Marrakech: Hot Air Balloon Ride & Berber Breakfast Pickup

Summary

Atlas sunrise from the sky, Berber breakfast warmth, desert air on your skin

You’ll float above Marrakech as dawn breaks over the Atlas Mountains, sharing quiet sky moments with your group before landing for a fresh Berber breakfast in a tent. Includes hotel pickup, a flight certificate to take home, and time to soak up local warmth over mint tea.

What’s the experience like?

"You’ll see the villages wake up before the city," our pilot Youssef said, grinning as he checked the balloon ropes in the half-dark. I was still shivering from the early pickup in Marrakech — you know that pre-dawn chill that makes you question your life choices? But then the burners roared and suddenly we were rising, slow and smooth, over fields dusted with mist. The Atlas Mountains looked almost blue in that light. Someone’s phone chimed and nobody cared.

The silence up there is weirdly thick, except for little bursts of laughter when someone points out a goat or tries to guess how far we are from Marrakech (not far — maybe 30 minutes by van). Youssef told us about his family’s village below. I could smell bread baking somewhere, or maybe that was my imagination mixing with hunger. The whole hot air balloon ride felt both huge and oddly gentle at once.

Landing was softer than I expected — just a bump and then we were climbing out into sunlight, sand already warming up. There was mint tea waiting, and inside a low tent they served us Berber breakfast: warm bread, honey, olives. I tried to pronounce “aghroum” (Berber for bread) and got it totally wrong; one of the women making tea just laughed and poured me another glass. We sat on rugs, eating slowly. I still think about that view from above — how small everything looked for a while. It makes you want to linger.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Hot air balloon flight and breakfast

• Take hot air balloon flight over Atlas Mountains
• Land for freshly prepared Berber breakfast
• Return to Marrakech
• Receive flight certificate souvenir

Top questions

How long is the hot air balloon ride from Marrakech?

The balloon flight lasts around 45 minutes.

Is hotel pickup included for this tour?

Yes, hotel pickup in Marrakech and drop-off are included.

What do you eat during the Berber breakfast?

The breakfast includes warm bread, honey, olives, coffee or tea, croissants, and juice.

Is this hot air balloon tour suitable for children?

Children under 3 years old are not allowed on this tour.

Are there any health restrictions for this activity?

This tour isn’t recommended for pregnant travelers or those with spinal or cardiovascular issues.

Do I get anything to remember the flight by?

You’ll receive a flight certificate as a souvenir after landing.

What’s included

Your morning starts with hotel pickup in Marrakech before heading out for coffee or tea and croissants ahead of your ±45 minute hot air balloon ride. After landing near the Atlas foothills you’ll share a freshly prepared Berber breakfast in a tent with mint tea before returning to town—plus you get a flight certificate to keep.