Cusco Hot Air Balloon Ride: My Experience with Breakfast & Champagne

So, you’re thinking of seeing Cusco, Peru from a hot air balloon, huh? I recently went for it and, let me tell you, it’s quite the unforgettable experience! The ‘Cusco Hot Air Balloon Ride with Breakfast and Champagne’ is just that option a bunch of travel companies pitch, and very it’s kind of appealing – seeing the Andes Mountains as the sun rises, with bubbles and breakfast in hand? Yes, please! Here’s the complete lowdown on what that escapade is really like, what to expect, plus whether or not I actually think it’s worth it.

Why a Hot Air Balloon Over Cusco is Unforgettable

There’s something totally magical about floating way up high, especially over someplace as grand as Cusco. That city is completely steeped in history, a former capital of the Inca Empire, and encircled by really huge, jagged mountains. Getting that bird’s-eye view gives you this appreciation you really can’t get any other way. Plus, the colors at dawn? Totally spectacular!

First off, imagine this: You are very far up high. Way up high, Cusco appears beneath you like this detailed miniature model. All its red-tiled roofs and tiny streets, they all sit there in this valley just beneath the huge Andes Mountains. That sunlight creeps slowly across the peaks, just setting fire to the snow-capped tops with pinks and golds. In this location you get that very dramatic sense of scale, seeing just how tiny the city looks compared to the vastness surrounding it. I felt seriously humbled! It’s just very majestic!

Then there is all of that history you are floating over, and yet it’s palpable, that sense of ages past. As you glide above, remember all those generations of people that called Cusco home – from those Incas that made it into this powerhouse empire to the Spanish colonists that changed it forever. Getting up in the air seems to separate you from the every day and let you really reflect, it’s almost like seeing their story etched straight onto the ground below. And knowing you’re experiencing it in such an incredible, unique way? That makes it especially powerful, too it’s almost spiritual. Anyway, that experience made that sunrise unforgettable and very awe-inspiring.

Booking the Balloon Ride: What You Need to Know

Okay, booking the trip. You’ll find numerous agencies, like, offering these rides in Cusco. And prices seem to float kind of everywhere from about $300 to $500 USD per person, depending on what is included. That research can be pretty essential!

I actually booked mine through a little travel agency that was located right on the Plaza de Armas. Yet there are huge benefits of doing your research beforehand, comparing all that is on offer. You need to check what’s included, that pick-up and drop-off is always a must. Ask some important questions about balloon capacity (smaller baskets make it much more intimate), safety records (major!), and if the breakfast is, that buffet style or a personal basket. Oh, and very very very very importantly, is champagne *really* included, or just a sparkly wine that comes with a different label?

And read those reviews online, too! See what people that came before you have had to say regarding all that – any horror stories or ecstatic praises will definitely help steer that choice. I nearly opted for this cheaper tour to save a few bucks but then actually read that passengers spent almost an hour waiting out in a cold field before that balloon actually launched! A hot breakfast doesn’t seem so appealing at 4 am in below freezing temperatures!

My Early Morning Start and the Pre-Flight Jitters

Brace yourselves: That is going to be an extremely early wake-up call. Most tours pick you up sometime about 4:00 am, so you want to prepare yourself and expect that kind of schedule and those dark hours. Yep, it’s hard, but just think about what waits! That drive through Cusco’s sleeping streets feels almost unreal. And everyone’s kind of in a daze.

That balloon launch site was somewhere in the Sacred Valley, that, probably about an hour outside of Cusco. Very when we got there it was just about pitch-dark except with all that pre-dawn glow. You actually can see that balloon lying flat on the ground, getting prepped for inflation, this absolutely huge, colorful thing! I gotta admit, that watching them pumping it up was actually part of all that fun.

Seeing this massive balloon slowly inflating, and towering taller and taller, this really cranks up anticipation. And then they do some safety briefings; and yet just try and really listen, because that information’s kinda very very critical. The instructions regarding all that landing posture are especially vital! With the pilot firing up that burner, this whole place fills up with heat and then it rumbles. At this point you’ll start to feel nervous tingles… Is that nerves? Excitement? A combo, for sure!

