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 a global pandemic had come along since the last time.

As time passes, it can be hard to know what to expect from any given place or experience — even if you’ve been there before. Considering the whole COVID situation, I had zero clue what was going to await me at the ancient city of Teotihuacan. Which means I turned to geo-tagged Instagram posts to scope out the situation for visitors.

And instead of finding photo after photo of sweaty tourists baking under the Central American sun (as I had done last time), I found photo after photo of… hot air balloons at Teotihuacan?

It turns out that visiting the ruins of Teotihuacan, outside Mexico City, is very often done by hot air balloon. And this interested me. After talking it over with Matt — confirming he wasn’t afraid of heights and was willing to spend the money on the experience — I set out to do some research and choose the very best hot air balloon experience for the best price.

Here’s what you need to know to plan your own sunrise voyage through the pre-Hispanic skies — Teotihuacan by hot air balloon. (And be sure to check out my Teotihuacan hot air balloon FAQ, which answers some of the logistical questions.) [Read more…]