A Review of Teotihuacan by Hot Air Balloon: Mexico City

Four years after my first visit, I found myself back in Mexico City. And in a totally different situation from the first time. I was there for three weeks instead of five days; I was working while there instead of being on vacation; I was no longer a solo traveler because Matt was with me. Oh, and also the world had completely shut down for a couple of years since the last time!

As time goes by, it can be hard to know what to expect from any given place or experience — even if you’ve been there before. So when I was ready to plan my trip to Teotihuacan with Matt, I had no idea what was going to await me in the ancient city. In fact, I didn’t know if visitors were still allowed at all. So I did what any good millennial would do: I turned to geo-tagged Instagram posts to scope out the situation.

I expected to find photo after photo of sweaty tourists baking under the Central American sun — as I had done last time. (Still a vivid memory to this day.) But instead, I found photo after photo of… hot air balloons at Teotihuacan?

Somehow I had missed that during my first visit to Mexico City, but it turns out that it’s super popular to visit the ruins of Teotihuacan by hot air balloon! And as someone who loves unique travel experiences, I knew I had to do it. After a quick chat with Matt to ensure he wasn’t afraid of heights, we set out to do some research on visiting Teotihuacan by hot air balloon — to choose the very best experience for the best price.

Unfortunately, as with any popular travel experience, you have to beware of scams that may pop up. So here’s everything you need to know to plan your own sunrise voyage through the pre-Hispanic skies: Teotihuacan by hot air balloon.

Booking Your Teotihuacan Hot Air Balloon Experience

If you search “teotihuacan hot air balloons,” or “mexico city hot air balloons,” you’re going to get about a million results. How do you choose the best Teotihuacan hot air balloon experience for the best price? You have to pay attention to the fine print, so keep the following tips in mind.

First, remember that Teotihuacan is about an hour outside of Mexico City, so you’ll have to take your transportation into account. Some experiences offer drop-off and pickup from the city, which is definitely most convenient. Some companies pick you up directly from your hotel/lodging, while others will provide transport from a designated pickup point, but you’ll still be responsible for getting yourself there.

As most experiences are offered around sunrise, that means you may need to walk/Uber/taxi somewhere at 4:30 or 5am to be picked up on time, if they don’t come to your hotel. But other groups may not include any type of transportation. That can definitely be a hassle — waking up at that hour is hard enough, and depending on where you’re staying, you might have to wake up an hour or two earlier to get to the meeting point. I definitely recommend finding a company that will pick you up at your own hotel, or at a designated point at the very least.

Some of the companies I researched only provided the Teotihuacan hot air balloon experience and did not include entry into the “archaeological zone” of the pyramids, or time to explore them. This may or may not be important to you, so be sure to keep that in mind. We personally did want some time at the pyramids, because I thought we’d be able to climb them, but more on that later.

And while most experiences will be shared with other travelers — about 12 passengers can fit in the balloon basket — you can usually pay more in order to make it private, just for your party, if you want. Like, if you’re going to do a sunrise Teotihuacan hot air balloon proposal or something, then you might want a private experience!

When we went to Teotihuacan, it was early June, and it looked like many companies had next-day availability. However, it’s likely better to book at least 2-3 days in advance if possible, that way all your logistics can be confirmed. Just be sure to keep an eye on the weather forecast. (Though many companies do offer reschedules in the case of bad weather or flight conditions.) Of course, booking as soon as you can is generally a good idea to help you reserve your spot, but it may not be possible in all cases.

Why We Chose Flying Pictures for Our Teotihuacan Hot Air Balloon Flight

Lots of reading and lots of research led me to choose Flying Pictures for our hot air balloon experience. There were a few main reasons for this.

