Amazing experience with a great team! We had Captain Morgan and he was great and kept us safe! Well organized and they provided celebratory champagne and snacks after. It was definitely worth it and I truthfully enjoyed the experience and checked something off my bucket list! read more

The pictures and videos I think describe this experience best: serene, beautiful, calming, and grounding. So I'll talk about the logistics. We did a sunrise hot air balloon ride, so we had to be up at 5am, and leave before 6am because it's about a 30 min ride from Phoenix. When you arrive, you register in and then they will assign you a hot air balloon pilot. Once everything is ready to go, each pilot will call out their own name for guests assigned to them to follow them to a van. Each van then takes each group to a place that's about maybe 20 min away to a different location to where they set up the air balloons to take off. Each pilot will go over key things to be aware off and how to enter into the cabin of the hot air balloon. There's plenty of time allotted to take pictures (lots of people dressed up so they could get cute photos with the hot air balloons as a backdrop), but keep in mind it's so cold early in the morning so you may want to bring a light jacket. After the ride, the pilot cracks open a bottle of champagne and juices so we can toast to an amazing ride. This was an incredible experience and I highly recommend it if you can (and for those afraid of heights, I promise the ride itself is smoother than riding a plane, it's the most slow and steady ride you can experience!). read more

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I hope this isn't a once in a lifetime experience because we had a BLAST! I truly underestimated all the skill and instinct that goes into hot air balloon piloting, and our instructor CJ was a master at it! Our ride was incredible with him, along with his crew Jackson and David, and I'd highly recommend them for your adventure! Book a sunrise ride... you won't regret it! read more

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AMAZINGGGGGG experience!!!! Hot air balloon has been on my bucket list for years and I'm so glad I got to experience this ride! Watching the whole set up from the beginning to end left me speechless. I never imagined how gigantic the balloon really is and what it takes to get that thing up and running, it's an entire team. Our pilot Kyle has thee best humor. I really didn't even have the time to be nervous cause I was too busy snickering at his jokes. He was very knowledgeable of the city and answered everyone's questions. Once we landed we all had mimosas for a celebration. We did the sunrise tour and it was worth every moment of getting up at 4am. 100000/10 recommend!! read more

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Bucket list item (COMPLETED) What an amazing experience! I honestly can't believe I conquered one of my fears! The weather was perfect, and seeing the sunrise was pretty spectacular. Patrick was our pilot for my group. He kept us laughing, answering any of our questions, and had such an amazing spirit. I came solo and everyone was accommodating to taking my picture when I asked. That was really helpful. Everyone is there to have a good time! After the ride was over we had champagne to finish us off! CHEERS! And they had snacks for us before leaving which was nice! The only con I would say is that I paid for the $15 pin and flute combo, and never received it afterwards. :( Other than that I would recommend anyone to take a ride in the sky with this business! read more

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This was one of my activities to do while I was in Arizona to celebrate my birthday. This was my second time on a hot air balloon. My experience was great! My pilot Morgan was cool & informative. The check in process was organized well. read more

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My first flight with Rainbow Ryders and everything was perfect! Chase team, all staff and pilot were friendly, helpful and knowledgeable, providing a smooth and memorable experience. I would recommend Rainbow Ryders to visitors as well as residents in AZ. Amazing for celebrating special events and the beauty of the desert landscape. read more

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Guess who had the best experience in all the world? Everything about this process was amazing. 1. The reservation procesd wss easy and it was a pleasant surprise that they only charge the booking fee and the the remainder after your flight. We truly enjoyed celebrating our 10yr anny and my 40th bday. 2. To our Captain 'Jessie of the Desert' I tip my hat! From being the most experienced flyer to being an all-around enjoyable host, he came second to the views. 3. I maybe become a morning person because of how smooth the process of registering and flying was. We also appreciated the cleanliness of the facitilies, thw yummy champagne, and the post-flying snacks. read more

Rainbow Ryders Hot Air Balloon Ride - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Glendale, Arizona

I flew with J and it was legit the best hot air balloon ride. It was my birthday so I decided to do something off my bucket list and with J's experience it made it worth while. After you land, you do get free champagne to toast. 1000000/10 would recommend. read more

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Wow! What an experience! I finally checked riding in a hot air balloon off my bucket list. Im glad I chose Rainbow Ryders. Their customer service and care made the experience that much better. The champagne toast at the end was a nice treat as well. My pilot Sunjay Gupta kept everyone calm on the flight and he was so passionate about his flying. I especially like the champagne story he shared at the end of our flight. I definitely will be adding this to my List of things to do when people come into AZ to visit. read more

