What It’s Really Like to Ride a Hot Air Balloon Over Luxor at Sunrise

What It’s Really Like to Ride a Hot Air Balloon Over Luxor at Sunrise

In case you have ever been browsing through travel pictures and pondering what the feeling of floating among the clouds really is like, allow me to give you a brief description.

The sound of an airplane interior, the gusts of wind during a roller coaster ride, or even the glass walls of a high-rise observation deck will not be able to match the feeling of riding a hot air balloon over Luxor at sunrise. It is tranquil, surreal, and almost like entering into your own dream world.

Should you be interested in what exactly happens during the whole forty-five-minute journey from waking up to landing back in Egypt, this is what you need to know.

Phase 1: The Pre-Dawn Chill and the Glow of the Giants

The day begins when most of the world is still asleep. The sound of the alarm clock going off at 4:30 AM will make you second guess your life choices for around ten seconds, but once you step out in the star-studded desert, you get energized.

You jump into a transport van and go to the Nile river where you take a motorboat ride down the river at dead of night through both sides of sleeping cities.

Once you reach the launch field of West Bank, the whole scene is transformed into a kind of a workshop of giants. There are dozens of huge nylon balloons spread flat on the sandy ground. Teams on the ground are busy using heavy fans, putting cold air in the fabric while shooting fire columns from propane burners.

Seeing the huge colorful balloons glow from the inside like lanterns in the darkness is a total spectacle. In no time, they stand up vertically in the sky, struggling against their tethers, waiting to take you up with them.

Phase 2: The Smoothest Lift-Off Imaginable

Getting inside the wicker basket is easy because it consists of strong compartments where you have enough space to comfortably stand near its edge. The pilot conducts a brief safety tour, balances your weight, and then gives a go-ahead sign.

A flame bursts from the burner, releasing an enormous amount of radiated heat above your head.

And then… you take off. But this is what amazes nearly everybody during the first flight: there is no sudden jolt.

Since the balloon moves at the same speed and direction as the wind, there is no wind resistance. You do not get a sense that you are thrown up into the sky but rather that the earth itself goes down beneath your feet. In a matter of a split second, you find yourself floating above the field where you once were standing.

Phase 3: Watching Ancient Thebes Wake Up

With each ascent to the higher level, the sky starts melting, gradually changing its color from indigo to delicate purple, then becoming the magnificent stripe of peach colors and finally an intense burst of golden sunrise coloring the whole skyline.

From one thousand feet high above the land of the pharaohs, you get the picture of ancient Thebes as the kings of Egypt used to see it:

East bank: Across the Nile, the mighty river separates the fertile green fields from the green-blue ribbon of water itself. On the horizon, there appear the impressive structures of the Karnak and Luxor temples, catching the first rays of the sunrise and shining like amber.

West bank: Right under your feet, the beautiful green color of the fields immediately ends, and you see the pale yellow limestone cliffs. You can track the rocky paths leading inside the tombs of the Valley of the Kings and watch the enormous terrace of the Queen Hatshepsut temple.

In the air, everything is silent; all that you hear is the magnificent sound of the burning fire of the burner keeping your balloon on the sky and quiet sighs of surprise from your passengers.

Phase 4: Waving to the World Below

As the sun emerges from the horizon completely, experienced pilots usually go a bit low and grab themselves a breeze from the earth.

It is not the case where you are up in the sky among the clouds anymore; you are now gently floating above the local sugarcane plantations, mud brick houses, and dusty roads. Suddenly, you start hearing some cheering sounds in a very high-pitched voice coming up from the earth. As you look down, you see a bunch of kids coming out of their courtyards and welcoming you with their wild hands and cheers of "Welcome to Egypt! Good Morning!"

Leaning forward from the basket to wave back in response—to have the ancient history on one hand and the lively local culture on the other—is an experience that makes you go weak-kneed.

Phase 5: The Landing and the Celebration

However, all good things come to an end after some time. Your pilot will find an appropriate spot to make landing on the open sandy grounds of the Egyptian dessert after almost an hour-long flight above the heaven.

The process of landing is very exciting and quite fun too. The crew follows the shadow of your basket and catches the ropes for supporting the basket in the moment of its touching with the ground. Then you hear a soft thud, people around you shout and breathe deeply, expressing their happiness.

After the landing procedure, you get your own flight certificate, you have some jokes with other travelers from different corners of the Earth, and then you go back to your vehicle as the life in Luxor is beginning to awake.

Final Thoughts

Images and words do little justice to how wonderful it is to fly above Luxor. It is calming, it is humbling, and there is no other way it makes you feel more connected to the thousands of years of history around you.

If you plan on coming to Egypt, do not let an early rising dissuade you from the hot air balloon ride. Just get up and go, you will never forget the morning of your life.