I am terrified of flying on a plane, so I did this completely for my kids. I was shocked how peaceful and calm the ride was. It felt so safe. The views were spectacular. We loved our pilot Murray who was very professional and so much fun at the same time. The whole crew was great. I highly recommend World Balloon and will do this again! read more

This was an outstanding flight with great view of the whole Abq valley. I learned a lot of the history from the pilot. The only thing that was a little uncomfortable was the heat coming down from the bottom of the flame thrower to the balloon. I would suggest anyone who goes on these flights to make sure you stand away from the flame thrower. Its gets pretty warm underneath. read more

This was an amazing experience. The pilot and his staff were nice, professional and helpful. It was a first time for all of the people taking rhis ride, including my self. If you are thinking of doing this.... just do it. read more

Amazing ride along with amazing service. Murphy is an awesome Pilot for our ride. Jim was great too.

If we could give a 10 star review we would!! Randy, Jim and Fernando were the absolute best!!! Professional, down to earth, fabulous sense of humor, and very informative about the area, whether it was about the equipment, the geography, or a local's favorite breakfast place. The pastries and mimosas afterwards were just the icing on the cake of one of the best ways to kick off our vacation! Thanks for making us feel at home, guys, we love you!! read more

This was my first time to ride a hot air balloon. Our ride was supposed to be 45 minutes but was only 30 minutes! Also, we were floating so low we barely missed the tops of trees and mobile homes! Yes, that's right we flew over a trailer park most of our trip! Next time World Balloon should consider flying in a different location and a lot higher in order to enhance the customers experience because my experience was lacking read more

My wife and I took our first tour with this place. Our tour guide Murphy was great and very funny! He was constantly making jokes to make first timers feel more comfortable. We flew for about an hour. The views were beautiful, I definitely recommend this! read more

Our pilot Randy was awesome. Such beautiful scenery and the landing is very exciting. If you are in Albuquerque you have to take a balloon ride. read more

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Murray was awesome! Great ride over the city. Beautiful day to boot! Thanks for a great time by our team!

The flight was very smooth and enjoyable, we never felt nervous about our pilot's handling of the balloon. Heff provided some interesting information during and after the flight, the story at the end was the best! I would have enjoyed going higher for much of the trip, but maybe he had a good reason for not exceeding a certain altitude. Overall, we enjoyed the experience and felt safe the entire time. read more

This was my first balloon ride and I had a great experience. There was a little too much wind when we got to our meeting spot so the team moved us and we were able to enjoy a great morning ride. It doesn't hurt that you end the trip with a mimosa! Bring a few layers though, it warmed up quite a bit and you are under the flame. read more

World Balloon - Balloon and city view - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

What a crazy brilliant experience my wife and I had with the team from World Balloon -- Leslie, Gary, Thomas, Julie & Murray. There were issues with the burner, but the team kept on working -- and finally on a beautiful Sunday morning we had one of the best times ever! Thank you everyone from World Balloon read more