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What a wonderful experience! Although I must admit, the higher we went in the sky, the more I questioned my sanity! Kyle was our pilot and did a great job showing us and talking about the city. We went high and we went low. We even saw a coyote. Afterwards, we celebrated we champagne. Such a great experience!! read more

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If you're in AZ and want to check off hot air balloon off your bucket list, this is the place to go!! I celebrated my birthday here and had the most amazing experience. We got lucky and had calm winds and although I was very freaked out in the beginning, I felt so calm and at peace inc who in the air. It was an absolute peaceful experience. I would recommend not standing next to the pilot because of how hot it gets and how LOUD it gets. Overall, the experience was great and most importantly, our pilot was amazing. The landing was also very pleasant. read more

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We had a wonderful experience with Patrick on the hot air balloon. He was informative and hilarious, never missing a chance to make us laugh. He shared lots of fun facts and let us know that we reached over 7,000 ft in the sky! He even rotated the balloon so each of us could get a full 360 view which meant plenty of photo/video ops. Each balloon had a different max capacity, ours held 17 people but it didn't feel cramped at all. We also enjoyed the complimentary mimosas after landing. As a visitor, I'm glad I got to cross this one off the bucket list! read more

Rainbow Ryders Hot Air Balloon Ride - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Glendale, Arizona

This experience was absolutely beautiful. I do think weather plays a big role, but we chose a sunrise ride after reading they're less likely to be canceled. Check-in is at 6:15 a.m., so it's an early start, but it was completely worth it. After checking in, you're taken by van to the launch site, where the balloons are set up right in front of you. There were about 7-9 groups, and seeing all the balloons inflate and take off together was stunning. The operation is very well staffed, with multiple crew members (about 4) per balloon plus a tour guide, which helps explain the cost. Our guide, Jesse, was fantastic--friendly, knowledgeable, and made the experience even better overall. Highly recommend! read more

We would highly recommend this adventure!! Staff was professional and made the whole experience enjoyable and entertaining. Jesse the pilot was amazing. read more

For years, I watched the balloons fly over my house and one day, I decided to fly over too! Close up, the balloons are humongous and colorful. After they were fully inflated, all of the passengers climbed into the large basket. Takeoff was smooth, relaxing and when we reached 4,000', it was remarkable!! Our pilot, Kyle, was entertaining, professional and answered all of our questions. As we descended, it was as smooth as taking off. I'd do it again, without hesitation, and I highly recommend this company of balloons enthusiasts... TY!! read more

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We had an amazing ride this morning with Kyle! He was informative, experienced and made the whole experience fun. Definite bucket list item, highly recommend! read more

Rainbow Ryders Hot Air Balloon Ride - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Glendale, Arizona

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Fabulous Ballon ride to 8000 feet. Knowledgeable and funny pilot, will return. KYLE WAS THE BEST! read more

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First time Hot Air Balloon Ryder! Amazing experience. Everything was so smooth and awesome! All or any fears went right out the window. I felt safe the entire time and it was so peaceful and relaxing. JRO was a great pilot/instructor. I highly recommend him and his 15 years of experience read more

Rainbow Ryders Hot Air Balloon Ride - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Glendale, Arizona

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Easy to schedule online. Check in was seamless. Everyone on staff was incredibly friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. Our pilot Jacob was very knowledgeable as to his job and the area. The flight crew did their job and we were up and flying quickly. After landing there was a champagne toast...nice touch! Upon return a simple snack bar was provided, another really nice touch! I never in my wildest dreams ever thought I would take a hot air balloon ride, but Rainbow Ryders provided an amazing experience! read more

Rainbow Ryders Hot Air Balloon Ride - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Glendale, Arizona

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Incredible experience! This was a bucket list item for me, maybe not the rest of my family! lol. We happened upon a deal so the 4 of us went. We were able to pay in advance. We did have to arrive at 5:45am! Quite the early morning. We met at their office. Once all the waivers are signed and equipment is loaded we travel in vans to our site for take off. The teams were all friendly and cheerful. What a pleasure. Once we get to the take off site, we get to see the Magic happen. They get the baskets set up and start filling the balloons with air!!! It's incredibly fast when you think about it and watch them set up. Finally, we get in the baskets. Thankful for steps and an easy climb in. There were 15, including the operator. Kyle was our operator and tour guide. He was great about pointing out sights and giving us background on what we were seeing below us. We even got up to a mile high! What a view. Just a beautiful morning. I would do this again and take more friends and family with us next time. Please note: my husband is not fond of heights and he enjoyed this and said he'd go again. Loved this experience. Checking off an item on my bucket list. read more

