Hot Air Balloon Festival Rides in Albuquerque, NM

Apex Balloons is one of the most personal, dynamic, exciting and experienced hot air balloon companies in the country. We have been providing safe, enjoyable hot air balloon flights for over 22 years. Apex Balloons offers hot air balloon flights in Albuquerque, New Mexico with a commitment to exceptional service that our guests have come to expect. We schedule and fly hot air balloon rides in Albuquerque launching daily at sunrise during the Albuquerque International Balloon Festival in October.


Who is Apex Balloons?

We are not a large company - in fact, we are entirely owner/pilot operated - and we firmly believe that allows us to offer a much more personal experience over the larger "big box" balloon companies out there that handle many dozens of passengers daily. We operate on a much smaller scale, operating one luxurious balloon with an extremely experienced pilot. We believe in quality over quantity.

Despite our small size, we are an established balloon company with many years of experience. Thousands of smiling faces have joined us in flight for an unforgettable experience that can hardly be surpassed. Check out what our past guests have said about their flights!

Owner and chief pilot Jon Radowski is proud of our absolutely perfect safety record throughout our history in ballooning, and strives to make your flight as enjoyable and memorable as possible. When you call to ask questions or schedule your flight, you'll talk directly to Jon - not just a secretary or answering service. Click here to read why else we firmly believe our balloon flights and service are the best available.

Why Fly With Apex Balloons?

Other companies in Albuquerque operate two separate shorter flights back-to-back each morning during the Balloon Festival, and their flight times can be as short as 30-45 minutes. Our flight lengths range from 45-90 minutes (and occasionally even longer), with an average of over one hour in the air. We boast the longest average flight times in all of Albuquerque!

With other companies, you might end up with a balloon flight that is over before you had a chance to really start enjoying it. Then, after climbing out of the basket, you'd be put straight into a van to be shuttled back to the meeting point to celebrate with a quick postflight toast given by a crew member. While this is going on, your pilot and crew you just made friends with are off entertaining a second group of passengers (and having more fun without you, which shouldn't happen!).

Instead of offering back-to-back "hops," we offer only one much longer flight per morning. This allows us to offer a far more personalized and unique hot air balloon ride experience, as all passengers will remain with the pilot and crew from start to finish. On our flights, you will have the rapt attention of the pilot and crew the entire time on a much longer flight experience. After we land, you'll be enthralled by the fascinating story of the origins of the earliest experiments and balloon flights while enjoying a traditional champagne toast and postflight celebration led by your pilot. The crew will work diligently to pack the balloon away as you watch, their hard work and dedication to the craft on display.

Hot Air Balloon Rides in Albuquerque during the Largest Balloon Festival in the World

We offer hot air balloon flights during the time of the big Balloon Festival in Albuquerque (October 4th - 12th, 2025). As with all hot air balloon companies in Albuquerque other than the Festival's contracted sole balloon ride concessionaire, we are not participants in the event. As such, our flights must remain outside of a 4-mile radius of restricted airspace surrounding the Balloon Festival launch field during that time. To some, it might sound like we're excluded from all the fun, but that's not the case at all! We think there are a number of really smart reasons to fly with us on the West Side of Albuquerque during the Balloon Festival:

Our flying area on the west side of the Rio Grande in Albuquerque offers a much greater range of scenery and landing opportunities than flights departing from the Balloon Festival launch site. Our preference is clear - and our passengers agree that our flying location offers a more interesting choice of scenery, and often affords a longer flight than those departing from Balloon Fiesta Park.

Although at least four miles away from the Balloon Festival, we will still have a truly breathtaking view of up to 550 other balloons lifting off silhouetted against the stunning Sandia Mountains. In addition, we find ourselves in the midst of our own separate hot air balloon gathering, as we are often flying among 10 to 30 or more other balloons from common launch sites alongside and around us. There's an abundance of amazing sights to see on our hot air balloon rides in Albuquerque during the time of the Balloon Festival.

We charge a little less than the flights offered directly from the Balloon Festival, and there's much less spectator traffic to deal with. Come out to the west side and enjoy a spectacular hot air balloon flight without having to deal with the early-morning traffic jams and throngs of spectators crowding the gates to the event!

One final note - Other companies may charge a $40 per person nonrefundable booking fee if you can't fly due to bad weather. Imagine the insult added to injury: A family of four would be charged $160 for the privilege of not going on a balloon ride! We're usually more disappointed than our passengers are on the occasions when we can't fly. We can't imagine making them pay our costs of doing business, especially after traveling from far corners of the country and from around the world to try this once-in-a-lifetime experience. If we can't fly due to bad weather, there is no cost to you whatsoever, and a full refund will be issued.

 

 

Take a break and suspend reality...

When you're engrossed in experiencing a masterful work of art, a phenomenon called "suspension of disbelief" often takes over, allowing the viewer to accept certain fantastic elements in the name of entertainment. A similar occurrence tends to happen while ballooning: "Suspension of Reality." Aboard a hot air balloon in flight, the real world seems to pause, and a dreamlike sort of fantasy dimension springs to life. Problems and worries melt away, and nothing much really seems to matter as you take on a new way of seeing the world from your vantage point high in the sky. There's no way to accurately describe the feeling of a hot air balloon flight other than to say it's nothing like you'd expect. There's no motion, no sense of height, no fear involved. The only way to truly understand this remarkable feeling of freedom is to experience it.

Following the traditions of the early ballooning aeronauts, we will embark on a serene journey highlighted by moments of excitement and surprise. As our guests of honor, your flight is guaranteed to be memorable, breathtaking and above all else, safe.

