Hot air balloons in Luxor with kids: Sindbad Balloons review

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We recently spent a fantastic two weeks in Egypt. For all five of us the highlight of our trip was our hot air ballon ride in Luxor. It was a relatively big expense but absolutely worth it for this amazing experience.

If you are deciding whether to do a hot air balloon while you’re in Luxor I would whole heartedly recommend it. We thought Sindbad Hot air balloons were great and would definitely recommend them as a provider.

Key facts about our hot air ballon ride

• Length of ride: around 45 minutes
• Cost of balloon ride: Around €75 per person (this can vary depending on the time of ride and the season)
• Best time to go: Ballon rides are always in the morning for sunrise or just after.
• How to get to the airfield: Sindbad hot air balloons price included pick up and drop off from our hotel. Most operators offer the same deal.
• How high does the hot air balloon go? This varied throughout our ride from around 10 metres to around 500m. I believe this partly varies depending on the wind and air currents on the day.

Are hot air balloons in Luxor safe?

When I told family and friends that we were doing a hot air balloon ride in Egypt, one of the first questions I was asked was ‘is it safe?’.

With previous accidents making the news it’s normal to question safety and have some concerns over this. Since previous accidents safety regulations have tightened considerably and we had no safety concerns at all on the day.

Balloons don’t fly in case of bad weather or particularly strong winds now and pilots have extensive training to gain a flying licence.

In my opinion the operation was run very smoothly and before boarding we were talked through safety rules for the flight and the landing position in case of needing to land quickly and having a bumpy set down (luckily we didn’t need this).

Best time of year for a hot air balloon ride in Luxor

Over the winter is generally the best time for a hot air balloon ride. The temperatures are slightly cooler meaning the air is clearer and if you’re wanting a sunrise balloon ride it’s not quite as early!

Generally November to March are the months most recommended. We did our balloon ride in April and had clear skies and great views.

The air temperatures were cool enough for a sweater first thing in the morning and didn’t get too hot throughout our ride.

How to book

There are lots of hot air balloon companies in Luxor. In peak season there can be up to a hundred balloons per day flying from the air field on the west bank.

If visiting at busy periods it’s recommended to book well in advance so as not to be disappointed. We were in Luxor in April and ended up booking just a few days before which was fine.

We booked online with Sindbad hot air balloons and found them very responsive to any questions we had on booking.

I’d recommend booking your hot air balloon flight for the beginning of your stay in Luxor. In the case of bad weather flights can be cancelled (Sindbad offer a full refund in case of cancellation).

We deliberately booked for the beginning of our Luxor stay so we had other days to potentially move the flight to if it was cancelled. Luckily for us this didn’t happen.

Children under 12 have a reduced rate with Sindbad hot air balloons, making it a good choice for families. Once we had booked I was contacted to send copies of our passports via Whatsapp.

To begin with I was slightly nervous about doing this. I then realised it is needed to register everyone on the flight and comply with aviation rules.

Book your balloon ride here

Is it safe for children?

From what I could see most balloon companies have a lower age limit of six years to take part in the balloon ride. We were slightly worried that Benjamin may struggle to see over the side of the basket.

He’s nine years old but quite small for his age at around 125cm. In the end he could see easily. For smaller children there are some holes in the side of the basket that they would be able to see through, although this obviously doesn’t offer quite the same panorama experience.

What to expect on the day

We had chosen the ‘after sunrise’ hot air balloon. This was less expensive than the sunrise option and meant an extra hour in bed!

Obviously I don’t have first-hand experience to compare with the sunrise flight but we didn’t feel like we had missed out on anything at all.

Getting to the airfield

The published pick up time for this option was 5:30 a.m. although Sindbad balloons sent a message on Whatsapp the evening before to confirm pick up time for 5:40 a.m.

We were staying on the West Bank of Luxor at Villa Belzoni meaning it was quite a short transfer for us. We were collected promptly in a minibus and were the only ones in it for our journey to the airfield.

If staying on the East bank a boat across the Nile is also included in the price. I imagine pick up time may be slightly earlier. Once on the West Bank the drive is around 10-15 minutes.

At the airfield

On arrival at the airfield we were directed to some seats at the side to wait for our balloon to be ready. There are some toilets if needed (like most toilets in Luxor a small fee is expected for using these).

There was also tea, coffee and snacks available to buy.

