RIDING HOT AIR BALLOONS OVER THE TEOTIHUACAN PYRAMIDS

RIDING HOT AIR BALLOONS OVER THE TEOTIHUACAN PYRAMIDS

Finally checking this one off the bucket list! This was the first (and so far only, but I’m looking to change that) time that I’ve flown in a hot air balloon. About an hour north of Mexico City are the ancient pyramids of Teotihuacan. As with seemingly many other historic landmarks globally (think: Bagan, Myanmar), at sunrise, many local companies fly hot air balloons over the pyramids to give tourists a unique view of the site below. Learn more about my amazing experience floating over the Teotihuacan Pyramids below.

Want a quick overview of the information below? Check out this Tiktok I made on what I thought of riding the hot air balloons over the pyramids.

Need more inspiration to book your trip to Mexico City? Check out my blogs:

• Itinerary: Five Days in Mexico City
• The Best Activities in Mexico City
• The Luis Barragan House & Studio: Photos

Through Viator, we booked a tour with Volare Globos, a local tour company specializing in hot air balloon tours.

Get picked up from your Airbnb in Mexico City and start the 1-1.5 hour drive north to Teotihuacan. The tour guides will pick you up in a van with a handful of other travelers at around 5:00 AM and drive you up to the pyramids. For pick up, we stayed in an Airbnb but they give you the choice to get picked up from dozens of hotels in the area. Luckily, there was a hotel half a block from our Airbnb so it was super convenient.

One thing to note is that our van driver didn’t introduce himself or say a word the whole ride, which, at 5:00 AM in a city you’ve never traveled to before, can seem a bit nerve-wracking. Worry not, however, we were safe and sound the whole time and amongst a lot of other travelers.

Just as the sun was rising (at least for us at the end of May), we arrived at the hot air balloon site outside of Teotihuacan. Here, we were met with dozens of other travelers from other tour companies who were here to do the exact same thing. After checking in (be sure to bring your I.D.!) we were greeted with coffee and some light breakfast foods.

Soon thereafter, we were divided up into groups to head off to the balloons! Depending on the tour that you choose, you may be in anything from a small, 2-person balloon to a much larger 10+ person balloon like the one we were in. Don’t worry, both are equally as safe! Depending on the size of your group, you’ll get divided up into different compartments within the balloon to even out the weight.

After about 15 minutes of blowing up the balloon and getting situated, you’re off!

The scariest part of the journey for me was leaving the ground, but as soon as you’re in the air, I guarantee that you’ll be too mesmerized by the surrounding view to think too much about how high up you are.

Over the next 45 minutes to 1 hour, you’ll fly over the town of Mazapa and then to the pyramids of Teotihuacan. Over Teotihuacan, you’ll float for the majority of your journey, going up and down in altitude to get different views of the ancient pyramids.

After almost an hour in the sky, we made our descent. What’s funny about hot air balloons is that they kind of just aim for an open field and try to land there, since there’s not a ton of steering that you can do if the wind isn’t on your side. Worry not, it’s still completely safe and you’ll land in a field on the other side of the pyramids and be picked up by members of the crew.

Better yet, as soon as you land, the pilot of your balloon will greet you with some champagne to complete the journey – what better way to start a day?!

After another 15 minutes or so of drinking champagne and enjoying the views, you’ll get into a van and be transported back to the check-in area where you arrived.

Fun fact: Our van actually broke down while we were going back! We were quickly picked up by another van, but it was a pretty funny experience overall.

Breakfast time! Now back at the check-in area, you’ll be greeted with a full breakfast buffet with both meat and vegetarian options, fruit, cereals, juices, and coffee. Plus…whether you want to partake or not, you’ll also be given a shot of tequila and a certificate to commemorate your journey.

10:00 AM

Once breakfast is over, there are two options (depending on which tour you signed up for):

1. Hop in the van and head back to Mexico City
2. Get dropped off at the pyramids to walk around them on the ground level (additional 3 hours)

Since I wanted to learn more about the pyramids and actually witness the grandeur from the ground, we opted to stay to explore.

Below are some FAQs about the tour to consider before booking your trip.

I felt completely safe the entire journey! My friend and I kept talking about how surprised we were at what a smooth ride it was. We never felt even a breeze in our hair as we were just peacefully floating above the pyramids. The takeoff and landing are also both incredibly smooth, so you won’t feel a thing.

While it all depends on the level of wind that day, in total you’re in the air for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. This was the perfect amount of time for me and as soon as I started wanting to walk around we were descending back down.

When I went in May of 2022, the price for this tour was $140, which I found to be completely reasonable and on par with all other tours I saw.

Dress warmly! Because it’s early in the day and also you’re high in the air, it can get much chillier than expected. Be sure to bring a sweater and wear long pants.

One specific tip I have is to not wear white or something that stains easily. Since I was leaning against the side of the basket for about an hour, I found lots of dirt on my white pants afterward.

Depending on whether you opt to explore the pyramids after or not, the tour is anywhere from six to nine hours long, including transportation to and from Mexico City.

Since we found the additional three-hour tour of the pyramids to be too long, we decided to grab an Uber home about 1.5 hours early. Lucky for us, Ubers in the area are extremely cheap and the one-hour drive back to CDMX only cost us $15 USD.

No, the entrance fee to the pyramids themselves is not included in the price and it costs $85 MXN (about $4 USD) to enter and it must be paid in cash.

The one downside to the tour is that there’s pretty much no information given about the history of the pyramids, which I thought was a bummer. If you want context about the site, you’ll need to hire a guide when you walk around the pyramids after the hot air balloon tour.

The balloons only fly at sunrise because the weather tends to be the calmest at that hour and since it’s still cold, the balloons can operate best. During the heat of the day, the pilots have less control over the balloons since they’re operated by heat.

Transportation to and from Mexico City

Coffee & a snack upon arrival

Hot air balloon tour

Champagne upon landing

Full continental breakfast buffet (and a tequila shot!) after

*If you choose: Transportation to the pyramids themselves, but not entry into the site*

From the balloon, we saw outstanding views of the surrounding mountains and a view of the pyramids themselves. It’s a great perspective on how big the historical site actually is and really interesting to see how close the town is to the pyramids.