Last updated: · by the Ballooning Experience team
Our base and the launch field
We pick you up from your hotel or riad in Marrakech and drive you to our base in the countryside near Bourrous. There you have tea, coffee and local biscuits, and your pilot gives the briefing before the balloons are prepared. Depending on the wind that morning, our pilots may choose a different take-off field nearby: that is why pickup is 1h30 to 2 hours before sunrise, so there is always time to move if the wind requires it.
Why there is no fixed route
A hot air balloon travels with the wind. The pilot cannot steer it like a car, but climbs and descends to find winds blowing in slightly different directions at different heights, and uses them to guide the balloon. So every flight is different: the direction, the villages you pass over and the field where you land change from one morning to the next.
What you see from the basket
- Berber villages with flat roofs, courtyards and people starting their day
- Farms and fields: green in winter and spring, golden after the harvest
- Olive groves and palm trees, and dry riverbeds winding through the plain
- Other balloons rising around you in the first light
- Marrakech in the distance, on the horizon
Can you see the Atlas Mountains?
On clear mornings, yes: the High Atlas stretches along the southern horizon, often with snow on the peaks from winter into spring. In summer the air can be hazier and the mountains are not always visible. The view always depends on the morning, so it can never be guaranteed. What you see month by month.
Where balloons do not fly
Balloons do not fly over the medina or the city of Marrakech, and our flights do not go over the Agafay desert, which is on the other side of the city. Many guests visit Agafay or the Ourika valley later the same day, since the balloon morning ends by late morning.
Where the balloon lands
The pilot chooses an open, safe field along the way, depending on the wind. Our ground crew follows the balloon by car, helps at landing and drives you back to our base for your private breakfast table. What a landing feels like.
Questions
Where do hot air balloons take off near Marrakech?
From launch fields in the countryside outside the city. Our base is at Bourrous, about 20 km north-east of Marrakech city centre. We pick you up from your hotel or riad and drive you there. Your morning, step by step.
Do hot air balloons fly over the city of Marrakech or the medina?
No. Balloons fly over the open countryside outside Marrakech: Berber villages, farms, olive groves and dry riverbeds, with the Atlas Mountains in the distance. The city stays on the horizon.
Can you see the Agafay desert from a balloon in Marrakech?
Our flights take place north-east of Marrakech, over farmland and villages, not over the Agafay desert. Many guests visit Agafay later the same day, as the balloon morning ends by late morning. Things to do in Marrakech.
Can you see the Atlas Mountains from a Marrakech hot air balloon?
On clear mornings, yes. The High Atlas is on the horizon to the south, often with snow on the peaks from winter into spring.
Where does the balloon land?
In an open field chosen by the pilot during the flight, depending on the wind. Our ground crew follows the balloon by car and is there to help at landing, then drives you to breakfast. What landing feels like.
Can the pilot steer a hot air balloon?
Not like a car. The pilot climbs and descends to find winds blowing in different directions at different heights, and uses them to guide the balloon towards a safe landing field. How high balloons fly.