• What Was Included: I’ll give you a full play-by-play about what our day included, but Flying Pictures really made themselves stand out by offering things that other companies either didn’t have, or weren’t clear about. First, there was the fact that they picked us up directly from our Airbnb, and then dropped us off directly at our Airbnb when the day was over. And second, the price we paid included our entry ticket into Teotihuacan’s archaeological zone, as well as time to explore. Not all tour groups provided transportation, and not all included tickets to the archaeological sites, so both were major benefits in our eyes.
• Price: As you plan your Teotihuacan hot air balloon flight, you’ll see that some experiences cost close to $200 USD. But with Flying Pictures, it was only about $150 USD per person. Some of those more expensive experiences didn’t even include personal pickup or entry to the pyramids, so once again, we were really happy with what Flying Pictures.
• Reviews: While many companies have pretty good reviews, Flying Pictures having 4.8 stars on 160 reviews made me feel like they were doing something right! For never having flown in a hot air balloon before, I really wanted to be as comfortable as possible.

We typically choose to book experiences with Viator because of their Viator Rewards Program. Basically, each time you book with Viator, you’ll earn cash rewards after your experience to use toward your next Viator experience! The best part is that you can use them to save actual money on future bookings.

But if you prefer booking with another tour operator, such as TripAdvisor or GetYourGuide, you can find other Teotihuacan hot air balloon companies as well:

• Teotihuacan Hot Air Balloon Experience (with Flying Pictures): Viator
• Hot Air Balloon Tour Teotihuacan (with Flying Pictures): TripAdvisor
• From Mexico City: Teotihuacan Hot Air Balloon Flight with Cave Breakfast: GetYourGuide

How Much Does a Teotihuacan Hot Air Balloon Flight Cost?

Here’s one really important note, so don’t get scammed: While it may look like you can book this type of hot air balloon tour as an “Airbnb Experience,” be careful of booking something that claims to only be in the ballpark of $20 USD. According to some of the reviews I read on these types of bookings, these are individuals who are basically taking your money as a “booking fee” … and then they set you up with one of the main hot air balloon companies, forcing you to still pay the rest of the full price later.

If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Just know that you should expect to pay about $150 USD per person (or more) for the day.

What Our Day Looked Like: Best Teotihuacan Hot Air Balloon Experience

Below, I’ve listed out everything that our trip to Teotihuacan with Flying Pictures included. You can also check out this video that Matt made of our Teotihuacan hot air balloon experience!

 
(Remember, if you choose a different tour group, your day may look slightly different, but some of the basics will likely be the same.) In most cases, you should be able to find plenty of Teotihuacan tours from Mexico City, regardless of the company you go with. And feel free to let me know what’s different about your day, if you choose a different company!

Personal pickup in Roma Norte, Mexico City at 5:30 a.m.

Knowing it would be an early start, we woke up at 4:45 a.m. in order to get ready for pickup. Unfortunately, I didn’t sleep much at all the night before… probably a combination of the hot summer night and excitement for the day ahead. At 5:30 a.m., we stepped outside our Airbnb apartment, and the Flying Pictures driver texted me that he had arrived. Turns out, the big white van parked on the street was for us.

Arrival at Teotihuacan hot air balloon “globopuerto”– airport

After two more stops to pick up two more groups of people — a couple and two friends — we were on our way to Teotihuacan, arriving around 6:45 a.m. I thought I would be able to sleep on the car ride, but the highway was pretty bumpy. Just as the sun was rising, we arrived at the balloon port, which was basically a big field, where hot air balloons were beginning to inflate. It was so surreal to see!

Hot coffee and snacks while waiting for the hot air balloon ride

As we stepped out of the van, a bilingual Flying Pictures staff member approached us and assigned us a balloon by giving us a hot air balloon sticker, which we were supposed to wear on our shirts. She told us where to sign in, where the bathrooms were, and to help ourselves to the coffee and snacks that were waiting for us. We were also welcome to add Kahlua to our coffee or drink some mezcal, if we wanted. (I didn’t want.) But maybe if you’re afraid of heights, it would help?

