A hot-air balloon ride over Phoenix is an exhilarating experience, whether at sunrise or sunset (seasonal). After your flight, enjoy a gourmet champagne breakfast or evening hors d'oeuvres for the perfect start or finish to your day.
"A magic carpet ride" and "riding on a cloud" are two phrases that have been used to describe the beauty, exhilaration and gentleness of ballooning. The balloon tour lasts approximately 1 hour with sunrise and sunset (seasonal) flights available.
Even though you travel at speeds of five to six miles per hour, there is virtually no sensation of motion because you are flying with the wind. As you gently leave the ground, you'll be amazed at how light the balloon feels.
During your breathtaking journey, enjoy floating at different elevations from as high up as 5,000-feet (1524-meters) in the air to within feet of the ground. You'll take in gorgeous views of the Sonoran Desert, the impressive giant saguaro cacti and the other local flora and fauna. Upon landing you'll relish in a ballooning tradition - a toast with chilled champagne! Post-flight you will enjoy cuisine catered by the
award-winning Vincent’s on Camelback.
Made an excellent birthday gift, family really enjoyed it.
Review by: Francis R, March 2018
Must do it!
Review by: klothammer, December 2017
Would highly recommend trying this even if you are afraid of heights! Our pilot was experienced and knowledgeable. Breakfast and champagne to follow was a nice inclusion. Would do it again. Thanks Captain John for an unforgettable day!
Review by: Margaret K W, November 2017
It was a Wonderful experiance the crew was Great The views were great and the champagne and orderves were great.
Review by: Kristin H, November 2017
The staff was courteous and efficient. I am grateful for the recommendations the rep gave me before the trip dress warm in layers for the morning flight, wear a hat, sunscreen, closed-toe shoes. I would also recommend ear plugs - the burners/jets are loud. I enjoyed it and I thank Jesus for the opportunity to fulfill this dream .
Review by: Nadine D, November 2017
Excellent experience including a lovely champagne lunch after the balloon ride. Highly recommended.
Review by: Natshalee N, October 2017
Off my bucket list!
Review by: Thomas E, September 2017
Balloon never left the ground.
Review by: Bertram M, August 2017
Flight was excellent. I wish we were in the air before sunrise so we could watch the sun rise. Trip lists it as a sunrise trip which is a bit misleading. All in all the flight pilot was great.
Review by: Jacqueline P, July 2017
Loved the balloon ride. Had hoped to actually see the sunrise, but was probably able to see more with the time that we left. It was a beautiful ride! Loved our pilot, Al. He was the best and I appreciated that he told his crew that they did a good job in getting the balloon ready. The landing.... Yeah, about that. LOVED IT! Had a wonderful breakfast with mimosas when we landed. Would definitely do this again!
Review by: Tarnjot P, June 2017
Bucket list. CHECK. _br/_ This was an amazing experience. I went alone, as I was visiting the area for business. I would recommend it for everyone who wants to try something new. I'm usually afraid of heights, but you can't even tell how high in the air you are!
Review by: theresa w, May 2017
This was great fun. It was easy to understand what to do and it is in an area that I was not concerned about safety. The pilot was very knowledgeable. The only thing was I thought we would watch the sunrise in the balloon. You get there at sunrise and as soon as the conditions are right, you take off. The is a brunch after and it was very nice. Everyone should try it once, even if you are afraid of heights.
Review by: BrandoTravelAgent, March 2017
My friend Michele was recently visiting me from Paris France and was looking for some out of the ordinary ways to see the beautiful deserts of the Phoenix area so I suggested a Phoenix Hot Air Balloon Ride and boy was I glad we did! Our Captain, Captain Chad and driver Denin made this event joyful, interesting, fascinating, and thrilling as the Balloon raised to heights of 6000 ft and lowered to the point we could almost reach out and touch the plant life below our basket of 12 passengers. The scenery was exhilarating as the balloon followed the slight wind current traveling almost 10 miles in the hour long flight. The Captain pointed out areas of interest, named plant and animal life, explained how Hot Air Balloons operate, and even gave us the history lesson of the very first Hot Air Balloon flight which took place in the 1700s in France! After this delightful cruise through the air currents, the crew served us a fitting breakfast and toasted the success of the trip with Champagne... My friend Michele from France was thrilled as was I. Recommended tour with true Hot Air Balloon professionals at the helm, 10 out of 10 stars!
