3 hoursPickup includedFree cancellation
Hod Hod Soliman Balloon
Hot Air Balloon Ride in Luxor Egypt with Transfers Included
fromUS$85
See dates on ViatorHot air balloon Luxor Egypt: prices, safety and timing
Prices by seller
How much does a hot air balloon ride in Luxor cost?
Booking direct with the operator works out cheaper than the from-prices on the booking agent Pelago, for both the sunrise slot and the later one.
Sunrise flight direct: US$901
Balloon prices by seller
| Ticket | Adult |
|---|---|
| Sunrise flight, booked direct | US$90 |
| After-sunrise flight, booked direct | US$60 |
| First flight via Pelago | from US$115 |
| Second flight via Pelago | from US$100 |
sunriseballoon.odoo.com (operator); Pelago (booking agent)
Ask which slot a quote covers before you pay: the after-sunrise flight is the cheaper one.
Tours with pick-up
Book a Luxor balloon tour
Both tours below list hotel pick-up and free cancellation. The first is run by Hod Hod Soliman Balloon, with transfers in the price.
3 hoursPickup includedFree cancellation
Sunrise ballooning luxor
Luxor: Hot Air Balloon Ride over Luxor Relics
fromUS$110
See dates on GetYourGuidePick-up to landing
What the balloon morning looks like
A balloon morning starts before dawn on the East Bank, where the city’s hotels are4, and ends in a field on the West Bank. The whole outing runs about 3 hours5 on TUI’s listing.
Take-off 5am to 8am3
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Hotel or ship pick-up
Sunrise Balloon Luxor collects you from your Luxor hotel or cruise ship before dawn.
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Across the Nile
A minivan takes you to the pier and a boat crosses the Nile; some trips serve light snacks and drinks on board.
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West Bank launch field
Balloons take off near the temple of Queen Hatshepsut, between 5am and 8am depending on the time of year.
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In the air
Pilots start looking for a landing site after about 45 minutes.
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Landing
Balloons normally come down in the desert or an empty field.
The take-off site is a designated ballooning airport, controlled by the Luxor International Airport Authority3. If you’re arriving on a Cairo Aswan Nile cruise, ask about pick-up: Sunrise Balloon Luxor collects guests from cruise ships as well as hotels1.
Time in the air
How long the flight lasts
Sources give different times in the air, so plan your morning around the whole outing rather than the flight alone.
| Source | Time in the air |
|---|---|
| Hod-Hod Soliman (operator) | nominally one hour3 |
| sunriseballoon.odoo.com (operator) | 30–45 minutes1 |
| TUI (booking agent) | about 45 minutes, can vary from 40 to 905 |
| Wikivoyage | at least 45 minutes, weather permitting4 |
Over the West Bank
What you see from the basket
From the basket you look down on the West Bank’s temples and tombs from about 2,000 feet2. On the usual route the flight passes over the Ramesseum, the temple of Amenhotep II and the tombs of the Valley of the Kings2.
About 2,000 feet up2
How many people share your basket depends on the balloon:
- Large balloons: Hod-Hod Soliman’s most used ones carry up to 20 passengers in 4 compartments3.
- Small balloons: a pilot and up to 4 people3 in an open basket, if you’d rather not share with a crowd.
Balloons have flown here since 1988, and before Covid Luxor saw about 11,000 balloon flights a year2.
When to fly
Best months for ballooning
Take-off at 35°C or below2
The months from October through April6 bring comfortable temperatures and little wind, says the tour company Egypt Tours Plus. That’s the same window the news site Egyptian Streets gave in February 20257.
Flights are scheduled every day of the year3. In summer, though, average highs pass 40 °C8, and balloons only take off at 35°C or below, with no fog or mist2.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Cooler, calmer flying months October to April
- Hot months, heat limits apply May to September
Rules and record
Is hot air ballooning in Luxor safe?
Luxor’s balloons fly under a daily go or no-go call and set weather limits, but the record includes fatal crashes, and Wikivoyage warns it is reportedly bad4.