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This review is going to be short and simple. Three words: YES, YES, and YES!!! DO IT! read more

Everything was so awesome! We had pilot "J-Ro". He was fun, informative, interactive. He knows a lot about a lot where Arizona is concerned. The pilots and flight crew were very communicative with each other the whole time. (There were 6 or 7 other balloons in our group.) This was my first time in a balloon and was a little nervous but once we lifted off, I was good. If I go again, I would definitely request him as our pilot. read more

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Check off my bucket list . Definitely recommend the sunrise ride, bonus mimosa at the end! 10/10 would recommend for friend. Buy through the company directly not a third party because there is like a $30 difference with the 3rd party. read more

Rainbow Ryders Hot Air Balloon Ride - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Glendale, Arizona

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The experience of a lifetime! We came here for an unforgettable sunrise. Captain Morgan was very knowledgable and friendly the entire time. The basket is small enough that everyone has a good view. We got rebooked to the next day due to weather concerns. We loved hunting houses from the air. The balloon ride took us through the mountains. Our captain told us about Arizona and we learned about the saguaro cactus. The whole experience was much more calm than we expected and we felt very safe the entire time. read more

DO IT! I absolutely recommend the hot air balloon ride and rainbow ryders and have nothing but good things to say so I'm going to break it down below so you can just read the parts you may have questions about. The price was definitely worth the experience. The views were breathtaking and it was a bucket list item for sure. I stuck with only adding 2 photos to the review but truly could have added over 50 pictures and videos. Staff: I have so many things to say. But first let me start off with if you are nervous to do it, I felt completely safe and serene on the ride. I had Kyle as my pilot and Jane and Kyle's brother (I am so sorry I can't remember your name) as our supporting staff and they were all great. They made you feel safe and their energy was everything you needed at 5am. Kyle was funny and very knowledgeable about the local area (pointing out different sites) and about hot air ballooning. Price/Experience: The price and experience, for about 260 in total including the tickets, tip and souvenirs I still felt the price was worth the experience. As soon as you get to the site and sign the waiver there's not much down time. There's about a 20-30 min ride to and from the launch site and it's great to get to know the others joining on the ride and the staff. I personally enjoyed watching other balloons ascend and descend and the set up/clean up of the balloon I went on. There's even a little champagne toast and celebration at the end of the ride. And some prepackaged snacks while you're waiting to check out. The tickets seemed to sell out fast and seemed to be about 20$ cheaper if you buy them a few days in advance at least around the time I went (177 versus 199). The company: I would also like to say I very much respect rainbow ryders as a company. The hot air balloon ride has been a last minute decision for me. And I had called them Friday night asking if they had availability for Saturday sunrise. Unfortunately they did not but the staff was so kind and helped me get into contact with their "competitors" who could accommodate date me. Plans changed again and I ended up scheduling with rainbow Ryders and am very glad I did. Overall I highly recommend the company/staff and experience and I would totally do it again! read more

Rainbow Ryders Hot Air Balloon Ride - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Glendale, Arizona

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Such an amazing experience! Highly recommend to go. The views. It was so peaceful. Our pilot was amazing! Highly recommend John Thompson. read more

Rainbow Ryders Hot Air Balloon Ride - Eff'n Jon loved our pilot! - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Glendale, Arizona

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This was AMAZING! Everything about this company was ON POINT . Great customer service all around & BIG SHOUTOUT to MORGAN ! Morgan made us feel like family ! You can tell he loves his job. The way he made sure to update us on what they were doing and also making sure if we were always okay , was the best ! Thank you Morgan for being such an amazing person & big shoutout to his crew as well. Still can't believe how fast they were able to wrap everything up with just 4 of them . I loved everything about this experience! read more

Rainbow Ryders Hot Air Balloon Ride - Before pictures - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Glendale, Arizona

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Lovely people work here! They are all so happy and love what they do. Came the morning after flying in. Ended up being cancelled due to weather. They were so accommodating for a re-book. Came the next day and it went so smoothly. It's crazy how calm you feel when up so high. Enjoyed it so much. Their facility is super clean. Provide snacks when you get back. Highly recommend! read more

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BEST DAY EVER. This is the coolest experience, worth every penny. Our pilot Patrick was the best he made the experience even better. I would do this everyday if I could. And the champagne toast at the end was just beautiful. read more

Rainbow Ryders Hot Air Balloon Ride - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Glendale, Arizona

