We were picked up from our Marrakesh hotel, Tui Blue Medina Gardens, at about seven in the morning – not too early to be up to catch the sunrise – and were whisked through the silent streets into the desert in about half an hour, just enough time to become fully conscious and take in the break of dawn.
The camp of Berber tents where we were welcomed by our pilot, was lit by candles, but we were quickly whisked away from this welcoming oasis to the strip where numerous balloons were in various stages of inflation. There is something so majestic about hot air balloons, and when you’re confronted with over 20 of them all straining against their ropes it really does get your pulse rate soaring while providing perfect photo opportunities.
We captured the breathtaking views of Marrakesh in a hot air balloon
Our balloon was at the edge of the group and after a slight hitch with a sudden breeze that had appeared from nowhere (they won’t take off in strong winds as it’s too dangerous and safety is their focus) we were asked to clamber aboard. The large baskets take about 12 people plus the pilot, and we were equally spread to stabilize the balloon.
I was expecting a sudden rush as we left the ground, but it was all very gentle, enhanced by the team of men who hung on to the basket until the last minute to keep things as smooth as possible. It’s silent up there, and very, very beautiful.
We enjoyed a gentle float up to the sky
(Image: Tui)
The only sound was that of the burner which the pilot occasionally turned on to keep the balloon inflated or to take it higher. We saw small farms and villages, a family gave us a wave from their doorway as we silently glided past.
The sun, which had been spreading a steady glow since our arrival, made a full show of breaking above the outline of the Atlas Mountains and it was all breathtakingly beautiful. We reached 900m, nearly 1km up, and for someone who is afraid of heights and whose legs normally give way at the top of a skyscraper, I was amazed at how calm I felt to be so high with nothing but a basket beneath my feet.
The only thing as high as us were the other balloons, and in the distance, Marrakesh spread out across the desert. After about half an hour we started our descent, slowly the hot air was released and the balloon gently returned to earth, avoiding power lines and roads.
We spotted small farms and villages as we reached 900m
(Image: Tui)
Our drivers had followed our progress and the team who had steadied our take-off were on hand to steady our landing. We had braced ourselves for this, but it really wasn’t necessary, there was a slight bump but nothing much, and we were down with our balloon slowly deflating in our wake.
We were sad it was over, this experience that I don’t think any of us will ever forget, but there was no time to dwell as we were swiftly driven back to camp for a Berber breakfast of flatbreads, eggs and hot, sweet mint tea.
We travelled to Marrakesh with Tui and booked our balloon flight through Tui Experiences prices start at £177 per person and includes transport to and from your hotel and the breakfast.
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