Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Ride at Sunset
Recommended by 95% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Albuquerque, USA
- 3 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Admire views of the sunset over the Rio Grande Valley that few other visitors get to see on this small-group hot-air balloon flight from Albuquerque. Take to the skies with your certified pilot, who shares commentary along the way. Watch the evening light transform the Sandia Mountains and desert landscape, spot the region’s landmarks, and capture photos of New Mexico’s largest city. After touching down, toast your experience with a Champagne flight.
- One-hour sunset flight from Albuquerque with refreshments
- Enjoy breathtaking views of the Sandia Mountains and admire a colorful sunset over the Rio Grande Valley
- Learn about hot air balloons and New Mexico’s natural history from the expert pilot
- Wrap up the memorable flight with a glass of bubbly and other refreshments after landing
What's Included
- Professional guide
- Scenic hot air balloon flight
- Alcoholic BeveragesChampagne Toast
- Snacks
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 5601 Eagle Rock Ave NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113, USA
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Operating hours.2:15 pm
Itinerary
1
Rainbow Ryders Hot Air Balloon
3 hours 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- Minimum age is 5 years
- Not recommended for participants with knee problems
- Due to the nature of this tour and the safety of all guests, the tour operator reserves the right to refuse service to passengers who are intoxicated or show signs of intoxication. If, as a result, your tour is canceled, you will not be entitled to a refund.
- Flights can only be operated with safe winds, clear sky and no rain. In case of unsuitable weather conditions, you will be provided the option to take the tour on an alternative date or be refunded in full.
- Unable to fly anyone who is pregnant
- This is a shared basket flight, there will be anywhere from 10-16 total passengers in each basket
- Passengers 300lbs+ must purchase an additional space to ensure safety, comfort, and proper weight distribution during flight
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 6 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Kara_W
Our balloon ride was a great experience. The flight crew, Anthony, Jerry & Misa, were efficient with prepping for the ride and fun companions on the way to the launch site and back from landing. We felt safe and reassured with their collective experience, and they’re all clearly passionate about ballooning.
Reviews
4.8
based on 57 reviews
Greg_J, Jan 2026
Must-do activity when visiting Albuquerque. Especially if you miss the International Balloon Festival every October. The crew was informed and engaging. Champagne toast at the end. Wish the flight was longer. Amazing time!
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you for the wonderful review! We’re so glad you had an amazing time and enjoyed the engaging crew and champagne toast. It’s truly a must-do experience in Albuquerque, and we appreciate you flying with us!
Sonia_P, Nov 2025
Excellent experience flying this company. From setup, takeoff, flight, & landing amazing experience all around! Highly recommend them!
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you for the wonderful review! We’re so glad you had an excellent experience from start to finish. Your recommendation means a lot to us, and we’d love to welcome you back for another flight soon!
Dennis_M, Jan 2025
Our pilot Troy and the flight crew were awesome. Troy kept us informed of what we’d be doing , step by step, he answered everyone’s questions, and shared stories of his international flights all while emphasizing the importance of safety. Troy clearly loves sharing his passion for ballooning.
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Thank you for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear that Troy and the crew made your flight such a memorable experience. His passion for ballooning and commitment to safety truly shine through. We appreciate you flying with us and hope to welcome you back for another adventure!
Pamela_G, Jan 2025
It was cancelled by the balloon company and we did not go. Stop sending me messages! You gave me a refund!
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Hi Pamela, the messages are likely coming from Viator/TripAdvisor, not from our company Rainbow Ryders. A one star review can be pretty damaging for small businesses such as ours. If you are receiving messages from our company, please give us a call at 505-823-1111 so we can address and fix the problem.
Kara_W, Jan 2025
Our balloon ride was a great experience. The flight crew, Anthony, Jerry & Misa, were efficient with prepping for the ride and fun companions on the way to the launch site and back from landing. We felt safe and reassured with their collective experience, and they’re all clearly passionate about ballooning.