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I was in town visiting Arizona for my birthday weekend and wanted to check off a bucket list item. I came across Rainbow Ryders through a hot air balloon Google search. They had really good reviews online so my party and I booked a hot air balloon ride for Friday. I love that this company takes great precaution with customers, as they cancelled our Friday ride for our safety because the wind was too high. We rescheduled for Sunday and it was amazing! The experience was so peaceful and breathtaking not to mention we also had a really soft landing. I'd definitely recommend this experience and company! read more

Rainbow Ryders Hot Air Balloon Ride - Bucket List Hot Air Balloon Ride - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Glendale, Arizona

Fantastic experience for our family. Would definitely recommend. Worth every penny. Very well organized, professional teams, and smooth process. Tip your team! They are working hard for your enjoyment. read more

Beautiful ride and great landing. Our pilot was great very experienced and knowledgeable. I would do it again. Fun time

I was a little nervous to do this because I have a fear of heights. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget. Patrick was the best!!!! I felt so at ease with him being our pilot and he was hilarious as well! The whole flight crew was incredible and so kind! I've been warned about the rough landings but Patrick did such a great job at giving us a soft landing. The champagne toast at the end is the cherry on top! This experience is a must have and this company is truly wonderful! :) read more

Rainbow Ryders Hot Air Balloon Ride - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Glendale, Arizona

Patrick was the best captain! Definitely safety first with him but while keeping you safe he definitely knew how to make you comfortable as well with his humor. We had perfect weather for the balloon ride. We arrived and signed the waiver and waited on our captain. We had maybe 10 in our basket. Our driver was nice too and I can't remember his name but he was from Kansas. The ascension and decention was textbook perfection ! I thought maybe it will be a puppy landing but it was absolutely perfect. Wow! We were up I believe at 8000 ft. It was just still and quiet. And Angelica almost even except for the fire going up into the hot air balloon of course. But it was just beautiful. It was just mesmerizing and breathtaking and I'm so happy that I was able to experience this with my daughter and it's a memory that we were cherish and not forget read more

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Unbelievable experience! I did the sunrise flight. Our pilot was Jesse. He was fantastic, skilled and had a great sense of humor. I would definitely recommend this company for once in a lifetime event! read more

Top shelf service. Jesse Roholt was our pilot. He and his crew set us up to have a most memorable sky visit over NW Phoenix for a sunrise cruise. Congrats to Rainbow Ryder and it's staff. read more

We had a private AM ballooning ride with CJ as our pilot and Richard as all around support and manning the chase vehicle driver. Unbeknownst to me- my boyfriend planned this as our engagement, with CJ & Richard in on it. It was amazing. We had to arrive at Rainbow Ryders by 6 am then drive to a location for the set up, which was really cool by itself. Richard and CJ got this giant balloon set up in like minutes, fan starting to fill it up, hooked up to basically a picnic basket with propane tanks. Insane! The proposal was actually inside the balloon (nope, we didn't catch fire, I also didn't know they use a big industrial fan first to get it going). Inside it feels like you're in a big circus tent, with a breeze. It's pretty incredible. My bf proposed, CJ manning the camera; we then got out and they got the balloon inflated ready to fly. It is very smooth and incredibly quiet. CJ is VERY knowledgeable about ballooning and explained everything and anything, also really funny and a great guy to talk to, it was really comfortable. I can't imagine being in a basket a thousand feet in the air with a grumpy pilot/awkward silence. Yuck. I would recommend wearing layers, I was a bit chilly even though you have an open flame above you- heat rises (duh) and it won't keep you warm. We were up for about an hour or so, they explain a lot about the wind and landing, if there isn't a good spot you just kinda look for one so your ride may be a bit longer or shorter depending. Our landing felt really smooth, CJ warned it could be bumpy, kinda prepare for the worst/hope for the best, but it was really smooth. Really fun, the basket tips, he was basically parallel with the ground, we were hanging from our arms.. amazing lol. And you finish all that off with a champagne toast!!! I can't recommend them enough, Rainbow Ryders was great from check in to check out. Not just because I walked away as an engaged woman, lol; but for an experience that I think has lots of spots that could go wrong nothing did. We plan on another ride next time we're in town :) read more

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Intentionally customer service! The pilot was attentive. The process was wonderfully orderly but carefree. A great birthday. read more

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Major buckle list item. The entire experience was dope! The sound of the burners. Very peaceful and serene with amazing views of the city. The sunrise was spectacular. Our pilot Jon made the experience fun and informative. I was initially reluctant but I'm glad I went. After the landing, complimentary Champagne and juices while the team pack up the ballon. I would definitely do this again. read more

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