We begin by unfurling the hot air balloon's seemingly delicate ripstop nylon envelope and attaching it to the basket. You are welcome to join our ground crew if you'd like the unique experience of assisting with setup and inflation of the balloon, or you may choose to oversee or snap photos from a less-involved position. A powerful fan is used to introduce air into the ten-story envelope, and it billows with color, quickly multiplying in size in the crisp morning air. Soon enough the burner is turned on, breathing life into the now fully-inflated balloon as it stands vertical and begins to tug skyward. You then step aboard, and before you realize it, the balloon is airborne without even a jostle. Your magical journey begins!

Imagine that you are floating weightless like a cloud high in the sky, drifting peacefully with the breeze. The vast panorama below you stretches endlessly from horizon to horizon, a sight unparalleled by any other in this world. The next minute you are skimming low over the tops of trees, leaves brushing past as you view another rarely-seen perspective of the magnificent earth. Awestruck humans and wildlife below look up in wonder at your beautiful and mysterious chariot of the sky. Dipping your toes into the magnificent Rio Grande, you experience the divine sensation of walking on water. This effortless state of flight is some of what you might experience on a hot air balloon ride in Albuquerque with Apex Balloons!

The entire experience will span three to four hours from the meeting time. At the conclusion of our wonderful adventure, we will indulge in a traditional champagne celebration to toast our successful flight. All guests will receive a personalized flight certificate to commemorate the experience. Each group of passengers leaves as new friends rather than just customers. See what others are saying about their flights on the feedback page!

 

What's So Special About Apex Balloons?

We live for this. In short, ballooning is our life, our full-time occupation, and reason for existing. Experience counts for everything in ballooning, and our pilots come with all the highest qualifications and a minimum of a decade of flight experience each - usually much more. We take pride in our perfect safety record and state-of-the-art equipment. Everything we do is in the interest of our guests' safety and enjoyment. It's more than a job - it's a lifelong devotion to sharing the wondrous beauty that is what hot air ballooning is all about.

We are fully insured by an A+ rated hot air balloon insurance carrier, and all our pilots attend (and often present at) industry safety seminars to fulfill personal and professional continuing education goals. Our hot air balloons are checked each time they fly, are maintained regularly, inspected and overhauled yearly, and comply with all FAA regulations pertaining to standard passenger-carrying aircraft. However, that's the bare minimum that is to be expected of all hot air balloon companies.

So, how are we any different? Why choose us? There are a number of reputable balloon companies in Albuquerque. We're all pretty friendly. Some have been in business for much longer than we've been offering flights in the Land of Enchantment. You'll find that a few even charge less than we do! Ballooning in New Mexico is so enjoyable that you will likely have a good time no matter who you choose to fly with, but we truly believe our balloon flights are the best and safest that can be experienced. We offer what we consider the most fulfilling and fun hot air balloon flight possible at a reasonable price (our rates are at the bottom of this page).

We try to fly higher, longer, and with the most varied array of unique flight experiences. We'll climb as high as possible on our hot air balloon flights to give a grand panorama of the entire Rio Grande valley. The elusive "splash & dash?" We'll go for it whenever possible, and your feet will actually stay dry as we skim gently along the water's surface! We'll try to fly as long as conditions safely permit - and not just calling it a day when your minimum allotted time is up. All the little touches that we try to add to each and every flight are what makes it positively fun and special for you as well as us.

On top of what we offer in the air, we're all genuinely down-to-earth fun people, which makes it easy for you to have a great time with us. We've never had anyone leave who wasn't smiling - and that includes pilots, crew, as well as passengers! It might sound a little corny, but we'll go above & beyond to make your flight absolutely perfect in every way. The bottom line is that a hot air balloon flight is an adventure most folks may only try once in their lifetime. We look forward to sharing a truly wonderful experience with you.


Jon Radowski, Owner & Chief Pilot

 

Special Events & Group Flights

For occasions such as corporate outings, team-building workshops, family gatherings, weddings and other functions, we specialize in large group hot air balloon flight excursions. We can easily handle parties of 30 or more with advance notice. Large groups will be accommodated in multiple hot air balloons, with our largest balloon capable of carrying up to 20 passengers at a time in luxurious, comfortably-padded baskets. Be sure to plan ahead at least a few weeks for group flights, although we'll always try to accommodate last-minute bookings.

Hot Air balloon Engagements & Weddings

A hot air balloon flight is a very adventurous way to propose to your significant other. An exclusive flight for two will guarantee the basket to yourselves - with plenty of room to get down on one knee. She'll remember the day forever! In-flight photos and special arrangements are always available. We will do everything in our power to make your hot air balloon proposal perfect in every way.

We also offer spectacular hot air balloon weddings. Our pilots are ordained ministers and can officiate the ceremony, or you may wish to have your own officiant perform your marriage. The ceremony can be conducted either in the air or on the ground prior to liftoff. The marrying couple, minister and two witnesses - one of which can be the pilot - can all be carried in the basket of one balloon. Entire wedding parties can be carried aloft in one or multiple balloons.

Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Flight Rates

Please note that all pricing is per passenger.

Flight Type Weekday Price Weekend
Price
Balloon Festival Flight (Price per passenger)
(October 4-12, 2025)

$495-545 $595

Hotel pickups and Private Flights are unavailable during the time of the Balloon Festival except for large groups with prior arrangement.

All Albuquerque Balloon Flights include the following:

• Flight time of approximately 45-90 minutes (Balloon Festival Flights average just over an hour).
• Special post-flight champagne toast ceremony and refreshments. Non-alcoholic refreshments always available.
• Personalized First Flight Certificate
• Commemorative Drinking Cups
• Memories to last a Lifetime!

Hot air balloon flight prices shown above are current as of 10/22/2024. Prices are subject to change at any time.