A 45-minute hot air balloon ride over the Teotihuacan Pyramids

As we prepared to ascend into the sky alongside all the other hot air balloons, I couldn’t help but think that ours was one of the prettiest. Several of the other companies you can choose from offer balloons that are branded with their own company name, but this wasn’t the case with Flying Pictures. In fact, our hot air balloon exactly matched the stickers we had been given when we arrived. Coincidence? I think not.

We had to climb aboard the hot air balloon using designated footholds in the basket, which was separated into four quadrants with space for the pilot in the middle. Besides us and the two other groups from our van, one other set of three friends joined our flight, so we each had our own corner of the basket.

This was my first ever time flying in a hot air balloon. I really didn’t know what to expect, but I know I definitely didn’t expect it to feel so weirdly normal? It’s like you’re on a platform, and the platform is lifting you super high into the air, but it’s also so sturdy that you feel like you could be on the ground. So it was much less scary than I thought it might be!

And there were two super cool things about taking the hot air balloon. One: seeing the Teotihuacan Pyramids from above and really appreciating the magnitude of them. Especially since you are no longer allowed to climb the pyramids at Teotihuacan (more on that later). Cool thing number two: seeing so many other hot air balloons around you! I think I counted 30 others at one point. It was such an amazing experience.

A traditional champagne toast after the flight

Our landing was unbelievably smooth — you couldn’t say the same for one of the other hot air balloons we saw come in. (They, uh, more than grazed a tree as they landed, taking a few branches with them.) Since we landed in a different field from the one we’d arrived to, a van transported us back to the starting point. There, our pilot poured us glasses of champagne and told the story of how champagne toasts became a tradition during the very first hot air balloon flights in France, centuries ago. It was all in Spanish, but I think we had enough unofficial translators in our group that everyone got the story.

Photos, GoPro photos, and drone videos of our group during the flight, available for purchase

As we’d boarded the hot air balloon, Flying Pictures staff members with cameras took some photos for us. There were also GoPro cameras hanging on each side of the basket that were constantly snapping pictures during the flight. And a drone captured our takeoff and part of the flight.

After the champagne toast, we were invited into a tent to review the photos and videos — which we could then buy. The photos and videos were amazing quality! Unfortunately, the GoPro on our side of the balloon had malfunctioned, but we still chose to buy the drone video. They have different packages available you can choose from.

If you watched Matt’s Teotihuacan hot air balloon video above, you’ll note some of the AMAZING drone footage!

And one more thing on this topic: I didn’t even realize this was something I needed to say, but of course we had the personal choice to decide whether we wanted to buy the photos and videos or not! Apparently, some hot air balloon companies are capturing footage and forcing the entire group of travelers — most of whom don’t know each other — to decide together whether to buy it or not. I can’t speak for all companies, but I know that Flying Pictures does not operate in this way, thankfully.

An unlimited breakfast buffet at a nearby restaurant

After we were finished at the balloon site, one of the staff members handed each group a breakfast coupon. We boarded (yet another) big white van and drove just a few minutes to a restaurant called Gran Teocalli. It seemed that many other balloon companies offered this perk as well, because there were lots of other people there who were doing the same thing as us.

But the buffet breakfast was large and really nice, with plenty of options to keep everyone happy and well-fed. Our group had an hour to eat, which was more than enough time. There’s also a nice gift shop there, where we got some cute hot air balloon souvenirs!

Entrance tickets into Teotihuacan’s archaeological zone and time to explore

Next, we loaded up the bus again to head back to Teotihuacan. Interestingly, I noticed our van wasn’t taking us to the very beginning of Avenida de los Muertos (Avenue of the Dead) where the bus had dropped me off during my first visit to Teotihuacan. I remembered that long, two-mile walk, so I was intrigued about where we were going to end up.

Instead, it transported us to a spot somewhat between both the Piramide del Sol y Piramide de la Luna. (Pyramid of the Sun and Pyramid of the Moon.) We got out of the van, and our driver told us we would have about an hour and a half to explore the archaeological zone.

