Gold Coast Hot Air Balloon Flight 1 Hour - BEST PRICE!
Traveler rating
3.5/5
Based on 24 traveler reviews. Ratings and reviews provided by Viator and Tripadvisor.
Quick answer
Is Gold Coast Hot Air Balloon Flight 1 Hour - BEST PRICE! worth booking?
Gold Coast Hot Air Balloon Flight 1 Hour - BEST PRICE! is a 1-hour experience in Brisbane, Australia, from $207 per person. It scores 39 out of 100 on the Outty Ranking, which we label “Worth a Look”, based on a 3.5/5 rating across 24 reviews. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the start time. Same-day spots are currently showing.
- Outty Ranking
- 39 / 100
- Rating
- 3.5/5 (24)
- Duration
- 1 hours
- From
- $207 per person
Float like a cloud on an express hot air balloon flight as you witness the sunrise climbing over the unforgettable panorama of the Gold Coast skyline. Watch the sun reflecting off the myriad of canals and waterways and view the surrounding forest covered mountains of the Gold Coast hinterland - this is truly the most spectacular hot air balloon ride in Australia. 1 Hour Hot Air Ballooning Experience!
What you get
About this experience
Float like a cloud on an express hot air balloon flight as you witness the sunrise climbing over the unforgettable panorama of the Gold Coast skyline. Watch the sun reflecting off the myriad of canals and waterways and view the surrounding forest covered mountains of the Gold Coast hinterland - this is truly the most spectacular hot air balloon ride in Australia. 1 Hour Hot Air Ballooning Experience!
What's included
Included
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
- Hotel/port pickup and drop-off
Not included
- Souvenir photos (available to purchase)
- Food and drinks, unless specified
What you'll see and do
Balloon Aloft Gold Coast
Our crew will pick you up from your hotel or meet you at the Foyer of the Star Gold Coast
15 minutes here · Admission included
Where it starts and ends
Meeting point
Brisbane
Hotel pickup
Pickup is available for selected locations. Pickup begins about 60 minutes before departure.
Ends at
Returns to the starting point
Before you book
- Cancellation
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
- Ticket
- Mobile Only
- Runs on
- Every day
- Group size
- Up to 30 travelers per booking
- Operated by
- Balloon Aloft Gold Coast
Know before you go
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Photos
What travelers are saying
Outty’s summary of the themes that recur across 24 traveler reviews. Written by us, not quoted from reviewers.
Photo opportunities
5 mentionsThe views and photo stops come up again and again.
The guide
4 mentionsTravelers single out the guide as the reason the experience works.
Knowledge and storytelling
2 mentionsReviewers describe the commentary as informative rather than scripted.
Traveler reviews
24 verified traveler reviews for Gold Coast Hot Air Balloon Flight 1 Hour - BEST PRICE!. Ratings and reviews provided by Viator and Tripadvisor.
A Dream Come True (wear closed in shoes)!
This was so fun (despite a lot of issues getting the booking sorted)! My mum got the tickets via Groupon and we marked the date in our calendars and booked accommodation on the Gold Coast and thought “Too easy!” The week before the balloon flight, my mum wondered why she didn’t have a confirmation email or instructions from Balloon Aloft so checked and saw that, despite booking the date already, she had to book it again? Super confusing and it turned out there was no availability on the Saturday anymore (despite her booking it already..?) We had to wait until 4.30pm to call and discuss it (you can call earlier but they’ll tell you to call at 4.30pm when they’re at a computer) and made a booking for the Thursday (not ideal since we’d booked weekend accommodation and one of us had something planned for Friday morning). Mum got an email which included a booking notification from Balloon Aloft and one from Groupon. Mum saw 16:00 so we drove up on Thursday afternoon and parked at The Star Casino and waited in the foyer. We kept waiting. Then I called Balloon Aloft and they said the shuttle was waiting for us at 4am and we were considered a no-show. Soooo long story short, Groupon gave us the wrong booking time (Balloon Aloft didn’t) and we had to pay an extra $102 each to rebook for the Friday morning (at this point I just wanted to get things sorted and you couldn’t book for Sunday until 4.30pm on Saturday and I didn’t want to risk it). Friday morning was more of a success. We got to The Star Casino and the shuttle bus was waiting (YAY!). Our driver, Nick was great and explained that he’d be passing around an iPad and told us how to