The morning, hour by hour
From the 4 am pickup to breakfast after landing.
4:00 to 5:00 am: pickup from your hotel by 4x4 or minibus; Marina and Palm hotels are collected first, Downtown and Deira last. It is dark and quiet. Bring a jacket.
5:30 am: arrival at the launch site in the desert. The crew is inflating the balloon with fans, then the burners; watching it stand up in the half-light is half the show. A safety briefing covers the landing position: knees bent, holding the rope handles, facing away from the direction of travel.
6:00 am: lift-off, just before sunrise. The basket holds 16 to 24 people in compartments of four; everyone has a rail to lean on and a clear view. The pilot climbs to a few hundred metres for the sunrise, then higher for the horizon, then drops low over the dunes to spot oryx and camels.
6:30 am: on most flights a falconer's bird is released from the basket or from the ground and flies alongside, then lands back on the glove. It is a genuine spectacle and the best photo of the morning.
7:00 am: landing. Sometimes a soft standing landing, sometimes a gentle tip and drag for a few metres; the briefing prepares you. The crew brings the vehicles, a certificate is handed out, and you drive to a camp for breakfast.
7:30 to 9:00 am: breakfast at a desert camp, often with a short camel ride or a dune drive. Back at the hotel between 9:30 and 10:30, in time for the rest of the day.