Who each Marrakech balloon operator refuses to carry
The four operators collected here don't agree on a single rule, so the person who gets turned away at one launch site might fly happily with the next. Here's every published exclusion, side by side.
| Operator | Won't fly you if |
|---|---|
| Marrakech By Air | Child under 3 years, under 3 ft (90 cm) tall, heart problems, over 110 kg |
| BallOOning Marrakech | Child under 4 years, pregnant |
| The best quad ever | Pregnant, heart problems, afraid of heights |
| Marrakech Dream Ballooning | Back problems, high blood pressure, baby under 1 year, anyone over 95 years |
Two things jump out. Only Marrakech By Air publishes a weight limit and a height limit, and only Marrakech Dream Ballooning writes down an upper age. If you're travelling with a two-year-old, none of these four will take them, and the closest you'll get is Marrakech Dream Ballooning's floor of one year.
The 110 kg weight cap and 90 cm height rule at Marrakech By Air
Marrakech By Air is the only operator here that puts numbers on your body rather than your birthday, and it's worth reading them before you pay $146 for the 6am slot.
- Maximum weight: 110 kg per person. If you're over it, the listing asks you to contact them in advance rather than turn up and hope.
- Minimum height: 3 ft (90 cm). A basket wall doesn't shrink for short passengers, which is the whole point of the rule.
- Minimum age: 3 years old.
- ID: a valid ID may be requested, and without one participation may be refused.
That ID line matters more than it looks. If your child is three and looks two, bring the passport, because the refusal clause is written into the booking conditions and not left to the crew's mood.
Pregnancy, heart conditions and blood pressure on Marrakech balloon flights
Health exclusions are where the four operators diverge most, so the right question isn't "can I fly" but "can I fly with this one".
| Condition | Excluded by | Not mentioned by |
|---|---|---|
| Pregnancy | BallOOning Marrakech, The best quad ever | Marrakech By Air, Marrakech Dream Ballooning |
| Heart problems | Marrakech By Air, The best quad ever | BallOOning Marrakech, Marrakech Dream Ballooning |
| High blood pressure | Marrakech Dream Ballooning | The other three |
| Back problems | Marrakech Dream Ballooning | The other three |
| Fear of heights | The best quad ever | The other three |
My honest read: silence in a listing isn't clearance. If you're pregnant and Marrakech By Air doesn't list it, that's an omission on a booking page, not a medical opinion, and the crew can still refuse you at the launch field at 5am with your hotel bed two hours away. The back problems rule at Marrakech Dream Ballooning is the one people underestimate, because landings can be firm and you stand for the whole flight. If heights are the worry rather than health, the nervous flyers page goes through what the basket actually feels like.
What happens when the weather grounds your Marrakech balloon flight
Balloons don't fly in strong wind or rain, and both listings with full detail build that into how they confirm your morning.
- You book, and nobody tells you a pick-up time yet. Marrakech By Air states the weather forecast must be checked before the pick-up time is confirmed.
- The evening before, around 6:00 pm, a WhatsApp message arrives with your exact pick-up time and location. Make sure the number you gave at checkout is the one in your pocket in Morocco.
- With The best quad ever, the pick-up window is 0 to 60 minutes before the activity, and the exact time depends on season, sunrise and weather.
- If conditions are unsafe, The best quad ever reschedules or cancels and offers you another date.
- Turn the new date down, because you're flying home or you've had enough of 4am alarms, and you get a full refund for the affected booking.
Separately from weather, both listings carry free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund, which is your own escape hatch rather than theirs. The full set of booking conditions is on the cancellation and payment page.
Insurance, safety briefings and how crowded the basket gets
Three details separate a flight that's organised from one that's merely cheap, and they're all published rather than inferred.
- Insurance is listed as included by Marrakech By Air and by BallOOning Marrakech. The best quad ever doesn't list it at all, which is a gap you'd want to ask about before the $145 morning flight looks like a bargain.
- A safety briefing appears in Marrakech Dream Ballooning's itinerary. The others don't put one in writing, though Marrakech By Air's reviewers describe the pilot explaining take-off and landing positions.
