Bring a phone or a small camera on a wrist strap, shoot the inflation on the field in the blue light before sunrise, and use the first half hour after lift-off, when the sun is low and the other balloons are around you. Nothing may stick out of the basket, so selfie sticks are banned on several flights, and drones are not allowed in the archaeological zone. Most packages exclude professional photos; a few include them, such as We Fly’s all-inclusive option with five digital photos.
Hot Air Balloon Flight + Breakfast at La Gruta + Pick Up in CDMX or We Fly
- 4.9/5 (4,822 reviews)
- 3–9 hours by option
- Free cancellation
- Operated by We Fly
Includes Shared balloon flight of 30 to 60 minutes · Travel insurance · Breakfast (flight plus La Gruta, express and …
You'll choose your date and complete the booking on Viator. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
The light: what sunrise gives you, and when
Balloons lift off at first light, so your photo window is set by the sunrise. Calculated for Teotihuacán’s coordinates in Mexico City time (UTC-6 all year), sunrise is about 6:33 in late October, 6:53 on 1 December and 7:05 on 21 December, then 6:38 on 21 March and 5:57 at the June solstice. Civil twilight, when the sky starts to lighten, begins roughly 20 to 25 minutes earlier.
That gives you three distinct sets of pictures.
On the field, before sunrise. You arrive around 5:30 for check-in and watch the balloons inflate, which Excellentravel and Vuelo en globo Teotihuacán both describe as the moment for your first photos. In winter it is still dark at that hour, and the burners light up the envelopes against a deep blue sky. This is where a phone’s night mode earns its keep, and where you can walk around, since you are not yet confined to the basket.
The first half hour in the air. The sun comes up low across the valley, and the light is warm and directional. Shadows of the other balloons fall long across the fields. More than 20 companies operate in the valley, and an AFAC inspection in March 2026 counted 46 balloons in operation, so on a busy morning you share the sky with dozens of envelopes. Those make the frame.
The rest of the flight and the landing. As the sun climbs, the light goes flatter. Use this part of the flight for wide pictures of the basket, your group and the pilot, and save some battery for the landing and the sparkling-wine toast.
Flights usually last 30 to 60 minutes. You will not be shooting the whole time, and the best pictures often come in the first ten minutes.
Phone or camera: what to bring into the basket
A phone does almost everything you need here. It is light, it handles the dark inflation well, and it fits in a zipped pocket when you want both hands on the basket edge. We Fly asks guests to bring a phone or camera with a strap, and that is the one piece of kit we would not skip.
A camera is worth bringing if you want detail at a distance. Whether you pass over or beside the pyramids depends on the wind, so a short zoom (the equivalent of roughly 24 to 105 mm) covers both the wide view of the balloons around you and the Pyramid of the Sun when it is far off. A long telephoto is heavy in a crowded basket, and you will not have room to change lenses.
Rules that shape your kit:
- Everything must stay inside the basket. GA-MX says this is by official provision, and Amigo Tours LATAM’s listings bar any object that remains outside it.
- Selfie sticks are prohibited by GA-MX and by Amigo Tours LATAM, on both its Viator and GetYourGuide listings.
- Backpacks and large bags often cannot go into the basket, so carry spare batteries in your pockets. Cold at dawn tends to drain them faster, and the average January dawn low at the nearest weather station is under 2 °C.
- No source we found sets rules for action cameras. If you want to clip one to your jacket, ask your operator before the day.
Take a few minutes before take-off to set the camera: exposure locked a little dark for the sunrise sky, burst mode on, flash off. Flash cannot light a landscape and only dazzles the people beside you.
Other experiences
Other Teotihuacán balloon flights to compare
More ways to explore the area. Each listing shows its own cancellation policy.
Which side of the basket?
You rarely get to choose. In a shared basket the pilot places passengers to balance the weight. Tlatoani Tours’ listing warns that the pilot may ask some passengers to move to the other side of the basket for that reason. Operators do not publish how many people each basket carries; one reviewer of a Visita Teotihuacan flight complained of five people on their side.
What you can do is be ready when your side faces the sun or the pyramids. The sun rises in the east, so the side facing it gets the backlit sunrise, flare and silhouettes, while the opposite side gets the front-lit, golden view of the balloons and the land. Both work. As the flight goes on, take turns at the rim with the people beside you; nobody minds a quick swap.