This review is for anyone reading these reviews and thinking about how awesome the experience would be, but has something holding you back from saying YES! Afraid of heights? Our ride was incredibly peaceful and gentle. The view from the balloon gives you a panoramic view of an incredible sunrise, a river lined with beautiful trees amidst the desert landscape and the amazing blue sky. There is no sudden acceleration. The "splash and dash" into the Rio Grande felt more like a "stretch your toe and go" - no splash or sudden descent, just an incredible gentle kiss to the surface of the water and and a slow descent back up. Murray is funny and kind and will talk you through your fear if needed. Worried about the physical requirements and stated maximum weight? Take a deep breath and reach out to the staff with any questions you have. I am over the weight and before my focus on saying YES to life experiences, I would not have asked if I could still go. I asked, and I was treated respectfully and kindly and told it was not a problem. Without me asking, Murray asked me during the setup process if I would like to pre-load, which means you sit in the basket as the balloon is inflated, then just stand up as the basket is stood up to prepare to fly. It was never embarrassing and I was grateful for the choice. Say yes. If you are tall (I am 6 feet), be sure to take a hat. Pre-loading means you'll be in first at the opposite end of the basket where the rest of the folks will climb in, so you'll be standing under the burner and next to the pilot. A hat will keep your head cooler. And you'll be standing right next to the pilot, which is great to be able to watch him fly the balloon and hear his narration during the flight. Klutzy? Accident prone? Convinced you'll be the one to somehow fall over the side, drop your phone or pass out? I'm all of those things and was so relaxed that I never worried about any of them once I was in the basket and lifting off the ground. Take a deep breath, and believe in yourself. If it makes you feel better, double check your phone replacement insurance and stand on the inside of the basket. Even as a 6 ft tall person, the basket was as high as my chest. You won't fall out. Promise. Worried about the description of the landing? That was my biggest fear. That I would smoosh someone if the basket tipped over or somehow manage to break some important body part. While it's the only part of the trip that was not gentle, it was also not scary. You are jostled a bit as the basket touches down and perhaps hops a couple of times as the crew secures it, but you have handles inside the basket to hold, and you have the padded basket rail to lean on. Murray will remind you several times to bend your knees to absorb any landing bumps and it is not bad. After the basket is secured, you'll all climb out and Murray will make you comfortable doing that too. Still not sure? At the end of the ride, you'll toast your experience with juice or champagne and be presented your certificate. When Murray asked if you are celebrating anything, and you say LIFE! He'll hand you a handcrafted balloon made of the cork and wire from the champagne bottle and cheer with you. And even though you feel a bit like the kid who gets the participation award for just showing up, you'll be pretty darn proud of it. And when you get back to your hotel, if a gust of air blows it out of your hand and right into the hotel lobby water feature, you'll soak your right arm to rescue it. And if it's embarrassingly wrinkled and sad looking, Murray will even send you a replacement so you can hang it on your wall with pride. In short, he, Julie and his team are incredible and you should book this trip NOW. read more

We had an amazing time on our morning flight with World Balloon! I'm terrified of heights, but Murray was a great pilot and everyone on the ground crew was really nice and helpful. The flight itself was surreal, and it was really interesting to watch the balloons being set up and inflated. I would highly recommend to anyone visiting Albuquerque! read more

Fabulous time with an A+ crew. Couldn't have been happier with our beautiful flight!

I took my daughter on a balloon ride for her birthday, and it was the best experience. We had such a great time and the pilot and crew were super nice, professional, and so helpful. We got to dip into the Rio Grande. And we had the best views you could imagine. I was more than pleased with the experience. We will be back for sure. read more

it was our first balloon ride and World Balloon was incredibble! We had Murray as our guide and he was fabulous! Him and his wife are very passionate about balloon flying and you can tell by just talking to them. The views were amazing and it was just enough time in the air. Murray was very knowledgeable of hot air balloons and the surrounding areas. He welcomed all questions from the passengers. Him and his crew were very funny and he shared the history of hot air balloons at the end of the ride! thank you World Balloon! read more

What a fantastic experience from first signup process to finish with champagne and goodies! World Balloon was world class in their organization and execution. Our chase crew was fun and made us feel relaxed and in good hands. Our pilot, Randy, was an absolute professional and in expert with obviously tons of experience to make ours the optimum! Go for it and may the weather and winds be on your side! read more

Booking was easy and convenient. Murray and his crew made me feel part of the family. Everything was explained well and they give a top notch experience. The ride was breathtaking and we were in the air just over the hour mark. A LOT goes into each preparation of ride and I highly respect their efforts! Great job!!! Thank you Lulu read more

Loved Murray and his hilarious crew of pilots! I had a great time soaring above Albuquerque and would definitely recommend this tour to anyone visiting. read more

Was an amazing experience! Whole crew was nice, funny and welcoming. These guys know what they are doing and make it even more fun!

