Hot Air Balloons Over Ancient Pyramids // Teotihuacan, Mexico
On our recent trip to Mexico, Michia wanted to do something really special: taking hot air balloons up over the ancient Teotihuacan pyramids special. I was initially hesitant because 1. I thought it was too expensive, and 2. I’m afraid of heights, but as we began to put out WhatsApp feelers to some companies that operate these rides literally the night before we wanted to go, I decided that we should just go for it. And I’m so glad we did.
Having started planning so late, we were confirming tickets with Sky Balloons (our hot air balloon company) until 10pm the night before we had to get up at 4am. But we booked an Uber for early the next morning, and when 4am came, we were up and out the door to get to the hot air balloon fields by 6am.
When we arrived, it was still very dark outside, and they were just turning on the lights. They greeted us, took our info, gave us some coffee and pre-packaged pastries, and we waited as others slowly arrived.
Slowly, the sun began to rise, and technicians began filling the balloons, starting with just air, filling the balloon with air generated by a giant box fan. Once the balloon had been inflated enough, they blasted fire into it to lift the balloon up off the ground.
We were the first balloon in the air from our company, and as we slowly drifted our way from that field to the pyramids, we could see other balloons begin to fill and lift off the ground.
En route to the pyramids, we flew over expansive cactus farms, where they grow rows and rows of cactus for the nopales & tuna (the fruit of the cactus). They were so beautiful, but I was definitely afraid of falling into the field of them.
As we approached the pyramids, two balloons seemed to pose for us, pausing in flight directly over the UNESCO World Heritage site. The pyramids, massive from the ground, seemed much smaller from the air than I thought they would be.
As we floated, we watched the sun peek over the mountains, bathing the entire valley in a warm hue, and gently dismantling the mist that covered parts of the ground. Simultaneously, balloons were rising up out of the mist and dotting the skyline in a way that pictures can only try to capture.
Our pilot was fantastic, and navigated us to various vantage points for us to soak in the stunning scenery of the pyramids with the balloons.
Before we knew it, the flight was over, and we were landing with a gentle thud in a field surrounded by cactus. We didn’t quite understand what was going on, but they explained in Spanglish that we were going to follow this new guy (who showed up from nowhere).
He introduced himself as Antonio, and beckoned for us to follow him and his dog to his underground cave restaurant, named Mictlan. On the way, he pointed at a small cave that had a bed and explained that that was where he lived, and that he had lived there for 9 years, building this underground restaurant.
He was so proud of his restaurant, pointing out places they were expanding and showing us around everywhere, including the Temascal (or Mexican Sauna), the restaurant, and the future movie theater. At the bar, he gave us a shot of Mezcal and alcohol made with cactus.
I definitely found the entire thing more than a little sketchy, but Michia couldn’t stop raving about how much vision this man had. Antonio had spent 9 years (9 years! living in a cave!) working on this dream, seeing something in the area that few others did.
He took us back to where we had landed, and the pilot popped open a bottle of bubbly for us before we drove back to the takeoff spot. When we got back, we ordered breakfast, and prepared to meet my parents at the pyramids, about 5 miles away.
As we were finishing breakfast, Michia pulled out his phone to call an Uber, and as he was putting in the address, AT&T shut off Michia’s data because his bill had reached $500 in international charges. Long story short, Michia was on a super old AT&T plan that allowed for international data and calling from Mexico, but AT&T’s antiquated systems didn’t recognize the plan, and was charging for all his data usage, while customer support continually promised to remove the charges and clear the confusion. So frustrating.
In any case, we had no cell data, no wifi, and no way to get to the pyramids. After calling AT&T and them promising to fix it (without any true resolution), we called my parents and they were able to call us an Uber. Praise Jesus.
Seeing the pyramids on the ground was great, but they are way cooler from the air, and I’m really grateful we got to have that experience.
Here are some tips for riding in the hot air balloons over the pyramids:
Take the transportation the hot air balloon companies provide. We didn’t, but should have. The 1pm return (if you choose to visit the pyramids) is pretty perfect — we didn’t need much more time than that, even with our phone fiasco.
It’s not scary, even if you’re afraid of heights. I don’t do well with heights at all, but I was never scared in the balloon. The ride was very smooth (weather conditions have to be good for them to take off at all), and I was never afraid while looking out or down.
Wear what you would wear on the ground. Even though we took off before the sun was up, the heat to make the balloon rise was enough to keep us warm, even warmer, potentially, than we would have been while standing on the ground. This did make the time before the balloon ride chilly, because we didn’t want to bring extra layers we would have to carry later in the day.
If your schedule is flexible, WhatsApp a few companies and ask for discounts. Almost all the companies we spoke with were willing to negotiate, though that might have been because Covid has reduced tourism.
Some tips for visiting Teotihuacan:
Start at one end and walk the whole length, don’t start in the middle and walk back and forth. We started at the Pyramid of the Sun (the big one) and walked to the Pyramid of the Moon (the small one), then walked back along Calz de Los Muertos (the large Avenue of the Dead) back past the Pyramid of the Sun and to the entrance furthest from the Pyramid of the Moon. I do not advise this relatively redundant route.
Because of Covid-19, not everything was open. The Museum was closed, and climbing the Pyramids was off limits. We really would have loved to hike to the top of the pyramids, but they had fenced it all off.
Bring a hat, wear sunscreen, and bring lots of water. There is little to no shade in the entire area, so don’t let the sun ruin the rest of your day!