Sunrise over Luxor
The Luxor hot air balloon on a Nile cruise
The balloon flies at sunrise over Luxor's West Bank, so it fits any morning your boat is moored in Luxor: usually day two of a four-night cruise from Luxor, or the last morning of a three-night cruise from Aswan. Pickup from the boat is around 04:30 to 05:30, the flight lasts about 45 minutes, and you are back on board for breakfast and the West Bank tour. It costs about US$80 to US$175 per person.
Timing
Which morning of your cruise it fits
- Four nights from Luxor: the second morning, before the West Bank tour. Boats usually sail south around lunchtime, so there is no later chance.
- Three nights from Aswan: the last morning, when the boat is in Luxor. Some guests fly, then leave the boat after breakfast.
- Seven-night round trip: two Luxor mornings, so a cancelled flight can move to the other one. The safest choice if the balloon matters.
- A dahabiya from Esna: the dahabiya is not in Luxor at dawn, so fly from your Luxor hotel the morning before boarding or after landing.
On the day
How the morning works
The operator collects you from the boat in the dark and takes you by motorboat across the Nile to the launch field near the West Bank villages. You get tea while the burners fill the envelopes, then lift off as the sun comes up over the East Bank. The flight drifts over sugar cane fields, the Colossi of Memnon and towards the cliffs above Hatshepsut's temple, wherever the wind goes. Landing is in a field, and you are driven back to the boat by about 07:30 to 08:00.
Wear layers: winter mornings are cold before sunrise. Tell the boat the night before so breakfast and the West Bank tour wait for you.
Wind and safety
If the flight is cancelled
The civil aviation authority grounds all balloons when the wind is too strong, sometimes after you have been collected. A cancelled flight is refunded or moved to another morning, but on a four-night cruise there is no other morning in Luxor. If the balloon is the point of the trip, choose a seven-night cruise or add a night in Luxor.
All in
What it costs
About US$80 to US$175 per person, with pickup from the boat. The difference is the basket size (from about 8 to more than 20 people) and the flight length. A private basket for two costs more. For the flight in depth, see our Luxor balloon guide.
Nile cruises cost about US$120 to US$1,500 per person per night, and dahabiyas about US$140 to US$1,500. We can price the cruise with the balloon in. Compare Nile cruises, or see which other extras are worth paying for.
Asked often
The balloon and your cruise, answered
- Can you do the Luxor hot air balloon on a Nile cruise?
- Yes, on any morning the boat is moored in Luxor: usually day two of a four-night cruise from Luxor or the last morning of a three-night cruise from Aswan. The operator picks you up from the boat around 04:30 to 05:30.
- How much is the Luxor balloon from a Nile cruise?
- About US$80 to US$175 per person, including pickup from the boat. Smaller baskets and longer flights cost more.
- What happens if the Luxor balloon is cancelled?
- Flights are grounded in strong wind and refunded or moved to another morning. A four-night cruise has only one Luxor morning, so choose a seven-night cruise or add a night in Luxor if the balloon matters.