Review by: Karen B, March 2017
Check this one off the bucket list! Very nice people running this operation. I was amazed at how big the basket is! and the Balloon. My only negative is that it was too short of a trip. It said an hour ride, but because of the wind/weather conditions it was more like 35 maybe 40 min. _br/_ The breakfast was OK...most importantly, it was nice to sit together at the end of this experience to share a little more.
Review by: patricia.hay, January 2017
I actually booked this tour for two of my friends and they came back totally ecstatic. Neither had been up in a balloon before and were a bit dubious of what to expect but they both had a ball and would highly recommend it. They said the degree of safety was second to none and the views absolutely amazing.
Review by: Kerri C, November 2016
Everyone should go on a hot air balloon ride at least once! I was a little nervous about what the trip would entail but the excellent staff at Hot Air Expeditions made this an incredible experience for me. I received a phone call the day before my flight confirming the pick up time. The driver Jim picked me up promptly at my hotel the morning of the flight. On the drive out to the launch site, he shared a number of funny stories that made me completely forget that I had been nervous at all about the flight. When we arrived at the site, we got to watch as the crew prepared the balloon for the flight. Our captain Tommy Brown was wonderful. He took us on an smooth, easy flight up to over 6,000 feet. I can't say enough about how safe and relaxing the entire experience felt. It was such a smooth ride, I barely felt like we were moving. But we definitely did! The driver met us at our landing point and had breakfast and champagne ready for us. I'd call it a once in a lifetime experience but I definitely want to do it again!
Review by: Leslie M, July 2016
Awesome...friendly and most interesting...highly recommend !
Review by: James D, July 2016
very disappointed ballon was not ready landed on the side not in the truck bed like the other balloons ride was not as long like you advertised .
Review by: Terese B, June 2016
We had an amazing ride, it was beautiful and exciting! We will never forget our experience, pilot Mikey D was awesome!
Review by: Torben D, June 2016
nicht wirklich spektakulär, aber trotzdem ein toller Flug und eine tolle Aussicht!_br/_ not very spectacular, but very nice flight and grand scenic overview!
Review by: Karen M, June 2016
Excellent crew!!! Tommy and Ted.
Review by: Michael M, June 2016
We would highly recommend this adventure. Wife said even I get 5 stars for surprising her with this trip.
Review by: Kathleen H, June 2016
Excellent experience. The staff were great. Todd our driver and John our pilot were top notch. Would definitely recommend for others and we will do it again in the future.
Review by: Michael H, June 2016
Great Experience! Everything was awesome! Crew team: Tommy and Colton did an outstanding job!
Review by: Archie E, May 2016
Great experience! Everyone needs to do this at least once. We had a wonderful relaxing time, and our guide couldn't have been any better.
Review by: ggracey, April 2016
Started a little slow, for the sunrise trip. Generally outstanding trip though. Highly recommend. Good value and great views. Don't forget camera. Lovely breakfast.
Review by: Michael G, March 2016
One more thing off the bucket list!
Review by: bigskyeq, February 2016
Captain Yehaw, and Todd and the crew were great. Had a blast, and can't wait to do it again
Review by: Rong F, January 2016
Terrible trip. We flew very flow and pretty much stayed at the same spot the whole time whereas all the other balloons flew much higher and further. Our pilot is very unprofessional. He is already retired, and was hired back on a part-time basis for only 1-2 weeks to cover the high traffic in the holiday season. Very disappointed and unpleasant experience. The high price is not worth it at all.
Review by: Greg R, December 2015
Captain Mike and the entire staff were excellent. I am not good with heights but did this hot air balloon ride for my wife's 50th birthday and I am so glad I did. A once in a lifetime type event, I highly recommend it.
