Fly Morocco – Hot Air Balloon

I have been in Morocco 3 times, all of which have been in 2019! I went there first in January and fell entirely in love with the country, the people, the culture, the food, the nature, the landscapes – it all ties in to create a beautiful atmosphere to find yourself in! The country has so much to offer without doing anything out of the ordinary, however, its completely possible to one-up your own trip by trying some extra activities! Popular options include buggy and atv trips in the deserts, but the lesser known activity is seriously spectacular!

Preparing for lift off at the start of golden hour



Flying over the Moroccan landscapes in a hot air balloon is unreal, beyond imagination honestly! I did this with my girlfriend the last time I was in Morocco about a month ago – it was my first time in a hot air balloon and it was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve had! I have been up for sunrise missions countless times, literally hundreds of times, but this one was one of the more memorable, if not the most! It required a 3:30AM wake up call, in order to make it out to the take-off site in time for sunrise!

incredible landscapes with the first golden daylight

We set off about 20 minutes before sunrise, so that we could make it up to an altitude of over 500m before the sun rose over the Atlas Mountains! It honestly made me feel like I was in a movie! I have seen so many sunrises from the sky but then it has only been on my phone screen from my drone, so I seriously felt like a drone in this moment, except instead of flying a controller I was floating through the air over the beautiful landscapes of Morocco!



The flight time is about 1 hour typically, all depending on the weather conditions, especially wind! The sense of freedom is truly heightened by the fact that there is no certainty of where you will land! The balloon movement is controlled almost 100% by the wind – the pilots are incredibly skilled and knowledgeable on the effect of altitude and winds, which allows them to help control the speed at which you drift through the sky. It felt like we were crusing at the speed of a turtle, so I was surprised to find out that the average cruising speed was over 25km/h (16mph) at most times!


The pilots are also really good at rotating the balloon so that everyone on board is able to get a panoramic 360˚ view – and when that sunlight first hits your face you feel like you’re waking up in a dream. There is something remarkably special about being so powerless and at the mercy of the winds, while feeling entirely safe at the same time! I highly recommend opting in to this experience if you visit Morocco, as it is one of the coolest and most calming experiences I have ever had on my travels!

Ciel D’afrique balloon in flight



The company I went with (and HIGHLY recommend) is Ciel D’Afrique – they are based out of Marrakech. The pilots are 2 French guys who clearly love everything about their jobs, which makes the experience all the more enjoyable as their passion is so evident throughout the entire trip! They were extremely informative throughout – both in explaining about the science behind the flight, but also in the areas that can be seen from the flight! As I have already pointed out, I HIGHLY recommend this experience! Feel free to shoot over any questions you might have!

Happy Travelling Friends!