11 Five-Day Balloon Trips in the World Worth the Early Alarm

1.Egypt: Private 5-Day Tour, Nile Cruise, Flights & Balloon

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 248 reviews · 5 days · from $1,400Our pick

See Egypt’s greatest sights in five demanding but well-planned days. You’ll visit the pyramids with guides such as Jasmine or Nada, fly over Luxor at sunrise, cruise to Edfu and Kom Ombo, and reach Abu Simbel by road. Flights, hotels, meals listed in the itinerary, and private transfers are included.

“If you’re heading to Luxor, stop looking for a guide and go straight for Damiana! 😁 From the moment we met her, we knew we were in for a treat. Damiana isn’t just a guide; she’s a walking encyclopedia with a heart of gold. Her knowledge of Luxor’s ancient wonders – like the stunning Hatshepsut Temple, the awe-inspiring Valley of the Kings, and that other massive temple (we honestly didn’t even need to look up its name because she made it unforgettable!) – is nothing short of amazing. What really set Damiana apart, though, was how she made history come alive. Instead of just rattling off facts, she wove the…”

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2.5-Day Nile Cruise to Aswan with Balloon Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 168 reviews · 5 days · from $1,200

Travel from Luxor to Aswan aboard a four-night Nile cruise with private cabins, meals, Egyptologist guides, and air-conditioned transfers. You will see Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Philae, and Abu Simbel, plus take a felucca ride and sunrise balloon flight. Guides such as Amr, Heba, Mustafa, and Gabriel have earned special praise.

“I had the absolute best time! The ship was lovely, service was amazing. I enjoyed all of my guides. Omar Shareef was just wonderful! Such a nice guide, knowledgeable and really went above and beyond to make sure I was comfortable. He even made a stop at a market each day for extra water for me to take back to my room. There was only one guide that I thought seemed like she took me to places that she preferred I buy from. When I said I wasn’t interested in purchasing, she tried to get me to stay. I vocalized that I wanted to leave and eventually thanked the shop…”

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3.5-Day Nile Cruise to Aswan from Luxor with Hot Air Balloon Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 87 reviews · from $600

Spend four nights on a 5-star Nile cruise from Luxor to Aswan, with guided visits to Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, and Abu Simbel. You also get a felucca ride, full-board meals, air-conditioned transport, and a dawn balloon ride, weather permitting.

“This is a really good, enjoyable tour that takes you to the key attractions in Luxor east and west in a single day, which is perfect if you have a tight schedule. The guide and driver were really helpful and patient. Fully recommended.”

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4.5-Day 4-Night Nile Cruise from Luxor to Aswan include Balloon

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 78 reviews · from $650Top rated

Cruise from Luxor to Aswan for four nights, with the Valley of the Kings, Karnak, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, and a Luxor hot-air balloon ride. Meals, entrance fees, transfers, and a guide are included. Groups are limited to 15, and Ahmed Mounir has guided some departures.

“Sensational. We had one of the finest guides in Egypt in Ahmed Mounir. He was extremely knowledgable and made the tour a real pleasure. The boat, M/S Farah was excellent! The staff, food, facilities etc were all up to expectation. Our only recommendations would bRead more”

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5.5-Day Tour with Nile Cruise, Balloon, & Flights

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 27 reviews · 5 days · from $1,119

Join a private five-day Egypt journey with flights, a three-night Nile cruise, Cairo sightseeing, a Nubian Village visit, Abu Simbel, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Luxor temples, and a hot-air balloon ride. Guides such as Abanoub and Waleed Adnan have earned praise for clear, engaging explanations, though guide quality can vary.

“Egypt Tour Feedback – Luxor Experience In Luxor, my guide Laila was kind, but unfortunately very difficult to understand. Her English was limited, and her explanations lacked depth or context—often reduced to phrases like “This is Amun Ra” or “This is Ramses,” with no background or storytelling. I eventually gave up trying to follow. A major issue occurred during my cruise checkout. I was told I could leave my luggage at the reception since I’d return after the Luxor and Karnak tour. However, after the tour, the driver took me straight to the airport—without my luggage. Despite multiple reminders to both the guide and driver, they only replied “yes” without…”

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6.5-Day Nile Cruise to Luxor with Hot Air Balloon

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 19 reviews · 5 days · from $1,300

Spend four nights on a Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor, with private guided visits to Philae, Kom Ombo, Edfu, Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, and Hatshepsut’s temple. A hot air balloon flight and Abu Simbel excursion add two major highlights, though schedules can be tight.