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Thank you for sharing your experience! We’re thrilled you had a great time with Anthony, Jerry, and Misa. It’s wonderful to hear their efficiency, passion, and expertise made you feel safe and added to the fun. We hope to fly with you again soon!
crystal_C, Dec 2024
It was one of the pricer ones but they were the only company that had openings. It was a great experience. They had clear instructions and the 3 guys that ran it were nice. The balloon ride was smooth. They offered drinks and a snack while we waited for them to load up.
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Thank you for the review! We’re glad you had a great experience with us and appreciated the clear instructions and smooth ride. It’s great to hear the team made the experience even better. We hope to welcome you back for another amazing adventure soon!
Denise_F, Nov 2024
This was an incredible experience and Anthony did an amazing job! Highly recommended. Truly once in a lifetime.
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Thank you for the fantastic review! We're so glad you had an unforgettable experience with Anthony. We appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back for another once-in-a-lifetime adventure soon!
Yuri_S, Nov 2023
Although the staff and crew were very professional and accommodating, the booking, event experience, and cancellation experience were all disappointing. 1st, we had to reschedule the ride to another day during our trip because they were not flying during the week as advertised on the Viator website when I purchased the tickets, and then it was canceled because wind conditions weren’t right. We drove around in their shuttle and waited about 2 hours looking for and waiting for the right conditions before the crew ultimately had to cancel the ride. Isn’t there a better system than releasing a helium balloon and waiting an hour for which way it turns or not? Then, canceling hasn’t been great either because we had to go through Viator to cancel and get a refund instead of getting it directly from the hot air balloon company. I’m still waiting for Viator to refund me my money. This was all very disappointing, and I may hesitate from booking anything through Viator again.
Claudio_E, Nov 2022
Great crew. Part of the set up. Awesome views . Skimming over roof tops. Up and down. Peaceful up there.
Champagne toast afterwards.
Response from Host, Dec 2022
We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed your flight with us in Albuquerque! The set up of the balloon is our favorite part, we hope you enjoyed it as well. We hope to fly with you again soon!
marissa_g, Nov 2022
One experience I will carry with me for the rest of my life! This is great experience to share with loved ones! The view is breathtaking! I will never forget the ride we took into the sunset!
Response from Host, Dec 2022
We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed your sunset flight with us in Albuquerque! We love being able to give our guests the most memorable experiences and are happy we were able to do that for you. Please come back and fly with us again soon!
Deborah_F, Nov 2022
The weather was perfect for a morning flight. Very peaceful and pretty scenery. Enjoyed our trip. The flight op guys worked very hard
Response from Host, Dec 2022
We are so happy to hear that you enjoyed your sunrise flight with us! Our crew certainly works hard to make sure our passengers have a great experience, and your notice of that is greatly appreciated! We hope to fly with you again soon!
Kenneth_G, Nov 2022
Such a wonderful, memorable morning! The takeoff, beautiful view, great pilot (Anthony), and landing made it a special experience.
drcindy98, Nov 2021
The most amazing experience ever!! A bucket list must!! The ride was so smooth & the view is breathtaking. Our pilot Chris was very professional & did a great job as well as his helpers. We would do this again in a heartbeat!! Thank you for making my daughter’s 17th birthday unforgettable!!
Forrest_H, Nov 2021
This was an experience of a lifetime. The crew were excellent and really enhanced the ride. Our piolet Troy is very knowledgeable and has lots of experience. The view was great and the mountains and sky at dusk were breathtaking. Would recommend this to everyone.]
Agnes Q, Jan 2020
We ended up not taking our originally scheduled ride because of weather cancellations (twice). Rainbow Ryders was very diligent about informing us about the cancellations in advance, and always gave us the option to get a refund or to rebook. Fortunately, we were able to rebook for our last morning in ABQ--so we ended up doing a sunrise ride, and we highly recommend it! After a briefing at the office, we took a van out to the field where we launched. Our pilot gave us very good explanations along the way, and pointed out spots to see. With perfect vertical control of the balloon he guided us to interesting areas (the Bosque, with excellent views of wetlands, downtown ABQ, and finally the field where we landed). We then took the van back to the office for the celebratory champagne toast (it was too cold to do this at the field). This was an excellent bucket-list adventure!
From $225.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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