check in etc. He also translated for other customers. He said we’d be driving to the Scenic Rim (YAY!) and stopping at Canungra to use the toilets before continuing to the balloon launch area (he was waiting for them to tell him where- locations change based on weather/wind etc). We parked in a field (you can leave your stuff on the bus but take your phone and sunglasses or a jacket if it’s cold) and walked in the dark through long grass and dried cow poop (use your phone torch and wear long pants and enclosed shoes) and saw the balloons being inflated. They’re so much bigger up close than I thought they were! They hold 20 people (21 including the pilot) with 2 rows of 5 on each side. Climbing into the basket was a bit tricky but the edge is big enough to kneel or sit on. My dad managed it and he’s had both of his hips replaced so I believe in you! The baskets have padding on the floor and the sides and there are loops of rope to hold onto when you’re landing. Our pilot was Paco and he was awesome! He’s got heaps of experience Hot Air Ballooning and has seen a bunch of skies around the world. He explained what to expect and what to do and not to do before we took off. I don’t think most of the group I was with understood English but nobody jumped out of the basket during the flight. I did have to gesture to some to make sure they were in the brace position correctly. It gets a bit hot the closer to the center of the balloon you are but only when the burners go off and then it’s fine. Theres a Go-Pro hooked up to the side of the balloon and the pilot will let you know when they’re taking photos. I felt a bit panicky when we took off and I realised I was trapped and unrestrained but it lasted a few seconds and I realised I felt safe and the basket was nice and high and above waist height (I’m about 5’11) and it was such a gentle, smooth flight (like the whole thing doesn’t lurch if you turn around or reposition). It was a beautiful view and we watched the sunrise and it was very peaceful (with the burners going off every now and then- I stopped jumping in fright after maybe the 5th blast). Paco pointed out a bunch of landmarks and we tried to spot Kangaroos but didn’t see any (lots of cows though!). When we landed it was about 3 gentle bumps on the ground and then the basket stopped. You have to wait until they tell you to get out and once you’re out you MUST hold onto the side of the basket so it doesn’t start floating away with less people inside. Tyson (I think that was his name?) and Nick were there to meet us and Tyson helped my dad and I get out (it was a bit more difficult getting out). Once everyone is out you tip the basket onto its side and can help deflate it (you walk along the side and push the balloon and fold it in while the pilot packs it up). I was glad to be wearing long pants because the field we landed in had even longer grass and plants. We walked back to the bus and Nick gave us ou flight certificate and a bottle of water (I was so annoyed because I forgot to bring water with me so I was THRILLED to get water). It was about 1 hour and 15 minutes to get back to the casino and most of us slept on the way. I kind of wish I’d worn a Go Pro or just not worried about taking photos because I feel like I took a bunch of average photos when I could have just enjoyed the experience and seen the view through my own eyes. Incentive to go on another balloon flight I suppose! Would definitely recommend! Just make sure Groupon doesn’t stuff you around and HOT AIR BALLOON FLIGHTS ARE ALWAYS IN THE MORNING!!!! Oh! One thing I was a little bit bummed about was that our balloon wasn’t a cool/pretty one. I had joked that I would be happy with “anything but a Remax balloon” and of course that’s the balloon we got. Haha. There was a cool balloon next to us that was black with an orange world map on it but it worked out because you don’t really see your own balloon once you’re in the air so I got some cool photos of the other balloon. My friend joked that Remax should be paying for our flight because it’s free advertising. Hooray for crossing off a Bucket List item!
via Tripadvisor
Good hotel
One Of The Best Hotel In Chennai Welmaintained hotel,all areas are neat and tidy , extremely happy with housekeeping ,the response of staff is so good I would like to specially venkat from housekeeping he is a very professional and dedicated person
via Tripadvisor
Lovely flight experience over scenic rim
Great peaceful calm air flight, with very helpful ground staff and pilot. Was long drive inland 1 hour to takeoff and landing sight from Gold costs
via Tripadvisor
False Advertising - not even the Gold Coast!