The time waiting went very quickly as there was so much to see and take in. The airfield was full of balloons taking off or preparing for take off so was fascinating to watch.

Pre-boarding

Once our balloon was starting to be inflated we were called over and given forms to complete. We were also asked to provide the weight for each passenger.

This was used to try and balance the balloon by spreading the weight evenly.

We had 20 passengers in our hot air balloon, although I believe it can hold up to 24. The large basket under the balloon is seperated into 4 sections, meaning you can’t move around the whole balloon once inside.

Our family of five had a compartment to ourselves initially. However just before take off one of the ground crew was asked to jump into our section to balance out the weight.

He was clearly very excited by this- a great perk of the job!

Before boarding we were gathered around to be given all the information about our flight. This included what to expect in terms of height, where we might go and instructions on what to do for landing.

Getting in the hot air balloon

A step is provided next to the balloon but some degree of agility is needed for getting into the basket.

Younger children will likely need a helping hand but the crew were all so friendly and helpful.

Once in the hot air balloon there is a seperate compartment in the centre for the pilot.

What does it feel like when the hot air balloon takes off?

Hot air balloons use a flame to provide the heat needed to lift the balloon off the ground. Unsuprisingly this is pretty hot!

Our children found that standing closer to the centre of the balloon was slightly cooler where there was a metal sheet overhead which absorbed a lot of the heat.

Take off was incredibly smooth and gentle. In fact without looking you probably wouldn’t notice when leaving the ground.

What happens once in the air?

Once aloft the flame was turned off and it was sooo peaceful and beautiful. I’m usually a bit more of an adrenalin junky and love fast paced activities but I loved this just as much for the serene tranquility.

Up in the air the pilot explained how he steers the hot air balloon and did a 360 degree turn to give everyone a view in all directions.

Within each compartment of the basket there was enough space to move around slightly and it didn’t feel cramped at all. We were able to move to give everyone a chance for the front row views and to get plenty of photos of the amazing vistas.

What can you see from the hot air balloon?

We moved gently over the fields of swaying wheat, watching farmers working the land below. As we flew the pilot would point out places of interest.

We had a fantastic view of Hatshepsut temple, which was fantastic having visited the day before.

The direction you take on the day will depend on the conditions and the wind. On some days I believe you can fly over the Valley of the Kings. We travelled in the other direction but got an amazing close up view of the stunning Colossi of Memnon from above.

The balloons aren’t allowed to cross the Nile so you may be able to see Luxor and Karnak temple from a distance but can’t fly close to these as they are on the East side of Luxor.

I loved seeing the greeness of the land beside the Nile which ends abruptly at the edge of the irrigated farms. From this point onwards all you can see is endless desert, with the rocky mountains that house the Valley of the Kings on the edge of this.

What happens on landing?

The balloon pilot will look for a suitable landing site. For us it was on what appeared to be some wasteland close to a road.

The ground crew follow the balloon throughout the flight to watch where it is going to land and to be there straight away.

I was taken aback by just how many groundcrew there were! I didn’t count but I think probably 15-20 people.

Once we were nearly touching down they grabbed ropes to gently guide the balloon to the ground. We had such a gentle landing, so much so that you hardly noticed it.

Just as I had been fascinated by the inflation process, the deflation process was similarly interesting. As the balloon started to sink the crew surrounded it and wrapped it up to force out any extra air.

As with everywhere in Egypt tips (baksheesh) is expected. There was absolutely no pressure though to do this. The pilot simply passed around a hat for passengers to put in tips that would be shared out amongst the crew.

We waited in the balloon until told safe to disembark and a step was brought to help with getting out.

Once out of the balloon it was straight into a waiting minibus to be transported back to our hotel.

Our flight departed at 6:30a.m. and we were in our hotel for breakfast before 8a.m.

So, would we recommend Sindbad hot air balloons?

Obviously being my first hot air balloon flight I have nothing to compare to. However I was really impressed with the whole experience. Sindbad are reasonably priced compared to other balloon companies in Luxor and we were completely happy with the safety.

Organisation on the day was great, meaning that the whole experience was excellent. At the end of our Egypt holiday all five of us rated the hot air balloon ride as the best part of the whole trip!

This is from a trip which packed a lot in! We packed a lot into our days in Luxor and also spent time relaxing at the red sea as well as visiting the Pyramids from Cairo.

Check out our Egypt page for information on everything else we got up to. Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or look at our travel resources page for ideas on tools we use for booking our trips.