the basket, tying ropes to it while helping us alight and step off onto firm land. There was not a trace of the chilly air anymore, but only the warmth of the Egyptian sun and feeling of unity with complete strangers who an hour ago were only nervous faces milling around in a dark hotel lobby.

As we boarded the waiting van, our pilot presented each one of us with our very own flight certificate.

What I Learned From My First Flight

If you are having reservations because of nervousness, a fear of heights, and uncertainty if waking up early is really worth it, listen to me because I have been through what you are going through now and tell you to go for it.

Riding in a hot air balloon above Luxor is not just a tour; it is an awe-inspiring trip that leaves you feeling humble in the most amazing way possible. It makes history come to life and it is a memory that will last for all of your life.

Set that 4:00 AM alarm. Step into that basket. You won't regret it.