Luxor · West bank
Hot-air balloon over Luxor
Lift-off before daylight on the west bank: the wind picks the route, not an itinerary.
The balloons go up from the west bank in the cool of the small hours, when the air is at its steadiest. A car collects you from your hotel in the dark, crosses the river, and the envelopes are inflated in the light of the burners. Once you are up, the strip of farmland, the funerary temples, the river and the line of the desert sit in a single view, and the sun comes out from behind the cliffs of the east bank. Baskets are shared and you travel standing; you land in a field, where the farmers reach you before the company's car does.
The extra bit
Book the day before at the latest, and through your hotel rather than at a Corniche counter: the hotel is the one that will wake you and get you out of the door on time. Keep the morning free afterwards — the west-bank temples are minutes from where you come down, and you will reach them before the heat.
Know before you go
The flight depends on the weather: nobody goes up in wind or mist, and you need to know at the time of booking what becomes of your money — a new date or a refund. Ask for the time in the air as well, which is not the length of the outing once transfer and waiting are counted in. The basket is shared, you stand, and you crouch down for the landing. Quoted prices differ from one counter to the next and do not always cover the same things: have it spelled out.
