Hot Air Balloon Rides in Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley, California: 2 Operators Compared

Quick picks

Lowest price Balloons Above $250 per person for Hot Air Balloon Rides
Private flight Palm Springs Balloons $1,500 per group for Private Sunrise Flight

Every option side by side

Operator	What you get	From	Length	Group	Min age	Cancellation	Book
Balloons Above	Hot Air Balloon Rides	$250 per person			Not recommended for children under 5	Cancel or reschedule 48+ hrs ahead to avoid charges; no-shows billed in full. Weather cancellations not charged, rescheduled.	Check dates
Palm Springs Balloons	Sunrise Balloon FlightIncludes Van ride to the launch site and back, Champagne or mimosa toast, Soft drinks after the flight	$275 per person	2-3 hour experience, 45-60 minute flight	up to 10 passengers	Ages 5 to 100 (Peek listing)	If weather is unsafe, choose a reschedule, full refund or credit. Its Peek listing gives a full refund 24+ hrs before departure.	Check dates
Palm Springs Balloons	Sunset FlightIncludes Ride to the launch site and back, Champagne toast, Soft drinks after the flight	$350 per person	2-3 hour experience, 45-60 minute flight	up to 10 passengers		If weather is unsafe, choose a reschedule, full refund or credit.	Check dates
Palm Springs Balloons	Private Sunrise FlightIncludes Champagne or mimosa toast, Soft drinks after the flight	$1,500 per group	2-3 hour experience, 45-60 minute flight	up to 10 passengers		If weather is unsafe, choose a reschedule, full refund or credit.	Check dates

From each operator's own website, checked October 21, 2026. How we compare.

La Quinta check-in and San Jacinto Mountain views

Palm Springs Balloons checks in at 78752 CA-111 in La Quinta, then drives passengers to a launch site that changes from day to day with the wind. Its FAQ describes flights over open desert and palm groves, with Palm Springs and the San Jacinto Mountains in view. Balloons Above gives only an Indio business address and does not say where its flights launch.

Four ranges surround Palm Springs: the San Bernardino Mountains (north), the Santa Rosa Mountains (south), the San Jacinto Mountains (west) and the Little San Bernardino Mountains (east). Palm Springs Balloons' sunrise page describes the flight as a crossing of the Coachella Valley with desert and mountain views.

Pre-dawn check-in and a champagne or mimosa toast

Palm Springs Balloons' pages give no check-in time; the morning starts at the La Quinta meeting point, followed by a ride to the launch site. Flights last 45 to 60 minutes, with wind and weather setting the length. The sunrise page calls it a 2 to 3 hour outing; the FAQ says about 3 hours, including the landing celebration. Sunrise passengers then get a champagne or mimosa toast and soft drinks. Sunset flights run Fridays to Sundays from November to May, per the FAQ. Balloons Above books most rides for mornings and early afternoons and gives no timeline.

November to May flights and 110-degree summers

Palm Springs Balloons' FAQ gives the sunrise season as November 1 to May 31, while its sunrise booking page says September 1 to May 31, daily as weather allows. Both end on May 31. Summers in Palm Springs are extremely hot: daytime highs regularly top 110°F, 100°F is reached on about 115 afternoons a year and the record is 124°F, set on July 5, 2024.

Winters are mild, with most days reaching 70°F, and the city gets 4.93 inches of rain a year. Palm Springs Balloons offers a reschedule, a full refund or a credit when weather makes flying unsafe. Balloons Above does not bill for weather cancellations and asks online bookers for two preferred dates to allow for the weather. The Cathedral City International Hot Air Balloon Festival runs November 20 to 22, 2026, at 68700 Avenida Lalo Guerrero, with tethered rides from $30 and $350 flights operated by Zion Balloons.

Four-guest rates, sunset flights and walk-in baskets

Palm Springs Balloons charges $275 per person at sunrise and $350 at sunset, and private sunrise flights start at $1,500 for two. Its sunrise page lists up to 10 passengers, though its FAQ says its balloons carry 2 to 12 depending on the flight. Its booking listing on Peek shows ages 5 to 100 and a full refund up to 24 hours before departure. Weather cancellations can be rescheduled, refunded or credited.

Balloons Above charges $275 for a single guest and $250 each for four booked on one credit card, and asks groups of six or more to call. Online requests need seven days' notice and two preferred dates. Changes need 48 hours' notice, and no-shows pay in full. Its baskets have a door, so passengers step in instead of climbing over the side, and it calls itself one of the easier options for people with limited mobility. It does not recommend flying for children under 5.

Before you book

Dress in layers for the cool start and wear closed-toe shoes.
Anyone over 6 feet tall should wear a hat, since the burners give off heat.
Phones and cameras can come along as long as they are held securely during the flight.
Balloons Above needs online requests seven days ahead with two preferred dates, so book early in your planning.
Getting there. Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) sits two miles east of downtown Palm Springs. It is open all year, though most of its flights operate in fall, winter and spring.

The operators

Balloons Above

from $250 per person

Hot Air Balloon Rides

Age: Not recommended for children under 5

Says it was founded in 1979

Check dates All details

Palm Springs Balloons

from $275 per person

Sunrise Balloon Flight and 2 more options

Length: 2-3 hour experience, 45-60 minute flight
Group: up to 10 passengers
Age: Ages 5 to 100 (Peek listing)

Pilot chooses the launch site each morning by wind

Check dates All details

Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley questions

How much is a hot air balloon ride in Palm Springs?

Shared flights cost $275 per person with Palm Springs Balloons (sunrise) and $250 to $275 per person with Balloons Above, depending on group size. Palm Springs Balloons charges $350 for a sunset flight and from $1,500 for a private sunrise flight for two.

When is balloon season in Palm Springs?

Palm Springs Balloons' FAQ lists sunrise flights from November 1 to May 31 and sunset flights on Fridays to Sundays in the same window, weather allowing. Its sunrise product page says September 1 to May 31, so confirm early-fall dates with the operator.

Head to head

Balloons Above vs Palm Springs Balloons

More hot air balloon rides in California

All of California on one page

Sources

Prices and policies come from each operator's own pages, read on October 21, 2026. Seasons, rules and local details come from the pages below.