The Sonora Desert is at its best light at sunset. See the desert beauty from above with this sunset ride in a hot air balloon under the skilled guidance of your FAA certified pilot. Be treated to views of the desert plants and wildlife as day changes into night. Following the trip, land in the desert and celebrate your adventure with champagne and hors d’oeuvres.

Your hot air balloon journey begins and ends at Deer Valley Airport
Upgrade your package to include transportation from your Phoenix hotel
Soar over the desert at heights of up to 5,000 feet (1,524 meters)
Enjoy a champagne reception following your sunset adventure

What's Included

Champagne
Snacks
Commemorative flight certificate
Hotel pickup and drop off (if option selected)

Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop off (if option not selected)

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

702 W Deer Valley Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85027, USA

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Phoenix Sonoran Desert Preserve (Pass By)

Camelback Mountain (Pass By)

Downtown Phoenix (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not suitable for pregnant women
Not recommended for participants with broken bones, or who have had recent surgery
Passengers must be able to jump off the second step of a ladder onto the ground

Minimum age is 5 years
Actual flight time is approximately 1 hour
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

kacowper

What a beautiful experience this was! Decided to take a hot air balloon ride before we came for a long weekend in Phoenix and this company came highly recommended. Everything was clear about what to expect before we went up. The views were amazing and the pilot shared what he was doing and what were the optimal picture taking opportunities. The landing was easy and the post flight hors d’oerves and champagne was a nice touch. Thanks to Casey, our pilot and Zach, our crew chief were the best!

Reviews

4.5

216 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 216 reviews

Epic experience.

NiallC, Mar 2024

Epic experience, a must do I simply can't describe it , our flight crew Matt and Michael were simply the very best. Great sense of humour which was an added bonus to the experience. Very very highly recommend it.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Thank you for flying with us Niall and thank you for sharing about your experience with others! We are so happy to hear that Captain Matt and Michael were able to make your time with us memorable and fun with their sense of humor and hard work. We are glad that you had a great time with us while soaring high in the sky, and we hope to see you up, up, and away again soon!

Awesome Experience!

Robert_H, Feb 2024

The good folks at Hot Air Expeditions were very helpful. Our driver was Nick and he made us feel very comfortable. Jonathan was our pilot, A+++. He was competent, entertaining and enjoyable. What an awesome experience!

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thank you so much for flying with us Robert and thank you for sharing about your experience with others! We are so happy to hear that Captain Jonathan and Nick took great care of you and were able to make your time with us both exciting and comfortable. Thank you again for your kind words, we hope to see you up, up, and away again soon!

Just do it!

kacowper, Feb 2024

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thank you for joining us among the clouds and thank you for sharing about your experience with others! We are so happy to hear that you had an awesome time with Captain Kasey, Zach and the rest of the crew! We're also happy that you got to see the amazing views that Arizona has to offer, especially in the golden afternoon sun. It is great to hear that you had a smooth landing and enjoyed the champagne and hors d'oeuvres after the flight too. Thank you again for your kind words and for flying with us, we hope to see you up, up, and away again soon!

Picture perfect outing

lynn_b, Feb 2024

Bucket List. Check. Very enjoyable. Great weather. Greet views. Staff was quick and Competent. Watching the sunset from our tables On the desert floorand Toasting with Champagne or water. Picture perfect outing

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thank you so much for flying with us Lynn and thank you for sharing about your experience with others! We are so happy to hear that you had a great time checking off your bucket list with our crew! We are very glad that you got to have a smooth and peaceful flight with perfect weather and beautiful views, and we are also glad that you enjoyed watching the desert sunset with a champagne toast to end the experience. Thank you again for your kind words and for joining us among the clouds, we hope to see you up, up, and away again soon!

Amazing experience

Patty, Feb 2024

The actual flight and balloon captain were fabulous. I wasn't even scared and he made the Experience amazing. Our captain was Mike Johnson and he was very experienced. I would give 5 stars except the van driver to the balloon location was awful. Wayne drove us from airport to the site and he got lost and was checking his phone while driving. He had to make calls and turn around 3 times at least. In the end it was a great experience overall.