So you have choices in Albuquerque for hot air ballooning- WORLD BALLOON should be your ONLY option!!! Not only did they give us the ride of a lifetime, they treated us with such personal attention and care. We left there wanting to keep in touch with the whole gang. We were celebrating my 11 year old's birthday and this will definitely be the year she never forgets- THANK YOU Ashley and the entire team at World Balloons!!! Xxx read more

Beautiful & peaceful ride. Enjoyed my first flight very much. Pilot was knowledgeable about safety procedures & reviewed before take off & landing but was very quiet during flight. Disappointed in that we just stayed around Coors Blvd about 1 mile north & then landed 1 mile south of take off. Flight was only 35 minutes. Was told at booking flights are 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes & usually landed near airport. read more

This was a big disappointment! The scenery was unimpressive. We left from a Village Inn Restaurant on Coors Blvd. The ride was extremely short like 20 minutes. The price was $250 but it was a Monday during Balloon Fiesta Week. Save your money! read more

This was my 1st time and I would do it again in a heartbeat, our tour guide personnel was awesome and the staff was also. Made this experience memorable. Would recommend this company 100% to anyone! read more

World Balloon - Sunrise view - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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World Balloon was an amazing well established and organized group. My fiancé and I had a wonderful time and felt very safe. Murray was very knowledgeable and funny and was above and beyond what we ever could have expected. I would suggest the early AM tour. Once we arrived at the launch location, we were immediately greeted and checked in. While in the air, every guide is consistently checking in with their dispatcher to regular where everyone is located and share information on wind currents at various elevations to better help other balloons navigate. It was truly impressive and I could tell the kids and even the adults felt very safe. Afterwards, they provided some mimosas and told stories of the history of hot air ballooning which was a fantastic bonus. I would definitely recommend these guys and will be back soon! read more

These people are awesome! Professional and fun. My family enjoyed this experience and definitely - highly recommend going with World Balloon if you are thinking about taking a balloon ride! read more

World Balloon - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Murray and the entire World Balloon TEAM were absolutely first class from start to finish. From our initial booking, through rescheduling due to weather, then covid, they could have not been more accommodating and friendly. Our flight was amazing, the crew was fun and the experience is one not to be missed. We fully endorse World Balloon and recommend them for your high altitude morning adventure! read more

We had a great morning flight with three other couples. All great people and our pilot Randy was dynamite. While we were in the balloon gondola we were not at all crowded. The experience was incredible, peaceful, and well worth it. read more

Great experience. Murray was an excellent pilot and an entertaining speaker. Enjoyed the ride and the stories afterwords. Amazing views, not possible any other way. Definitely worth waking up early for. read more

So much fun. Scott was a great pilot. Trip was so beautiful. The chase crew was amazing, very efficient with great senses of humor. We really enjoyed ourselves. read more

Awesome trip! Great experience. Super nice pilot and beautiful ride. Highly recommend

Nothing like we expected we thought we would be told some of the history of what we were flying over and all we were told is those black bumps use to be volcanoes. We landed by the interstate and the chase crew had gotten stuck trying to get to us. After the pilot secured the balloon we walked about 3/4 of a mile to the interstate where we were told about the first Hot air balloon. Then we were loaded in an Uber mini van and taken to our vehicles. No apple cider, mimosa, no flight certificate nothing. We could have rode the Aerial Tramway had just as much fun and cost $300 less. read more

An awesome experience with this team, a fantastic crew to make it a fun experience. Would highly recommend them

We went on our first hot air balloon ride on Dec 21, 2012. Captain Conrad and Julie on the ground made flight safe and enjoyable. Very professional! We loved the ceremony at the end with mimosas and muffins; commemorative glass, pin and certificate. Colder than cold. Bundle up if you do this in the winter. Just the right amount of commentary and history when up in the air. I highly recommmend! We flew on the Patriot--The flag balloon. read more

The crew and staff were funny and professional! Murray was our pilot. The view was awesome! There are only two companies that I selected from and I'm glad I picked World Balloon. The ride lasted 1:35 which was 35 minutes longer. The additional time was great to see the town, mansions, etc. Don't stand under the fire as it's hot. Be prepared to stand unless you take a smaller basket that has seats. read more

