Albuquerque is one of the most underrated places in the US, with its vast skies and beautifully rugged desert landscape, making for a serene escape that anyone and everyone can enjoy.

Whether you’re a pro adventurer or someone just looking to enjoy Mother Nature in its purest form, I have just the ticket for a front-row seat to breathtaking New Mexico vistas.

There’s no comparison to taking one of the top Albuquerque hot air balloon rides! Known as the “Ballooning Capital of the World”, the city hosts the renowned International Balloon Fiesta each year, but you don’t have to wait for this event to enjoy the views! Let’s jump right in!

Best Hot Air Balloon Rides in Albuquerque

	Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Ride at Sunrise	Albuquerque: Rio Grande Valley Hot Air Balloon Ride	Private Hot Air Balloon Flights with Elevated New Mexico
Departure:	5601 Eagle Rock Ave NE, Albuquerque	5601 Eagle Rock Ave NE, Albuquerque	6251 Riverside Plaza Ln, Albuquerque
Start:	5:15 AM	5:45 AM	6:00 AM
Duration:	4 hours	3.5 hours	3 to 4 hours
Includes:	Professional guide, Scenic hot air balloon flight, Champagne toast, Light snacks after the flight	Hot air balloon flight, celebratory toast after landing, light snacks	Snacks, alcoholic beverages, professional guide
	Tour Information & Booking	Tour Information & Booking	Tour Information & Booking

Quick Answer: The 5 Best Rated Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Rides For 2025

1. Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Ride at Sunrise
2. Albuquerque: Rio Grande Valley Hot Air Balloon Ride
3. Private Hot Air Balloon Flights with Elevated New Mexico
4. Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Rides at Sunrise
5. Rio Grande River Valley Flight

Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Ride Reviews

1. Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Ride at Sunrise

If you’re looking for a magical experience that balances adventure, serenity, and jaw-dropping views, the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Ride at Sunrise is the one for you.

This unforgettable tour offers a unique opportunity to see the desert landscape enveloped in the soft golden glow of the morning sun. I’m not necessarily an adrenaline junkie – I appreciate thrills as well as tranquility, and that’s exactly what you get here.

Starting out with a pre-dawn meetup at Eagle Rock, we stepped into the office for a seamless check-in with their friendly staff before heading over to the balloon launch site. We were given a briefing beforehand so we all knew what to expect, and had the chance to ask any questions we had while they inflated the balloon.

While it’s definitely not required, they also offer you the option to help the crew inflate the balloon, which was actually a pretty cool experience!

Our pilot was a great host, sharing interesting facts like how the route all depends on the wind and weather of that morning, and how to operate the balloon. Due to this, I can’t say you’ll have a predetermined, specific route – you could fly over the actual city or even go down low above the river!

If it’s your first time in Albuquerque, this is a great way to get a lay of the land, with your pilot there to share educational commentary about the different landscapes.

After about an hour of picturesque views, we smoothly descended and landed (thankfully much gentler than I imagined it would have been), with the ground crew coming all smiles to greet us. We even got to enjoy a complimentary glass of champagne for a celebratory toast, along with our commemorative flight certificate!

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100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

2. Albuquerque: Rio Grande Valley Hot Air Balloon Ride

If you aren’t sure where to start with Albuquerque sightseeing, I have just the answer for you! The Albuquerque: Rio Grande Valley Hot Air Balloon Ride is limited to just 6 participants, max, making for an intimate experience that shows you quite literally a whole other side to this city.

It’s one of those activities I’d consider a bucket list item, and one that I recommend to everyone, no matter the age or background. While it does clock in around 3.5 hours in total, the actual flight is one hour, which is perfect if you’re unsure if you’re going to love it (spoiler alert: you are).

Start out by arriving at the Rainbow Ryders offices and doing a quick check-in, listening to their briefing involving what to expect and how to be a passenger in a hot air balloon. Afterward, we took a short ride out to the actual launch site, arriving before sunrise.

Once our balloon was inflated fully, the ascent was truly breathtaking, seeing the expansive valley expanding underneath us with the rising sun breaking over the horizon. The flight was smooth and tranquil, allowing ample time for reflection, as well as photo ops.

I took some of the most incredible photos and videos, making for timeless mementos that I enjoy looking back on. The chase crew were always there below, making sure we were safe and met up with us at the landing site where we had the option to help pack the balloon up or head right back to the launch site.