Review by: Lester F, November 2015
Great experience. the tour company rep met us exactly on time at our hotel and after a short drive and filling up the balloon we were airborne. it is so quiet and peaceful you would never know you were 1000, no wait a minute, 2000, hang on 5000, oops back to 3000...whoa 7000 and oh no land again. A bubbly breakfast topped it off and so were the memories....
Review by: Randy, November 2015
Had a great time. Ride was nice and smooth and we had an extra special landing. Thanks Mike for the C. All in all it was a great time all the way to the landing and breakfast was great! Thanks everybody. Looking forward to the next time!
Review by: nessie, October 2015
If you have a bucket list put this at the top , amazing unforgetable morning
Review by: Dayle R, August 2015
This was a great balloon ride! Capt Mike D and crew Nick, Dean and Joe took very good care of us. Worth getting up early to see the valley from above! Had ages from 7 to 80 in our gondola and all enjoyed it. Think the sunset flight would be good too but not offered in summer due to high temps.
Review by: Jean, June 2015
This was absolutely amazing. The group was really fantastic and the time just flew by. The ride was warmer than I had thought it would be considering we were at such an altitude. Great views and fantastic staff! Although this was a sunrise ride, unfortunately, we did not get to see the sun actually rise in the balloon. That is the only thing that I would have liked better than what we actually got.
Review by: Susan C, June 2015
This tour was amazing!
Review by: Dave S, June 2015
Such an amazing tour - a once in a lifetime, bucket list thing to do. John, our guide was very knowledgeable and insightful. Highly recommend this tour!
Review by: Fredrick M, June 2015
Both Dean our team leader and van driver and Walter our ballon pilot were great. I felt like the ride was too short and the basket a little cramped.
Review by: Patrick M, April 2015
Al was a great driver- Tommy was an amazing pilot who really cared. Great experience from start to finish!
Review by: Debra B, March 2015
Unfortunately our excursion was cancelled due to wind changes. Certainly disappointed but they obviously had our safety first. Good communication!
Review by: Julie G, March 2015
It was everything I was expecting. Loved it! The champagne breakfast afterwards was wonderful. The pilot and crew were so very friendly. I would recommend to everyone.
Review by: Pamela E, February 2015
It was my first Hot air balloon ride and it was perfect. The landing was smooth and the staff was great
Review by: Andrea M, October 2014
A fantastic experience. It was so quiet up there and you could see for miles. The crew were very professional and friendly. The champagne breakfast at the end finished it off perfectly.
Review by: Jhcesi, October 2014
I absolutely excellent. The crew and pilot (Bill) were knowledgeable, friendly and patient. The day could not have been better - unless of course bathrooms had been available. But, you can not have everything. Seriously, this was super!
Review by: Julie D, October 2014
This Hot Air Ballon Ride was amazing. Had a fabulous time celebrating my sister in laws early 50th Birthday. Picture perfect day for weather. The whole experience was great thanks to Bill the Capitan and his entire crew. Bill made the trip what it was. His humour and wit kept us laughing the entire time. The crew went out of their way when breakfast was served. They could not do enough for us. The experience is something I will remember forever.
Review by: Lisa H, October 2014
It was fabulous. The tour operator was terrific. They were very professional but fun. We felt safe the entire time. The ride was amazing not scary like I anticipated. It didn't even feel like we were in the air or moving. And the breakfast was beautiful. I would highly recommend this tour.
Review by: SEBASTIAN S, September 2014
Great Experience, all crew was very professional and always thinking on how to make the experience better.
Review by: myraskis, August 2014
This was great! We met at the Deer Valley Airport to park (that was the only thing not clear since GPS was wrong but they answered the phone and redirected me, so no problem) and then went in a van to the balloon. We watched them fill it and were given good information and history of ballooning. It was quite informative and very interesting and FUN! The breakfast was yummy and too bad I couldn't drink more champagne because I was driving. I highly recommend it!
Review by: Gregory N, August 2014
We had a great time! I have marked this off my bucket list!
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