Taking to the Skies: A Breathtaking Ascent

Very slowly, carefully, this balloon starts lifting, and suddenly you actually feel lightheadedness! That ground falls beneath, seemingly fading away, and everything is remarkably smooth, you just realize! No bumps, very little noise actually, besides the periodic roar regarding all that burner blast above you. That is when you see Cusco starts stretching out ahead in all of its splendor, getting covered by this glowing morning light.

Our pilot was great, and so very knowledgeable, and pointing out every little thing: That snowcapped peak of Ausangate in the distance, small farming villages below us, that snaking Urubamba River twisting along that valley floor. The very feeling actually is indescribable – a silence apart from that burner, and the steady panoramic views unfolding under you. I completely wanted all of that to last forever!

At this altitude, it can definitely get fairly cold so make sure and really wrap up, especially considering the super early morning start. Layers that is, my friends, are going to become those best companions. So very much remember your gloves, beanies plus a very windproof jacket. Regarding the camera equipment, keep those batteries charged to capacity – these moments merit capturing and actually savoring every possible second.

Breakfast and Champagne Aloft: A Toast to Adventure

Ok, now for my favorite bits, it’s time for breakfast and those champagnes! Popping those champagne bottles thousands feet above terra firma as you admire that view definitely qualifies to fit “once in a lifetime.” Regarding breakfast itself, it ranged among tour groups; our offering was more continental – fresh bread, cheese, that local fruit plus pastries – and certainly delightful. In all honesty though? Regarding the view, it steals all that spotlight – strawberries and carbs became just an excuse for toasting that sheer gorgeousness!

Yet just imagine – bubbly actually fizzes within these flutes, reflecting golden colors that match that morning sun. A group just clinks the glasses in a very very celebratory unison, marking what is just a special, absolutely remarkable occasion. Taking sips regarding sparkling wine that has, by the way, slight tang and then bits of cool mountain breeze definitely add a heightened feel about this moment. It just feels luxurious, very magical – a pause outside everyday life to value just how gorgeous it actually is that landscape and adventure all around.

The Landing: A Bumpy End to a Smooth Ride

That balloon gradually starts going down is when that peaceful glide gives way to some anticipation… That landings can be sometimes slightly bumpy; my understanding is, our pilot definitely briefed this really well beforehand. It is essential that you follow those landing posture instructions to the letter: bending down very very low and holding firmly. This touching down became relatively smooth, despite a little scraping – but hey, is a part of that adventure!

When we hit the floor our support team came along fast and then anchored this balloon really quickly. Getting clambered up over the basket feeling a little wobbly, this earth looked completely different underneath my very feet. A whole experience feels sort of surreal almost; getting yanked so quickly from peace to being so grounded.

There actually can be some traditions around that balloon landings – our crew handed around pisco sours, which they described to me as regarding Peruvian grape brandy cocktail. Regarding such customs offer, that taste that’s locally flavored – both literally as well as regarding a communal element among fellow travelers after sharing anything spectacular, is one great added component in those recollections.

Was the Cusco Hot Air Balloon Ride Worth It? My Verdict

Alright, this real question! The Cusco Hot Air Balloon ride… it actually wasn’t that “once in a lifetime” experience that will stay lodged right there into my brain forever? Absolutely! I would seriously say. Yes, the fact that is kind of pricy, so expect that, as does being awake before any chickens ever consider waking. Having said that, floating without any sound about that Andes just to get bathed from dawn that is light alongside your champagne flute really felt peerless.

Those landscapes that seemed breath-taking in all those pictures? They somehow feel far richer during their own living, vivid hue – all that panorama spreads with such a wide hug of immensity which you might never truly feel being planted down below somewhere. From start till it has an end, I actually sensed I was treating each moment I captured on my phone. Any costs associated had to be very worthy just only one that rare quality and regarding perspective alone.

The main thing, and by the way here’s what is really very important if are really that considering spending just extra and going, go just one more that route will certainly lead your experience to soar greater highs still… Be certain your operators become so experienced along those regard towards having top most secure guidelines implemented well – then just completely surrender in an occasion filled both grace but even charm during times along the sky which won’t never ever exist from something to exist inside you again after it concludes… Because who knows which experiences remain throughout life while here though such like Cusco dawn within such heights might provide special meanings ever. I will personally cheer everyone should undertake to join such remarkable feats eventually someday!