Once there, we sipped on a celebratory glass of champagne and had a few snacks, laughing and chatting over our amazing ride!

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

3. Private Hot Air Balloon Flights with Elevated New Mexico

While there’s nothing wrong with getting into a basket with a bunch of strangers, doing a completely personalized, private flight over Albuquerque does have a certain magic to it. The Private Hot Air Balloon Flights with Elevated New Mexico offers exactly that, where you get to fly solely with your pilot and any other members of your personal traveling party.

As it really is all up to you and your preferences here, you also get to work with the operator on a start time that works best for you. Typically, they offer times every day from 6 to 10 am, to ensure the best possible weather and views, so you don’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn if you don’t feel like it!

Your tour starts with you arriving to their offices for a brief check-in process and listening to their briefing to ensure everyone’s on the same page and knows what to expect.

Once we were transferred to the take-off site, we got to know our pilot a bit more and learned that he was certified with the FAA and had a whopping 3 decades of experience under his belt in flying these beautiful balloons!

His calm, collected behavior, combined with his clear passion for hot air balloons, instantly made me feel at home and excited to get up in the sky! Once we took off, it really felt like I was weightless, soaring high above the city, with incomparable views of the Rio Grane River Valley and the gorgeous Sandia Mountains.

Flight time itself is about an hour, so you have plenty of time to take photos and videos as you wish – our pilot even took a few for me, which was so much more convenient! Along the way, we chatted about the geology and formations in the area, which only made Albuquerque that much more interesting to me. This is a can’t-miss!

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

4. Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Rides at Sunrise

If you’ve ever dreamed of floating high above the world right as the sun breaks, the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Rides at Sunrise is just the ticket. I’ve been on a ton of hot air balloon rides around the world, and this one is one of the most immersive adventures of its kind.

Don’t pass up this phenomenal opportunity to witness the gorgeous New Mexico landscape from a bird’s-eye view, with a professional, fun crew all around!

Start off early in the morning (or another time that you agree on with your guide) in central Albuquerque, where you’ll meet up with the staff and the rest of your group to head out to the takeoff site. I personally recommend this one if you’re taking the entire family along for the ride, or if there are going to be kids going with you.

The staff was super attentive and kept all of us engaged throughout the entire time with personal anecdotes and interesting facts about the area.

Upon arrival, we got out and were offered the opportunity to help with the balloon inflation process, adding a bit of an interactive element to the experience. After that, we went through a briefing about safety and what to expect before getting in the basket.

Once airborne, the views were incredible, with panoramic vistas of ABQ’s Rio Grande Valley, the Sandia Mountains, and the sprawling desert landscapes. We learned a ton about the geography and geology of the region on this Rio Grande Valley balloon tour, as we watched the sun come up over the mountains, covering us all in a beautiful gold glow.

When our small group came back gently to the ground, we enjoyed a celebratory champagne toast and light snacks as we reminisced about the incredible experience we just had. Overall, I recommend this to anyone who really wants to see Albuquerque in all its splendor!

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience

5. Rio Grande River Valley Flight

Last but certainly not least, is the Rio Grande River Valley Flight, which is a 3.5-hour excursion high up into the air with incomparable desert views. A sunrise balloon ride is unlike anything else out there, and while I believe it’s something everyone should experience at least once, you really need to do so in ABQ.

If you’re celebrating a special event like an anniversary or birthday (or life, in general), this is one of the best activities you could partake in! Meet up with your guide and the rest of your group an hour before sunrise, which means getting up early, but it’s totally worth it.

The staff is really welcoming and friendly, and we had a nice little chat on the way to the launch site where we met our pilot! The launch site will vary, depending on weather conditions, with safety always being their top priority.

That morning, there were quite a few balloons getting ready to take to the skies, which was a bit different from the other tour days, but I actually felt it looked even more impressive this way!

We flew out of Rio Rancho, north of Albuquerque, where we even got to see the balloons flying for competitions, which was so cool to see! After our briefing, we started our magnificent ascent high above the picturesque desert as our guide regaled us with informational commentary.

We learned not only about the history of the area, but the geology and geography, which were quite unique to any other place I’d been to, previously. I loved getting to fly over down low over the impressive Rio Grande River, where we even touched down briefly to splash!

It was a simply stunning adventure, which really showed off our pilot’s prowess and the raw beauty of Mother Nature.

More Information & Tour Booking

100% refund for cancellations within 24 hours of tour experience