Photos, Video and Drone Footage on a Marrakech Balloon Flight

Which Marrakech listing hands you photographs and which leaves it to you

Photography is the one thing these four listings treat completely differently, and you only find out which camp you're in when the balloon is already inflating. Here's how the collected listings split.

Listing	What you get	Price
BallOOning Marrakech	Photographer and drone included in the price	$149 at 5am, $146 at 6am
Marrakech Dream Ballooning	Drone or camera footage sold on the day, reported by a reviewer at 30-40 euro	Extra, paid at the field
The best quad ever	Nothing listed. Camera is on the bring list, and you photograph the inflation yourself	$145 at 6am, $146 at 4.50am or 5am
Marrakech By Air	No photography listed. Reviewers say staff will take pictures if you ask	See the price comparison

If you want the photos handled without a decision at 5am in the dark, BallOOning Marrakech is the only listing that puts a photographer and a drone in the included column alongside the insurance, the certificate and the 40-minute flight. At $149 for the 5am slot and $146 for the 6am, you're paying $4 more than the cheapest seat collected and getting a film crew for it.

Buying drone footage from Marrakech Dream Ballooning at the launch field

Dream Ballooning doesn't bundle photography, it sells it to you on the morning, and one reviewer put the cost at 30-40 euro. The same reviewer regretted saying no, which is the most useful thing anyone has ever written about balloon photography.

Take the pitch seriously for two reasons. It's offered before take-off, when you're half-awake and haven't yet seen how good the light is over the Jbilet, and it's the only way you'll get footage of your own basket in the air rather than of someone else's balloon from inside yours. Bring cash you don't mind spending, because a decision made at the field beats a refund request made from home. The full listing is broken down on the Dream Ballooning page, and the two operators with nearly identical names are separated on this comparison.

Shooting it yourself on The best quad ever's sunrise flight

The best quad ever puts camera on its what-to-bring list next to hat, sunscreen and comfortable clothes, which tells you exactly where the responsibility sits. The listing also promises you'll watch the balloon being inflated and photograph the preparation, and that's the shot most people don't expect to want.

An inflating envelope with the burner firing inside it, in the dark, is a better photograph than most things you'll take from 500 metres up. The 4.50am and 5am departures are the earliest slots collected anywhere, so the inflation happens in genuine darkness and the flight catches the sunrise itself. The 6am option at $145 is the cheapest seat on this site, but you'll be inflating in daylight. More on that split at 5am vs 6am.

Marrakech By Air and asking a crew member to take the picture

Marrakech By Air lists no photographer and no drone, but reviewers report staff who are happy to take pictures for you. That's goodwill, not a service, so don't book on it.

What it does mean in practice: hand your phone over rather than trying to get a two-person photo at arm's length in a basket with fifteen other people in it. It's the most reviewed listing collected, so the pattern of helpful staff is drawn from a large sample rather than one lucky morning. Details on the Marrakech By Air page.

Why you can't bring your own drone to Morocco

Before you pack a Mavic to solve this problem yourself, don't. Drones are banned in Morocco, and bringing one in without declaring it means customs will seize it and you won't get it back. If you do declare it, customs hold it at the airport and you collect it on the way out of the country. The ban is enforced through a circular from the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior sent to customs offices across the country.

This is exactly why the drone that appears in BallOOning Marrakech's included list is worth something. Operators fly them with permission you can't get as a tourist, so the footage is either bought from them or it doesn't exist.

Which departure slot gives you the best light for photos

The earliest slots collected are 4.50am and 5am, both on The best quad ever, and those put you in the air for the sunrise rather than after it. Dream Ballooning starts at 6am and 7am, which is the latest collected and means flat, bright, already-risen light for the whole flight.

For photography specifically, earlier wins every time. Low sun throws long shadows across the rural douars and the Oued Tensift valley, and the balloons themselves glow when the burner fires against a dark sky. By 7am you're photographing a well-lit field from above, which is nice but is not the picture you came for.

How long you're actually airborne to shoot

Your shooting window is the flight time, not the four or five hours the listing advertises, and the difference matters when you're deciding what to pay for.

• BallOOning Marrakech: 40 minutes, with the photographer and drone working that whole time
• Marrakech Dream Ballooning: 45 minutes to 1 hour, the longest airborne window collected

Dream Ballooning gives you up to 20 more minutes in the air than BallOOning does, which is the argument for paying for its footage on the day. The rest of the morning, transfer and breakfast included, is mapped out at how long a trip takes.

Getting usable photos from your own phone in the basket

If you're on a listing with no photographer, a few things done in order will save the morning.

1. Charge your phone the night before. Dream Ballooning's tickets actually require a charged smartphone, and a dead battery at 5am has no fix.
2. Shoot the inflation while you're still on the ground. It's the only part of the morning where you can move around and choose an angle.
3. Get a wrist strap or a zipped pocket. There's no retrieving anything you drop over the side of a basket at altitude.
4. Take your wide shots in the first ten minutes, while the sun is lowest.
5. Turn around and photograph the other balloons. Yours is the one thing you can't see, and there are usually several up at once.
6. Ask the pilot before you lean out. Baskets carry up to 16 or 19 passengers on the BallOOning flight and everyone shifting to one side is nobody's idea of a good time.

Should you pay for the photos or shoot them yourself?

Pay for them. BallOOning Marrakech folds a photographer and a drone into $149 at 5am, which is $4 more than the cheapest seat collected and the only version of this where you land with footage of your own balloon in the air without opening your wallet at the field.

FAQ

Which Marrakech hot air balloon includes photos in the price?

BallOOning Marrakech is the only collected listing with photographer and drone in its included list, at $149 for the 5am departure and $146 for the 6am. Everything else is either an extra sold on the day or your own phone.

How much does the drone video cost at Marrakech Dream Ballooning?

A reviewer reported 30-40 euro for the drone or camera footage, offered at the launch site rather than at booking. Bring cash, and expect the offer before take-off.

Can I bring my own drone to film my Marrakech balloon flight?

No. Drones are banned in Morocco and undeclared ones are seized at customs with no way to get them back, so any aerial footage of your flight has to come from the operator.

Does The best quad ever provide any photos?

None are listed. The listing puts camera on its what-to-bring list and promises you'll watch the balloon being inflated and photograph the preparation, so the record of the morning is entirely yours to make.

Which slot gives the best photographs?

The 4.50am and 5am departures on The best quad ever are the earliest collected and put you airborne for the sunrise. Dream Ballooning's 6am and 7am starts mean the sun is already up before you leave the ground.

How long do I have in the air to take pictures?

BallOOning Marrakech flies for 40 minutes and Marrakech Dream Ballooning for 45 minutes to an hour. Everything else in the advertised 4 or 5 hours is transfer and breakfast, covered on the breakfast page.