Great experience

Vania_D, Feb 2024

The views were breathtaking! The whole team was great and pleasant. The experience was positive and enjoyable from pick-up to drop-off.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thank you for flying with us Vania and thank you for sharing your kind words! We are so happy to hear that you had a great time soaring the skies with our crew from start to finish. We are also happy that you were able to enjoy the amazing sights that Arizona has to offer from a bird's eye view. Thank you again for sharing about your experience with others and for joining us in the air, we hope to see you up, up, and away again soon!

Great!

Kevin_E, Feb 2024

The staff was excellent and accommodating to our needs. Very friendly and knowledgeable. We were picked up from our hotel and dropped off.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thank you for flying with us Kevin and thank you for sharing about your flight with others! We are so happy to hear that our pilot and crew took such great care of you from hotel pickup and drop-off to the flight itself. We are also happy to hear that they had a great attitude and were able to teach you all about the wonders of ballooning! Thank you again for joining us among the clouds, we hope to see you up, up, and away again soon!

Amazing Experience

Patricia_M, Feb 2024

Captain Mike provided an excellent experience. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves soaring 3,500 feet above the ground. Our flight time lasted over an hour. After landing we were treated to champagne and light hors d’oeuvres.

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thank you for flying with us Patricia and thank you for sharing about your flight with others! We are so happy to hear that you had an awesome time soaring over the desert with Captain Mike and his crew. We are also glad that you enjoyed the champagne and hors d'oeuvres while watching the sunset after the flight. Thank you again for your kind words and for joining us among the clouds. We hope to see you up, up, and away again soon!

Unreal Day!

Bonnie_W, Feb 2024

Amazing sunset hot air balloon experience. The views were unreal, crew was exceptional, nice champagne and picnic to end, and a one in a life time experience! Captains Johnathon and Zack and driver Mike were awesome!! Thank YOU!!

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thank you for flying with us Bonnie and thank you for sharing about your experience with others! We are so happy to hear that Captain Jonathan, Zack, and Mike were able to make your afternoon flight with us the best it can be! We are glad that you were able to see the beautiful views that the Sonoran Desert has to offer from high in the sky, and that you enjoyed the champagne and hors d'oeuvres afterwards to welcome you back to Earth. Thank you again for your kind words and for joining us in the air, we hope to see you up, up, and away again soon!

A Completely Wonderful Experience!!

Joan_B, Jan 2024

Jen was great checking us in, explaining the process and driving us to our take off point. Matt, our pilot was knowledgeable and provided us a safe flight. He made our trip so enjoyable! The champagne meal at sunset with the Balloonist’s Prayer on the glasses and Matt’s education on hot air ballooning history was a great way to end our trip in great company!

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Thank you for flying with us Joan and thank you for sharing about your experience with others! We are so happy to hear that Captain Matt, Jen, and the crew were able to make your flight smooth and fun. We agree that Captain Matt's knowledge and love for ballooning makes for a really great pilot, and it shows in his hard work! We're also glad that you enjoyed the champagne and evening hors d'oeuvres while watching the sunset and listening to the history of hot air ballooning. Thank you again for soaring the skies with us and for sharing about your flight, we hope to see you up, up, and away again soon!

Bucket List!

Pamela_D, Dec 2023

The employees and the pilot were so friendly and informative. They made the trip special. The pick up and drop off at the hotel was perfect. The driver arrived on time. Communication with the company was easier and they responded quickly.

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Thank you for flying with us Pamela and thank you for sharing about your experience with others! We are so happy to hear that you had a great time checking off your bucket list with us, and that everything from the booking process to the hotel pick up/drop off to the ride itself went smoothly. Thank you again for soaring the skies with us, we truly appreciate your kind words. We hope to see you up, up, and away again soon!

Amazing…DO IT!!!

