Flight Height: Up to 4,000 Feet (1,200 Meters) Flight Duration: 45 to 60 Minutes Total Experience: 4 to 6 Hours Launch: Just Before Sunrise Location: Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve Season: October to May Price: From AED 999 per person
Hot air ballooning in Dubai is the most dramatic desert experience in the UAE. A single burner blast lifts you off the desert floor in darkness by the time you're at altitude, the sun is cresting the horizon and the full sweep of the Arabian Desert is laid out below. Red dunes rolling to the horizon, Arabian oryx moving through the valleys below, the Burj Khalifa a distant spike on the skyline. Sixty minutes of silence broken only by the occasional burst of the burner above you. And then breakfast in a Bedouin camp when you land. Nothing else in Dubai compares to this morning.
Book on WhatsAppPackages & Prices
Standard Shared Basket, Sunrise Flight
The core experience. A shared basket sunrise flight over the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, landing at the desert camp for a Bedouin-style breakfast. Includes flight certificate signed by your pilot.
| Details | |
| Flight duration | 45 to 60 minutes |
| Basket type | Shared (up to 28 passengers) |
| Breakfast | Bedouin-style buffet at landing camp |
| Certificate | Signed flight certificate |
| Transfers | Not included available as add-on |
Adult: From AED 999 Child: From AED 999
Get Standard Price on WhatsAppDeluxe Shared Basket, Falconry & Camel Ride
Everything in the Standard plus an in-flight falconry show, upgraded gourmet breakfast, and a camel ride at the landing camp. The most popular mid-tier package for families and couples.
- Includes:
- 45 to 60-minute sunrise flight
- In-flight falcon show
- Gourmet buffet breakfast at traditional Bedouin camp
- Camel ride at landing camp
- Signed flight certificate
- Return shared transfers from Dubai
- Price: From AED 1,049 per person
Premium — Private Basket Charter
A private balloon for your group only no other guests in the basket. Custom route, private Bedouin camp breakfast, VIP host on the ground, and priority boarding. Best for special occasions, proposals, honeymoons, and corporate events.
Price: From AED 12,500 per private charter (covers 2 to 8 passengers)
Get Private Charter Price on WhatsAppWhat's Included in All Packages
- Up to 60-minute hot air balloon flight
- FAA/GCAA-certified pilot
- Full safety briefing at launch site
- Arabic coffee, dates, and seasonal fruits in-flight
- Bedouin-style breakfast at landing camp (Exotic Sunrise packages)
- Signed flight certificate from your pilot
- Support 4x4 ground crew tracking the balloon throughout
What's Not Included
- Transfers to/from Dubai (available as add-on AED 450 for private car up to 6 pax / sharing transfers also available)
- Edited flight video (available for purchase on the day)
- Gratuities (optional)
The Full Experience Start to Finish
The Night Before
Your operator sends the confirmed pickup time between 7:00 PM and 8:30 PM the evening before your flight. Typically this is between 4:30 AM and 5:30 AM depending on sunrise time and your hotel location. Set your alarm accordingly.
Pre-Dawn Pickup
A 4x4 or SUV collects you from your Dubai hotel before dawn. The drive to the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve takes approximately 45 to 60 minutes from central Dubai along the Al Ain Road.
Arrival at Launch Site
You arrive at the launch field in darkness. The balloon envelope is already laid out on the desert floor and the crew is inflating it with the burners. This is one of the most visually spectacular moments of the morning — a 30-metre balloon filling with fire-lit air against the dark sky.
Safety Briefing
Your pilot gives the full pre-flight briefing boarding position, in-flight posture, landing crouch technique, and emergency procedures. Takes about 10 minutes.
The Flight
You lift off just before first light. The first minutes are the most dramatic the ground drops away, the horizon opens, and the desert reveals its scale. By the time you reach 4,000 feet the sun is rising and the light on the dunes turns gold, then orange, then the full red of the Lahbab sand.
- What you see:
- The Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve 225 square kilometres of protected desert
- Red sand dunes in every direction with no buildings visible
- Arabian oryx spotted regularly from the balloon in the early morning
- Gazelles and desert foxes moving through the dune valleys below
- Burj Khalifa on the distant horizon on clear days
- Hajar Mountains to the east on winter mornings
- Other balloons in the sky if multiple flights launch from the same area
The pilot navigates with the wind no two flights take exactly the same route.
Landing
The pilot chooses the landing site based on wind direction. The support crew has been tracking the balloon by 4x4 and is waiting at the landing zone. You touch down in the open desert and help the crew deflate the envelope traditionally every passenger helps pack the balloon back into its bag. The pilot then presents each passenger with a signed flight certificate.
Breakfast at Camp
The 4x4s transfer you to the Bedouin camp. Breakfast is a full buffet spread local and international dishes, fresh bread, eggs, Arabic coffee, juices, and fruit. The Deluxe package includes a camel ride and falcon demonstration here. This is typically the most relaxed and enjoyable part of the experience.
Return to Dubai
Hotel drop-off in the late morning. You are back in Dubai by approximately 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM.
Flight Duration & Total Time
| Segment | Duration |
|---|---|
| Pickup from Dubai hotel | 4:30 AM – 5:30 AM |
| Drive to desert launch site | 45 to 60 minutes |
| Balloon inflation & briefing | 30 to 45 minutes |
| Flight | 45 to 60 minutes |
| Landing, certificate & transfer to camp | 30 minutes |
| Breakfast at Bedouin camp | 45 to 60 minutes |
| Return to Dubai | 45 to 60 minutes |
| Total experience | 4 to 6 hours |
Best Season for Hot Air Balloon Dubai
Hot air ballooning in Dubai is a seasonal activity the balloon flies only when conditions are safe.
| Season | Flying Conditions |
|---|---|
| October to April | Ideal. Cool mornings, calm winds, clear skies. Peak season. |
| May | Warm. Still flyable in early May. Winds becoming less predictable. |
| June to September | Too hot and too windy. Flights are suspended. |
Peak season is November to March. Weekend slots in this window sell out 7 to 30 days in advance. Book early particularly for weekend dates from December through February.
Important Weather & Cancellation Policy
Hot air ballooning is entirely weather dependent. If conditions on the morning of your flight are unsafe strong winds, rain, poor visibility, or excessive heat the flight is cancelled.
You will be notified as early as possible the night before or early on the morning of the flight.
A full reschedule to your next available date is offered.
Full refunds are available if rescheduling is not possible.
Flights are confirmed or cancelled by the pilot no exceptions are made to safety policy.
Age, Weight & Health Requirements
| Requirement | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Minimum age | 5 years |
| Minimum height | 1.2 meters (to stand in basket) |
| Maximum weight | 120 kg per person |
| Pregnant women | Not permitted |
| Spinal injuries | Not recommended |
| Heart conditions | Not recommended |
Children must be able to stand independently in the basket throughout the flight.
Good to Know Before You Book
Pickup time is confirmed the evening before between 7:00 PM and 8:30 PM. Keep your phone accessible.
Wear warm layers for the pre-dawn pickup the desert is cold before sunrise even in winter.
Comfortable, closed shoes are recommended. High heels are not permitted.
No drones permitted Dubai airspace restrictions apply during flights.
Your phone camera is perfectly fine for photography. The pilot will advise on the best shots during the flight.
Transfers are not included in the base price ask us about the add-on at booking.
Maximum basket capacity is 10 to 28 passengers depending on the balloon type.
Book Your Hot Air Balloon Dubai
The most spectacular morning in Dubai. Sunrise. Silence. 4,000 feet of desert.
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