“The tour operator failed to book a cabin for me on a ship. For the first half-day excursion, I had to contact GYG support to get pickup details, as the operator sent no information and did not respond to any messages. The guide also had no idea which ship I was supposed to be dropped off at after the excursion, and neither of us could reach the operator. Eventually, the operator contacted and instructed the driver to drop me at a restaurant on the outskirts of Aswan to wait for embarkation. However, the restaurant had no information about this arrangement, so lunch was not included as promised. The operator remained…”

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7.5-Day Nile Cruise to Aswan & Balloon by Flights

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 15 reviews · 5 days · from $1,400

Fly from Cairo to Luxor, tour Karnak, Luxor Temple, the Valley of the Kings, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, and Abu Simbel, then return by air from Aswan. You’ll spend four nights on a full-board cruise and take a sunrise balloon flight. Guides may include Mustafa, Rinet, Pola, Romany, Ahmed Ashraf, or Mina Gabra.

“What a terrible experience (Nice tours)terrible tours company, the tour supposed to be 5 days, but instead it was 4 days, they delayed the flight from Cairo to Luxor by 15 hours then we lost the first day which we paid for it, the transportation should have been with a bus, but it was most of the time a smelly horse carriage, and most importantly the fact that everybody ( Egyptians ) is trying to scam you and get every penny of you, even though we paid for the whole tour, dishonesty in Egypt is part of their culture I would say, you can see it everywhere, I will never…”

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8.5 Days Cruise Luxor, Aswan,Tours,Abu Simbel,Hot Air Balloon, From Cairo By Plane

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 10 reviews · from $1,259

Fly from Cairo to Luxor, spend four nights on a full-board Nile cruise, and visit the Valley of the Kings, Karnak, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae, and Abu Simbel. An Egyptologist guide leads the sightseeing, while private transfers and a hot-air balloon ride simplify a packed Upper Egypt schedule.

“Awesome trip. Not a western cruise experience but still relaxing. Zero entertainment but it’s in Covid times so that’s understandable.Air balloon ride was amazing.”

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9.Private 5-Day Egypt Tour with Alexandria & Balloon

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 5 reviews · 5 days · from $1,100

You’ll tour Egypt with private transfers and Egyptologist guides, visiting the Giza pyramids, Egyptian Museum, Luxor temples, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Abu Simbel, and Alexandria. The plan includes a 5-star Nile cruise, two domestic flights, and a sunrise balloon ride. Guides may include Jasmine, Mina, Fayez, or Nasser.

“Wounderful tour to the pyramids and the Egyptian museum. Jasmine the guide was friendly and very knowledgeable. We spent a good time at the pyramids. We recommend this tour . Highly recommend”

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10.5Day Nile Cruise From Luxor To Aswan Including Balloon,Abu Simbel

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · from $500Best value

Cruise the Nile between Aswan and Luxor aboard a 5-star ship with meals, transport, and an English-speaking Egyptology guide. See the High Dam, Philae, Kom Ombo, Edfu, Karnak, Luxor Temple, and possibly Abu Simbel and a hot-air balloon ride. Confirm those last two inclusions before booking.

“I had the pleasure of having Mustafa Fahim as a tour guide for our trip Cruz Aswan- Luxor. Mustafa is extremely professional, knowledgeable, loves what he does, very supportive, helpful, have a sence of hummer, and can help you arrRead more”

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11.5 Days Istanbul to Cappadocia by Plane + Hot air Balloon

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2 reviews · 5 days · from $1,299

Fly from Istanbul to Cappadocia for four hotel nights, a sunrise balloon ride, sunset quad biking, and two full sightseeing days. An English-speaking guide leads you to Göreme, Derinkuyu, Ihlara Valley, Avanos, and more, with flights, transfers, meals, entrance fees, and a small group included.

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