Catching the Desert Sunrise: My Morning Floating Over the Valley of the Kings

Catching the Desert Sunrise: My Morning Floating Over the Valley of the Kings

There are those mornings that you will never forget, and then there are others that change your whole perspective about life.

The day that changed mine took place at 4:30 AM by the banks of the River Nile in Luxor. It was cold, everyone around was fast asleep and the sky above was filled with a million stars that shone so brightly against the ink blackness of the skies. In a semi-sleeping state, holding onto a paper cup of hot tea, I was doubting myself and wondering if rising in the middle of the night is all worth it.

Two hours later I found myself in a basket high in the sky, watching the sunlight flood the Valley of the Kings. My question had been answered, yes a thousand times over!

Curious about the experience of chasing the dawn while riding in a hot air balloon over the ancient Thebes? Let me share with you the morning that stole my heart.

In the Dark Before the Dawn

Our day began long before the rising sun. A kind driver collected me from the hotel and brought me to a peaceful dock near the Nile. Getting onto a tiny motorboat in the middle of the night is a memorable experience. While riding the boat, one could see the dark silhouettes of palms growing along the banks of the river and the sparkling lights of Luxor. It was like passing through to another world.

We were taken by vans from the West Bank to a field where the balloon launches took place. There were giant nylon balloons lying horizontally on the desert sands, shining from inside like big sleeping fireflies as the crew members burned gas to blow hot air into the balloons.

The warmth coming from the burners served as a good wakeup against the coldness of the desert. In just a couple of minutes, the giant bags raised, stretching on the ropes tied to them. After a light and funny safety instruction from our pilot, we went into the basket and into our places and took off the ground without any time to think about our fears.

Floating into the Light

The most shocking feature of a hot air balloon is its utter gentleness.

For those who have ever felt anxious about heights, it might be expected that either they will feel a stomach drop or some sort of wind rushing past their face. But since the balloon rises at precisely the same speed as the wind is blowing, there’s no resistance from the wind at all. It seems as though you’re not flying but rather as though the ground is moving gently away under your feet.

With each ascent, the horizon changed its color. From a dark and deep shade of black to a bruised purple, from a streak of pink to dazzling gold.

Looking below felt like opening a history book right before your eyes.

The West Bank Below: We flew directly above the remnants of long-dead monuments and ancient desert roads. I could see the steps leading up to Queen Hatshepsut’s temple hugging the sides of the cliffs and the secretive doorways of the Valley of the Kings that were concealed by barren limestone mountains where ancient pharaohs rested for thousands of years.

The East Bank Over the Water: Further away from us, in the desert gold that stretches on endlessly in every direction, the Nile River shone like polished green glass. Behind it stood the enormous pillars of the Karnak and Luxor temples, catching the first rays of sunlight.

Up there it was completely quiet except for the occasional thunderous rumbling when our pilot fired up the burner.

Waving to the World Below

As the sun rose to its full glory above the horizon, our pilot slowly guided the balloon closer to the ground. It wasn’t really close to the ground; in fact, we were only as high as to get a peek of the daily activities in the West Bank.

We flew past small mud huts and green fields of sugar cane and dirt roads. All of a sudden, a group of children ran out of a courtyard and started waving their hands, screaming “Welcome to Egypt! Good morning!” in a loud voice.

This moment where you have to lean over the side of the basket to wave back to them and hear their shouts echo above in the sky will be etched in my memory forever because of the realization that although Luxor is an enormous outdoor museum for tourists, it is also a living place for those who inhabit it.

Landing and the Morning After

For everything comes to an end, and after almost 50 minutes of pure magic, our pilot found us a spot on the desert with enough space to land safely.

Landing is an adventure in itself. The ground crew follows your shadow in the desert, prepared to secure your basket when it finally lands with ropes. There was a little bumpy landing, cheers were raised by all in the basket, and we all sighed with sheer happiness of adrenaline rush.

After that, we were given our flight certificates, joked around with people from all parts of the world, and hopped onto our vehicle again at the time when the traffic was just starting off in the morning.

Why You Need to Experience It

There are certain places that you have seen thousands of images of. Yet to actually stand there a thousand feet above Luxor at sunrise is worlds apart from seeing images of it.

This experience is something that should definitely be part of your Egypt adventure. Arrange this experience for your very first morning in Egypt and ensure that you wake up early before the sun rises.

It is peaceful, it is humbling, and it is simply one of the most beautiful experiences you will ever get.