- Basket load at BallOOning Marrakech is 16 or 19 passengers in a shared balloon, while a Comfort compartment holds 3 to 5. That's a real difference in elbow room and in how well you can hear the pilot.
If the compartment size is what's swaying you, the standard versus Comfort comparison has the price gap, and the private charter page covers what $1,284 or $1,329 buys you in a basket of your own.
Morocco tightened balloon rules in 2025, and why that's good news for you
No accident or incident data was collected for these four listings, so nothing here is a safety record. What's on the public record is regulatory, and it's worth knowing before you book. Morocco's Ministry of Transport suspended the licences of three balloon companies near Marrakech in May 2025 after a pilot approaching Marrakech Menara Airport complained about balloons flying at dangerously high altitudes in the Rhamna region. The investigation found some operators had exceeded the number of balloons they were licensed to fly, and others had flown beyond permitted altitudes. Sanctions followed: one company lost its operating licence and was referred to prosecutors, another was permanently suspended, and others got temporary suspensions of two to six months. By October 2025 operators were waiting on a meeting with the ministry over a revised set of operational requirements.
Read that as a system doing its job rather than a reason to stay on the ground. The practical takeaway for you is simple: book through a platform with a paper trail and a refund policy, and treat any operator who flies when the forecast says no as the problem, not the hero.
Should you book a Marrakech balloon flight for your family?
Yes, if everyone in your group clears the specific operator's list, and Marrakech By Air is the one I'd start with at $146 for the 6am slot, because its rules are the most explicit and its 4.8 rating comes from 13,734 reviews rather than a few hundred. Book somewhere else, or skip it, if you're pregnant, travelling with a child under three, or carrying a heart or back condition, because the exclusions are written down and the crew will apply them at 5am in a field.
FAQ
Can a 3 year old go on a Marrakech hot air balloon?
With Marrakech By Air, yes, as long as they're also at least 3 ft (90 cm) tall, and a valid ID may be requested to prove the age. BallOOning Marrakech sets its floor at 4 years, and Marrakech Dream Ballooning at 1 year.
Is there a weight limit for hot air ballooning in Marrakech?
Marrakech By Air caps it at 110 kg per person and asks you to contact them in advance if you're over it. None of the other three operators collected here publishes a weight limit.
Can you fly in a Marrakech balloon while pregnant?
BallOOning Marrakech and The best quad ever both list pregnant women as not suitable for their flights. Marrakech By Air and Marrakech Dream Ballooning don't mention pregnancy, which isn't the same as approving it, so ask before you pay.
What if my Marrakech balloon flight is cancelled because of the weather?
The best quad ever offers you an alternative date, and a full refund for the affected booking if you decline it. Marrakech By Air checks the forecast before confirming your pick-up time, which arrives by WhatsApp around 6:00 pm the day before.
Is insurance included in a Marrakech hot air balloon ride?
Marrakech By Air and BallOOning Marrakech both list insurance as included. The best quad ever doesn't list it, so treat that as a question for the operator rather than an assumption.
How many people share a Marrakech balloon basket?
At BallOOning Marrakech, shared balloons carry 16 or 19 passengers, while a Comfort compartment holds 3 to 5. Private charters start at $1,284 with Marrakech By Air and $1,329 with The best quad ever.
Worth knowing before you book
- Marrakech By Air: minimum age 3 years, minimum height 3 ft (90 cm), no heart problems, maximum 110 kg per person, valid ID may be requested
- BallOOning Marrakech: no children under 4, no pregnant women
- The best quad ever: no pregnant women, no heart problems, not for people afraid of heights
- Marrakech Dream Ballooning: no back problems, no high blood pressure, no babies under 1 year, nobody over 95 years
- Weather: Marrakech By Air checks the forecast before confirming the pick-up time; The best quad ever reschedules or cancels in unsafe conditions, offering an alternative date or a full refund if declined
- Insurance included by Marrakech By Air and BallOOning Marrakech; not listed by The best quad ever
- Safety briefing appears in Marrakech Dream Ballooning's itinerary
- Shared balloons carry 16 or 19 passengers at BallOOning; Comfort compartments hold 3 to 5