My friend and I went on a morning flight booked through a “Red Balloon” voucher. This voucher was sold as “Hot Air Ballooning over the Gold Coast”, to a cost of almost $500. Red Balloon’s website advertises the following false statements as listed below: - Hot air balloon flight over the Gold Coast - Watch the sun reflect off the myriad of canals and waterways and view the surrounding forest-covered mountains of the Gold Coast hinterland on this spectacular hot air balloon ride. - After the exhilaration of flying effortlessly above the Gold Coast skyline. Having read the above statements online, one could expect to be floating over the Gold Coast during one of their flights, but after experiencing the reality, I am left feeling completely underwhelmed and frankly, defrauded. Upon boarding the bus and finally departing close to 5:00am from the Italian Soccer Club, my friend and I had no idea we were about to embark on an hour plus bus ride out to Beaudesert. After a long bathroom break in Canungra, we continued on the bus ride and managed to catch the 6:18am sunrise, while still sitting on the bus, before eventually reaching a paddock in the country. By the time we got into the air at approximately 6:40am, it was well after the promised “sunrise” flight. I figured once we were up in the air, we must then make our way over to the Gold Coast and waterways (being my first time, obviously I had no indication of how long it would take to reach the coastline in a hot air balloon). After almost 60 minutes of floating above cow paddocks and farmland, it became apparent that we were not going any further, and then came down in a similar paddock shortly after. We landed in grass that was almost up to my chest, where we then had to assist in packing up the entire balloon and load it onto a truck. The pack up process took well over 30 minutes of standing in the long grass (I pitied the 90 year old woman celebrating her birthday at this moment). A glass of bubbly or a refreshment would have been a welcome addition, considering we were expected to stand in a paddock for 1/2 hour. Finally we got back onto the bus, and started to make our way back to the Gold Coast, or so we thought. Our driver Gary, after about 15 minutes of driving, then shouted out that he “didn’t recognise any of these roads and could someone open Google Maps and see where we are”. I thought he must have been joking, but sadly he wasn’t. A few passengers, snickering, opened their phones to see we were headed north towards Jimboomba, and then had to navigate Gary over gravel roads to get us back towards Beaudesert. This added on an extra 30 minutes or so to our bus ride. Our bus was the last one to get back to the Soccer Club at 10:00am, by this time we were absolutely starving and feeling sick from being inside a bus on winding roads. We seated ourselves and then had to chase down a waitress to place our breakfast order which came out, cold and unappetising, at 10:30am. By this stage the whole experience had taken 6 hours (not the 4 as advertised on the website) so we managed a few bites of our meals and left. I can’t express just how disappointed I was after the entire experience. It felt like a complete lie and I don’t think there was ever any intention of flying over the Gold Coast. My friend and I both live in Mudgeeraba, so seeing cows and farmland was hardly an experience for us. The weather was perfect, there was no wind in the morning, so they can’t use weather as an excuse, especially after reading review after review on TripAdvisor and Google, all the negative comments dating as far back as 2015, mentioning the long drive out to Beaudesert, floating over paddocks in the countryside, 2+ Hours travel time. Reading these comments further clarifies for me that this is obviously the reality of the tour.
via Tripadvisor
Off the bucket list
Friendly approachable crew, knowledgeable and answered our questions during our flight. Weather was a bit hazy but that didn't take away from the flight experience. Ticked off the bucket list, and will do this again in future with family.
via Tripadvisor
Good to know
- Duration
- 1 hours
- Free cancellation
- Up to 24h before
- Minimum age to book
- All ages
- Availability
- Bookable today
- Runs on
- Every day
- Price range
- $207 to $289
- Hotel pickup
- Available for selected locations
- Booked in 30 days
- 8
- Verdict
- Worth a Look
Why this scores 39
The Outty Ranking is a weighted composite. Here is how this experience performed on each component.
Gold Coast Hot Air Balloon Flight 1 Hour - BEST PRICE!: questions travelers ask
Practical detail on this experience, plus the wider planning questions for Brisbane.
How much does Gold Coast Hot Air Balloon Flight 1 Hour - BEST PRICE! cost?
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Prices start at $207 per person. The final price depends on the date, the time slot and the number of travelers, and peak weekends in Brisbane usually price higher than midweek mornings. Live pricing and remaining availability are confirmed on the booking screen before you pay.
How long does Gold Coast Hot Air Balloon Flight 1 Hour - BEST PRICE! take?
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Plan for about 1 hour from start to finish, not counting travel to the meeting point. Most travelers leave another 30 minutes on either side so the rest of the day in Brisbane is not rushed.
Is Gold Coast Hot Air Balloon Flight 1 Hour - BEST PRICE! worth it?
