Last December, I did a bucket list Blog of things I would love to achieve in 2017. Guess what I completed two in one trip – Visit Morocco and a Hot Air Balloon ride.
On my last morning in Marrakech, I did a sunrise hot air balloon ride. Initially, I was going to go through Viator; however, my tour guide gave me the contact information of the local vendor – Dunes and Desert. They were extremely responsive and thorough.
Anywho, my adventure started at 5 am. Yep, 5 am. You know I hit the snooze button twice before jumping out of bed.
Just a little logistics — The tour company picks you up at your hotel and drives about 45 minutes outside the city to a remote area. As I told the driver, “I don’t think Google map would find this” lol
The Site
Everything is set up very nicely with a Berber tent, restrooms, and a greeter.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that the restrooms floor had nice tiles. I think the tiles are better than mine at home.
Hot Air Balloon
There were about a 20 minutes waiting period as they blow up the balloon. The process is slow and fascinating as you start to see the balloon inflate.
The basket has 5 compartments.
The middle compartment is for the pilot. In total, the basket can hold 9 people. The tricky part is don’t wear a dress because you have to climb in?
The Ride
And then we are off.
We climb up to 400 meters (1300 feet). Per the pilot, the wind controls the direction of the balloon, not him.
However, I did notice he had some control to avoid the powerlines and village. Furthermore, he stated he does not know where the balloon will land exactly, but the crew is following in a 4×4.
After about an hour we are back on solid ground. We were told to hold on as it will be a slightly bumpy landing. Then the crew grabs the basket and secured it for the next group.
Afterward it was time for the traditional Berber breakfast and our certificate.
My name in Arabic
Lastly, as we were heading to our hotel, we had to let the Shepard girl and her sheep pass by.
If the opportunity ever presents itself, you must add a Hot Air balloon ride. It is the most exhilarating and exciting activity to do at home or when traveling abroad.
Air Balloon ride in Morocco sounds like a dream come true to me! Worth waking up at 5am if you ask me 😀 I’d be slightly terrified not knowing where the balloon lands though.
What an amazing experience ! Would love to go for a hot air balloon ride someday!
Wow! You got to do so much in Morocco; I’m so jealous. A hot air balloon ride over the desert, with that kind of view, sounds like a definite bucket list item. Such a fun experience for you—and gorgeous pictures to boot! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
What an amazing experience you had! I love hot air ballooning, I did it in Quebec and allowed it! You looked like you really loved it too!