Wind limit: 8 knots2
The rules and checks in place:
- Daily decision: the civil aviation authority at Luxor International Airport decides every morning whether balloons can fly2, based on the forecast.
- Wind limit: no more than 8 knots2.
- Tracking: GPS and “black box” technology was added to monitor flights in 20192.
- Licences: Hod-Hod Soliman, flying since 1993, says its balloons are licensed and inspected every year by the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority9.
| When | What happened | Afterwards |
|---|---|---|
| February 201310 | A balloon crashed near Luxor, killing 19 of the 21 on board, after a fire in the basket from a gas fuel leak10 |
Flights resumed about two months later with tighter safety measures; the company involved stayed suspended11 |
| 201612 | A balloon accident |
Flights suspended for three days12 |
| 201813 | Flights suspended until the unusually high winds died down12 |
|
| July 202214 | A balloon carrying 28 tourists drifted off course after a wind change; two14 were lightly injured |
Flights resumed after a short pause; the two firms involved stayed suspended14 during investigations |
Before you book
Who can fly and what to bring
You need to be able to climb in and out of the basket on your own, and children need to meet a minimum age.
Minimum age 6 (TUI)5
The flight is unsuitable, on TUI’s list, for anyone with:
- injuries5
- a pregnancy, or a possible one5
- health concerns5
- walking difficulties5
- severe hearing problems5
Pack what Hod-Hod Soliman suggests:
After you land
Near the launch site
The launch field sits on the West Bank, so you can land and carry straight on with the day’s sightseeing.
- Hatshepsut Temple tickets and visiting: foreign adults pay EGP 440 (about US$8) to enter the Temple of Hatshepsut, students EGP 22016 (about US$4).
- The Valley of the Kings tombs from the ground: one of the most famous archaeological sites in Egypt4, and on the flight path.
- The Ramesseum, also seen from the air: foreign adults pay EGP 22018 (about US$4).
- Deir el-Medina history and visitor information: the village of the artisans who built the tombs in the Valley of the Kings19.
- Valley of the Queens photos: the other royal burial valley on the West Bank4.
Back on the water, a felucca boat ride in Luxor shows you the Nile from rather lower down. For the rest, browse a list of things to do in Luxor.
Questions people ask
What is the best hot air balloon ride in Luxor?
Tours run at sunrise or sunset, but Wikivoyage says sunset tours generally don't include the sunset itself, supposedly because of the wind.
Is a hot air balloon in Luxor worth it?
Egypt's official tourism site recommends a sunrise ride, but Wikivoyage warns it isn't romantic, with baskets often crammed with 21 people.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons and Pexels. Authors and licences: image credits
Checked against 23 sources · last checked October 2026
- sunriseballoon.odoo.com (operator) · checked October 2026
- Egypt Independent (news) · checked October 2026
- Hod-Hod Soliman (operator) · checked October 2026
- Wikivoyage · checked October 2026
- TUI (booking agent) · checked October 2026
- Egypt Tours Plus (tour company) · checked October 2026
- Egyptian Streets (news) · checked October 2026
- Wikipedia · checked October 2026
- Hod-Hod Soliman (operator) · checked October 2026
- Wikipedia · checked October 2026
- Morocco World News (news) · checked October 2026
- Wikipedia · checked October 2026
- CBS News (news) · checked October 2026
- Africanews (news) · checked October 2026
- Memphis Tours (tour company) · checked October 2026
- egymonuments.gov.eg (official) · checked October 2026
- Central Bank of Egypt (official, via Frankfurter) · checked October 2026
- egymonuments.gov.eg (official) · checked October 2026
- Wikipedia · checked October 2026
- Pelago (booking agent) · checked October 2026
- Waug (booking agent) · checked October 2026
- EXO Travel (tour company) · checked October 2026
- Experience Egypt (official) · checked October 2026
Page history · last changed 23 October 2026
- First written