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It holds an Outty Ranking of 39 out of 100, which we label "Worth a Look". That score blends traveler sentiment (3.5/5 across 24 reviews), the depth of that review evidence, recent booking momentum, value for money against comparable last minute in Brisbane, and how flexible the cancellation terms are.
Can I cancel or reschedule Gold Coast Hot Air Balloon Flight 1 Hour - BEST PRICE!?
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Yes. Cancel free up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. Inside that window the booking is non-refundable, and no-shows are not refunded.
Is Gold Coast Hot Air Balloon Flight 1 Hour - BEST PRICE! suitable for kids and families?
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Yes, all ages are welcome. Families should still weigh the 1-hour running time, and strollers are easier on the earlier, quieter departures.
How far in advance should I book Gold Coast Hot Air Balloon Flight 1 Hour - BEST PRICE!?
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Around 8 people booked this in the last 30 days, so popular slots go early. Two to three weeks ahead is comfortable in shoulder season, while summer weekends and holidays in Brisbane can sell out a month out. Same-day spots do open up when other travelers cancel, so it is worth checking if you are already in town.
What should I bring or wear?
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Bring photo ID, your booking confirmation on your phone, a refillable water bottle and comfortable shoes. Dress for the weather in Brisbane and add a light layer if any part of the 1-hour experience runs outdoors or after sunset.
Where does Gold Coast Hot Air Balloon Flight 1 Hour - BEST PRICE! start and how do I get there?
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The exact meeting point and directions are on your voucher once you book, and they sit in central Brisbane within reach of public transport. Arrive 15 minutes early: late arrivals are treated as no-shows by most operators.
What are the best things to do in Brisbane?
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On Outty we rank every Brisbane experience on the same 0 to 100 scale, and alongside this one the highest scorers right now include North Stradbroke Island WILDLIFE Adventure Tour from Brisbane, Australia Zoo Day Trip from Brisbane, Ultimate Brisbane Walking Tour (Small-Group, Drink Included). The city page groups everything into most popular, highest reviewed, last minute and family-friendly so you can build a day around what actually delivers.
When is the best time to visit Brisbane?
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Booking patterns follow the same curve: prices and queues climb in peak weeks, while shoulder season gives you better availability on the top-ranked experiences and more room to change plans.
How many days do you need in Brisbane?
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Three full days covers the headline sights without sprinting. A workable rhythm is one anchor experience each morning, such as this one, an unhurried afternoon in a single neighborhood, then a food or nightlife booking in the evening. Five days lets you add a day trip outside the city.
Do I book through Outty or through the operator?
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Outty ranks and explains the experiences, then hands you to Viator to complete the booking with the operator directly. The price is the same as booking on Viator yourself, and Outty earns an affiliate commission on the referral, which is how the rankings stay free to read.
What is included in Gold Coast Hot Air Balloon Flight 1 Hour - BEST PRICE!?
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Included: All taxes, fees and handling charges; and Hotel/port pickup and drop-off. Not included: Souvenir photos (available to purchase); and Food and drinks, unless specified. Always check the voucher for the final list before you travel.
Does Gold Coast Hot Air Balloon Flight 1 Hour - BEST PRICE! include hotel pickup?
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Yes, pickup is offered, or you can meet at the start point instead from 13 listed pickup locations in and around Brisbane. Be ready about 60 minutes before the start time. You can also enter a custom pickup address when booking.
Will I get instant confirmation and a mobile ticket for Gold Coast Hot Air Balloon Flight 1 Hour - BEST PRICE!?
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Confirmation is sent by the operator after booking, usually within 48 hours; if it is not confirmed you are not charged. Mobile tickets are accepted, so you can show the voucher on your phone.
Is Gold Coast Hot Air Balloon Flight 1 Hour - BEST PRICE! wheelchair or stroller accessible?
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The operator notes: Not recommended for pregnant travelers. If accessibility is critical, contact the operator after booking to confirm arrangements for your date.
What happens to Gold Coast Hot Air Balloon Flight 1 Hour - BEST PRICE! if the weather is bad?
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This experience depends on good weather. If it is canceled because of poor weather, you are offered a different date or a full refund.
What do travelers say about Gold Coast Hot Air Balloon Flight 1 Hour - BEST PRICE!?
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Across 24 reviews averaging 3.5 out of 5, recurring themes include photo opportunities, the guide, knowledge and storytelling. The views and photo stops come up again and again.
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