Marrakech hot air balloon: prices, the operators, the 2025 sanctions and what to check before you book

💡 The Short Version: A shared sunrise flight costs 2,400 MAD (£183) a person with Ciel d’Afrique, which has operated since 1990, and runs from £60.78 to £82.62 on GetYourGuide. The whole morning is 4 to 4.5 hours, with a flight of 40 to 60 minutes at daybreak. Moroccan authorities sanctioned about a dozen operators in 2025 for flying above permitted altitudes on the approach to Menara airport, and flights resumed in November 2025. The Foreign Office says to book balloon trips only through licensed operators. Ignore listings far below those prices: they are not the price of a flight. Prices vary by option and date; the checkout shows the total (GetYourGuide).

Prices

Ciel d’Afrique prices its flights in dirhams per person on its own programme page. GetYourGuide sells flights from other operators at lower prices.

GetYourGuide also lists sunrise balloon products priced far below any operator’s own flight price. Do not read those as flight prices.

The options

Ciel d’Afrique

Classic flight 2,400 MAD · 4 hours 30 minutes · operating since 1990

Ciel d’Afrique’s programme runs 4 hours 30 minutes in all, with a flight of 40 to 60 minutes. The 4x4 or van collects you early in the morning, partly on tracks to the take-off area; the flight is at daybreak only, with a safety briefing in the basket, a first part at height and a second at low altitude over villages and farms. After landing you return to a tent for a Berber breakfast and receive a flight certificate. Book by the evening before, no later than 20:00 for classic and VIP flights and 16:00 for royal flights. The company says it flies about 350 days a year from its base north of the Palmeraie, and that flights can be cancelled the day before or on site for weather, a decision only the pilots make.

Balloon ride with Berber breakfast and certificate

4.8 stars from 11,276 reviews · from £60.78 (list £110.50)

The largest flight listing on GetYourGuide. The ridead is rated 4.8 from 11,276 reviews, and the price rises towards the list price on later dates.

Guaranteed first hot air balloon flight and Berber breakfast

4.8 stars from 393 reviews · 4 hours · from £82.62 (list £142.45) · Paradise Ballooning

A hotel pick-up within 10 km of Marrakech at a time sent the evening before, tea and a snack at a Berber house, the inflation of the balloons, a flight of about 45 minutes at sunrise, and a buffet breakfast with a flight certificate. The listingad also sells an option with transport and breakfast only, for people who go to the site without flying, so check that your option includes the flight. It is not suitable for pregnant women. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before.

Safety and licences

Foreign Office advice for Morocco, updated August 2026

• The rule. The Foreign Office says: book hot air balloon trips only through licensed tour operators. Unlicensed providers may not meet required safety standards (GOV.UK).
• The 2025 sanctions. Balloons flew above permitted altitudes on the approach to Marrakech-Menara airport. The Transport and Logistics Ministry sanctioned about a dozen companies, with measures from temporary suspension to permanent closure and legal action, and flights resumed in November 2025 under a tighter regulatory framework. Six new companies were still waiting for licences, which depend on a technical study (Bladi, 30 November 2025).
• One passenger’s account. On 19 February 2026 the Daily Mail, reported by Bladi, carried a British passenger’s account of a landing in which the basket hit the ground three times and tipped over, with 22 people standing and no safety equipment. He advises checking insurance and licences before boarding (Bladi).
• What to ask. Ask the operator for its licence, how many people the basket carries, and whether your travel insurance covers balloon flights. The Foreign Office warns that adventure providers may not meet UK standards and that some policies exclude such activities.

The flight

• The take-off. At daybreak from a base north of the Palmeraie. Watching the balloons inflate is part of the morning.
• The view. Villages, farms and the Jbilet hills on a normal day, with the Atlas range in the distance when the air is clear.
• Standing or seated. The shared flights are standing in a basket; Ciel d’Afrique’s royal flight is the one it describes as seated at a table. There is no toilet.
• Breakfast. A Berber-style breakfast at a tent or house after landing, with a certificate.

A balloon silhouetted against the low sun, with a second laid out on the ground. Photo: Imaneb82, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.

Practical information

• Cancellations. Flights are cancelled for wind, rain or poor visibility; the operator confirms the day before.
• Pick-up. Before dawn; the time arrives the evening before.
• Not for pregnant women, on the listing that states it.
• The one thing that ruins the morning. Booking a balloon for the last morning before a flight home: flights can be cancelled the day before or on site.

For more on the other morning and evening trips, see day trips from Marrakech. Marrakech safety and scams covers the rest of the Foreign Office advice, 3 days in Marrakech shows where a dawn start fits, and the best time to visit Marrakech covers the season. Where to stay in Marrakech has the areas, and what to book before you go to Marrakech has the tickets that sell out.