If photography is the main reason you are flying, a private basket gives you the whole rim. They cost several times a shared seat; see our guide to shared vs private balloon rides and the private balloon rides page for the options.
Photographing the pyramids when the wind decides
No operator can promise a route. We Fly says it seeks currents toward the archaeological zone and describes the drift over the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon and the Avenue of the Dead when conditions allow. GA-MX says it does not guarantee any direction or route, and Volare’s listing warns that sometimes the flight does not pass over the site. One reviewer of a Teotihuacán Feliz private flight wrote that they “hit the wind perfectly to go right over the pyramids”; others see them at a distance.
Plan for both:
- If you drift close, go wide. The Avenue of the Dead running between the two pyramids is the picture, and a wide angle keeps the full axis in frame.
- If they are a long way off, zoom and use the other balloons as foreground. A balloon between you and the Pyramid of the Sun gives the image scale.
- If you never get near, the valley at sunrise, the envelopes and your basket are still the story of the morning.
Our guide to whether balloons fly over the pyramids explains why the route changes from day to day.
Photo and video packages
Most flights do not include professional photos, and listings rarely print a price for them. What the listings say:
| Flight | Photos on the listing |
|---|---|
| We Fly, Teotihuacán Hot Air Balloons | All-inclusive option (about $258) includes a photo shoot with 5 digital photos per booking |
| We Fly, flight + breakfast at La Gruta | “4K photos and video with drone available” |
| Explora México Teotihuacan | Shows drone and professional camera footage after landing |
| Viaja Teotihuacan | Photo and video packages excluded |
| Visita Teotihuacan Mexico | Professional photo and video package excluded; ask at their offices |
| Excellentravel | Photos during the flight excluded |
| Amigo Tours LATAM (GetYourGuide) | Professional photographs excluded |
| Vuelo en globo Teotihuacán (GetYourGuide) | Professional photos at an additional cost |
GA-MX, an operator not sold on these platforms, also shows guests their photographs after landing. Expect to pay on the day if you want the operator’s pictures, and ask the price at check-in before the shoot starts.
Is a package worth it? Mainly for one picture you cannot take yourself: your whole basket in the air against the sunrise, shot from the ground or another balloon. If you are travelling alone or as a couple, that is the frame you will otherwise be missing.
On dates we checked in late October 2026, We Fly’s flight with breakfast at La Gruta cost about $143 for the flight alone and about $203 with the cave breakfast, without transport. Our review → Our prices page compares every option.
Drones, flash and the archaeological zone
Leave your drone at the hotel. INAH, which runs the site, lists flying drones among the prohibited activities in the zone, and commercial filming needs its authorisation. The drone footage some operators offer is theirs, shot as part of their package, not permission for yours.
On the ground, the rules are simpler. Ordinary photography at the ruins is fine. Two GetYourGuide pyramid tours note that flash is not allowed, one of them inside the temples. The Pyramid of the Sun cannot be climbed (as of spring 2026), so your high viewpoint at the site comes from the ground around it.
For the ruins, the light is best when the gates open at 8:00 and falls flat by midday. If your package gives you time at the site after breakfast, you will be there in late-morning light. Our guide to what to do after the flight covers the visit.
Frequently asked questions
Can I take my phone on a Teotihuacán balloon ride?
Yes. We Fly asks you to bring your phone or camera on a strap. Keep it inside the basket at all times, as GA-MX requires, and carry it in a zipped pocket for the landing.
Are selfie sticks allowed?
Not on several flights. GA-MX prohibits them, and Amigo Tours LATAM’s listings bar selfie sticks and any object that sits outside the basket. Assume they are not allowed unless your operator says otherwise.
Do balloon rides include photos?
Usually not. Viaja Teotihuacan, Visita Teotihuacan Mexico, Excellentravel and Amigo Tours LATAM list professional photos as excluded, while We Fly’s all-inclusive option includes five digital photos per booking.
Can I fly my drone over Teotihuacán?
No. INAH lists flying drones among the activities prohibited in the archaeological zone, and commercial filming needs its permission.
When is the best light for balloon photos?
During the inflation before sunrise and in the first half hour after lift-off. Sunrise at Teotihuacán is about 6:33 in late October and 7:05 in late December, and flights take off at first light.
Pick your sunrise
Flights leave at dawn and the best dates in the dry season fill early. Compare options and check your date.
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