Teotihuacán: Hot Air Balloon Flight & Buffet Breakfast from CDMX

4.96

(695 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

“If you’re nervous, just look at the horizon — not down,” joked our pilot, Armando, as we shuffled into the basket in the chilly dawn outside Mexico City. I’d barely slept but the smell of burnt coffee (and something sweet baking nearby) kind of woke me up. The balloon felt oddly solid under my feet, which I didn’t expect. When the burners roared to life, everyone went quiet for a second — except Armando, who kept chatting about how San Martín de las Pirámides is called the world capital of balloons. He seemed proud, like this was his backyard.

The takeoff was so gentle I almost missed it — suddenly we were floating above fields and rooftops, and then there they were: Teotihuacán’s pyramids, just sitting out in the open like some giant playground. The Pyramid of the Sun looked even bigger from up here than it did on foot last time I visited. Mist clung to the ground; someone behind me whispered “wow” in Spanish. I tried to say ‘Piramide de la Luna’ properly and Li laughed at my accent (fair). The air smelled faintly smoky, probably from all those early-morning fires below.

We drifted for maybe 40 minutes — could’ve been more or less; time felt weird up there. Armando pointed out tiny people walking along Avenue of the Dead and told us stories about ancient rituals (he said he’s done this flight hundreds of times but still gets goosebumps). There was a sparkling wine toast — not sure if it was technically legal at 7am but nobody minded — and then we landed with a little bump that made everyone giggle nervously. Afterward came a buffet breakfast that tasted better than usual because my hands were still cold from holding onto the basket railings. They handed out little flight certificates with our names on them; mine’s already wrinkled from being stuffed in my bag.

I keep thinking about that first quiet moment when we rose above everything — city noise gone, just wind and distant dogs barking somewhere below. If you’ve ever wondered what Teotihuacán looks like waking up, well… this is probably as close as you’ll get.