Matthew_R, Dec 2023

First time ride for me, as well as most in the total party/basket. Pilot Don was awesome…extremely knowledgeable and a seasoned veteran. Don made the flight enjoyable….good stories and funny stories. Definitely recommend!

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Thank you so much for soaring the skies with us Matthew and thank you for sharing about your experience! We are happy to hear that Captain Don and his crew were able to make your first hot air balloon flight a great one to remember! He definitely has a wealth of knowledge about ballooning and so many stories you could listen for hours, it makes for such an entertaining yet educational flight. Thank you again for joining us among the clouds and for sharing your kind words, we hope to see you up, up, and away again soon!

How to get a refund?

Susan_J, Dec 2023

Trying to find the contact for Viator because it was canceled. I would like $1,000 back please. It was too windy so the balloons couldn’t take off.

Hot air

Robert_M, Dec 2023

The smooth lift off and The sunset. The food and drink at the end was also a great touch. The process to blowing up the balloon

"Up, up and away My beautiful, my beautiful balloon"

Shawn_P, Dec 2023

The crew and pilot were awesome. Weather was perfect and the views were amazing. They gave use appetizers and Champagne at the landing point which was a really nice touch. All and all it was pretty perfect. I definitely recommend this excursion.

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Thank you so much for joining us among the clouds Shawn and thank you for sharing about your experience with others! We are thrilled to hear that you had an amazing time with our Captain and his crew, and that you enjoyed everything from the beautiful skies and landscape below to the champagne and appetizers that greeted you back down to Earth. Thank you again for flying with us and sharing your kind words, we hope to have you up, up, and away again soon!

Best experience on my pocket list.

Mary_m, Nov 2023

Evertthing from start to finish Was great. Matt and t s crew work you're great. Thel hot air balloon pride was worth every penny.

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Thank you for flying with us Mary and thank you for sharing about your experience with others! We are so happy to hear that you had a great time soaring the skies with Captain Matt and his crew from beginning to end. We're also glad that you had the best time checking off your bucket list with us. Thank you again for flying with us, we hope to see you up, up, and away again soon!

Beautiful ride but a but disorganized

bbrauer54, Feb 2023

It wasn't clear that we would ride in a van for 30 minutes looking for a spot to launch. Our crew had problems getting the balloon ready to inflate. We were the last ones off out of 12 or so balloons and therefore it was pitch black when we ate. Balloon ride was beautiful!

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Thank you for sharing about your time with us! There are times when the weather forecasts do not match the current conditions at a given launch site, and other launch sites must be evaluated for an enjoyable and safe launch of the hot air balloon. We appreciate the feedback, and will evaluate how we can better communicate this to our guests prior to flight, so they are most informed. We are happy the balloon ride was enjoyable after this delay, and so appreciate your feedback. We hope to see you up in the air another time!

Up Up and Away

Wendy_B, Feb 2023

Had a beautiful evening seeing the sunset over the desert. Ticked an item off our bucket list. Everyone had a great time

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Thank you for sharing about your time up, up and away with us! We are happy to hear everyone had a great time, and you now have a hot air balloon ride checked off of your bucket list. We appreciate you flying with us and hope to see you up in the air again soon!

Ballooning in AZ

Tonia_R, Jan 2023

Our driver Michael was amazing! So helpful, energetic and informative. Jonathan was a great pilot and kept us entertained and informed. Awesome experience !

Response from Host, Jan 2023

Thank you for sharing about your time with us! We are happy Michael and Jonathan took great care of you and kept you entertained along the way. We hope to see you up in the air again soon!

Great adventure in the sky!!

Catherine_M, Nov 2022

I loved feeling safe in an adventure I had never done before. The staff was very confident and supportive. The actual experience was enjoyable and fun! The after trip party was great and we were then transported back to our hotel.

Response from Host, Dec 2022

Hi Catherine, On behalf of our team at Hot Air Expeditions, thanks so much for this positive review. It means a lot to us!

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