At first, I felt concerned that it wouldn’t be enough time — my last visit to Teotihuacan had been nearly an all-day experience. But it turned out that, for a couple of reasons, an hour and a half was plenty of time. First, the strategic drop-off location meant that we didn’t have to spend an hour each way just walking from the main entrance to the two main pyramids. Second, visitors were not allowed to climb any of the pyramids or ceremonial platforms lining the avenue due to pandemic restrictions.

Unfortunately, that meant that once we were inside the archaeological zone, there wasn’t a whole lot to do except take a few more photos and try to avoid getting totally sunburned. Some of the other people from our bus group decided to hire a tour guide for an additional cost, but Matt and I decided to just explore “the city of the gods” on our own.

And even now, in 2025, I’ve learned that visitors are still no longer able to climb the pyramids. What started out as COVID mitigation measures turned into the realization that the pyramids could be better preserved without 3.5 million people climbing them each year. 🙂

Transportation back to our Airbnb, with arrival around 1:30 p.m.

At the designated time, we met back up with our group and our driver where he’d dropped us off. And we began the drive back into Mexico City. It took a lot longer now that we were going into the city and it wasn’t 6 a.m. anymore, but we were dropped back at our place by 1:30 p.m.

It was nice to think we had so much of the day still ahead of us… but the reality was that we were both asleep within minutes of getting home.

Is Seeing Teotihuacan By Hot Air Balloon Worth It?

I’m always on the lookout for unique experiences, even if they cost a little more. And visiting Teotihuacan by hot air balloon was totally worth the money. The whole day was impeccably planned and executed by the Flying Pictures team, making it really easy on us travelers. And the views we got, of both the pyramids and the other hot air balloons at sunrise, were breathtaking.

Back in 2018 when I visited Teotihuacan for the first time, visitors were allowed to climb all the pyramids, including the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. I totally understand the reasoning, behind the change, but it’s still a little sad because being able to climb the huge pyramids was one of the coolest things about visiting.

With all that in mind, I’m even more thankful to have visited Teotihuacan by hot air balloon — otherwise, navigating the public bus system and spending a whole day traveling to and from the historical site may not have felt worth it. But overall, we had an amazing Teotihuacan hot air balloon experience!

Plan Your Visit To Mexico City

Best Mexico City Hotels: Hotels in Mexico City

Things To Do in Mexico City: Full-Day Tour Exploring the Waters of Tolantongo // Xochimilco Boat Tour with Food and Unlimited Drinks // Lucha Libre Tickets & Tacos & Beer & Mezcal – BEST NIGHT EVER!

 

Have you ever flown in a hot air balloon, or would you give it a try? What questions do you have about the Teotihuacan hot air balloon experience? (And be sure to check out my Teotihuacan hot air balloon FAQ.) Feel free to leave me a comment — I’d love to hear from you!

-Cathy

Teotihuacan Hot Air Balloon Accident 2023

You may have heard about the Teotihuacan hot air balloon accident in April 2023. Based on my research — in both English and Spanish — the company operating the hot air balloon that caught fire was NOT a member of the local Teotihuacan hot air balloons federation, nor was it registered with the proper permissions to fly.

In fact, the company responsible for the accident was a drive-in movie theatre company secretly offering hot air balloon flights under the table, without authorization to do so — and they don’t even advertise hot air balloon flights on their website. (For more of my thoughts on this horrible situation, check out the comments below.)

As travelers, we have to decide for ourselves what risks we’re comfortable taking. Remember to always be smart, do your research on reputable companies, and don’t do anything that makes you feel unsafe. Happy travels. 🎈

Learn About Other Hot Air Balloon Experiences Around the World:

• Hot Air Balloons in Bagan, Myanmar
• Hot Air Balloon Ride in Cappadocia, Türkiye
• Hot Air Balloon Ride in Marrakech, Morocco

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Originally Published on July 11, 2022.