World Balloon - Hot Air Balloons Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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After parting with $600 for a private balloon ride, I expected something spectacular. Rather, the experience was quite pedestrian! For that price, I didn't expect to be put to work loading and unloading the balloon, even if it's part of the "experience". Had I known that the experience included getting grungy and dirty from the balloon "experience", I would have worn something more appropriate. While it was good to see the inflating of the balloon, I would have much rather slept in an additional 45 minutes, hopped into the balloon, and then ride around in the balloon, rather than get there at 7:00am to help with the prep work. The ride itself was fine but it seems as though all the balloon companies follow the same traffic pattern -- take off, follow the lead balloon, then land roughly an hour later. After landing, be prepared to get moist as you "experience" the manual labor involved of deflating and loading the balloon unto to the van. Was it enjoyable? Sure! Would I do it again? Not likely, especially since I had to work. Had they perhaps handed me some gloves so I didn't cut my hand while handling the ropes.....oh well... The champagne at the end was a nice touch, but why can't they serve you while you're up in the ballon? Maybe it's because the radios weren't working and the pilot had to use his iPhone to keep in contact with ground control. At the end of the day, it's a good experience. For the price of a private balloon ride, maybe not so nice. read more

The flight was amazing, however be prepared to work. Bring a pair of gloves, since you'll be tasked with holding the balloon down with 4-5 others during inflation. Upon landing, you'll be required to help re-pack the balloon and spend the rest of the day picking thorns and burrs out of your hands. read more

It's hard to know how to rate a balloon company because we'd never been in a hot air balloon before so have absolutely no point of reference. As far as I can tell this was a 4.5 star operation. As others have said they want you there prompt, to be on time is to be early type of place. We were literally pulling into the parking lot 1 minute after said arrival time and they were calling to see where we were! We would have been a few minutes early if GPS hadn't sent us to the wrong location. Anyway, the balloon inflates quickly and allows for some great photo opps. You have one last chance for a potty break then you hoist yourself into the large basket. One lady struggled getting in and out and made a quite ungraceful egress. Our basket holds 12 and we were at 10 so it was a little tight. The big guy next to me kept bumping me despite by efforts at staying small. When he would shift his weight to take a picture the whole basket would shift- it was a little unnerving for someone who isn't a huge fan of heights. With all the heads around you it can be hard to get a clear view unless you are looking below your section of basket. The ride itself was super smooth. We touched the tops of trees and came within inches of the Rio Grande. We spent most of our time hovering over homes, which wasn't very exciting after the first 20 minutes. Both my husband and I agreed it would have been cool to see something besides the tops of houses. Maybe it was our launch location but I guess from where we were there aren't many options. Now I realize it is a balloon so you can't expect to travel far so taking that into account it was still a really neat experience. We glided to a soft landing and the ground crew was great. It took 20 minutes or so to collect the deflated balloon and load the basket. Everyone pitches in to move things along. Afterward we piled into a 16 passenger van and headed back to our cars where we had snacks (muffins, fruit) and a champagne/mimosa toast. It was nice that they had 2 bottle of champagne for our flight. You get to keep the glasses and are given a certificate of flight and pin. Overall a very nice experience. Pricey, but nice. Now that it's checked off my bucket list I don' know that I'd be regular unless it was during a special event or a more scenic area. read more

Up, Up, and AMAZING If you happen to be looking for an opportunity to spend time with highly competent balloonists with a great sense of humor, enjoy breathtaking panoramic views, seek a little adventure in your life, and appreciate receiving valuable service for your money.......World Balloon is the right company for you! My friend and I booked with World Balloon after another company made a mistake with our booking and we both were grateful in the end because this family operated business is top notch! They took their time to ensure the conditions were safe; included those who were interested to participate in the setting up (I loved this part); flew us up high to allow a longer flight; shared pertinent information along the way while also allowing space for a serene flight; concluding with a champagne toast/snacks and historical perspective of hot air ballooning. They were open and receptive to everyone (inclusive). I highly recommend World Balloon! read more