Cappadocia is Turkey’s greatest sweep of surreal valleys and on the most attractive tourist spot across the globe. It is often considered to be one of the world’s best places to do hot-air ballooning. Formed as a result of a volcanic action, fairy chimneys are shaped into thin, rocky cones and wavy valley ridges by action of climatic factors such as rain and wind.
Hot air ballooning activity is ideally performed early morning, so be prepared to wake up at the dawn. All balloon vendors provide pick-up services to the passengers directly from their hotels. Once you have reached the spot/ destination, breakfast meal is served and meanwhile the balloon vendors organize the flight and gathers up all the other passengers from their respective hotels, and residences along with the payment clearances. Although your mode of payment details is recorded at the time of booking, but the final payment is only processed on the day of your flight.
When the flight preparations are completed, you are transported to the balloon launch site via 4WD jeep or a minibus, where you can physically see the sight of hot air balloon being inflated in the first light of dawn. Everyone then climbs into the basket, ready for takeoff. Passengers who suffer from mobility issues or less dexterity are evacuated by the ground crew. The fully inflated balloon is finally blown and you are flying in the air.
Fly High
The main attraction behind the popularity of Cappadocia is hot air ballooning because the balloons can descend very low to the ground during flight due less fear of being attacked by wildlife. Which implies that you can experience and witness the entire scope of the wacky landscape of fairy chimneys means from close and far above. During the flight, you can ascend to around 1000 meters high above the ground level and can observe bird’s eye view of the sinewy networks of the valley. Similarly, when you are descending downwards, you will fly over the valleys and orchard filled plateau.
The flight captain also serves the purpose of acting tour guides during the journey and introduce, guide you about local topographical features. The flight captains can understand and speak English along with native language Turkish and many other languages.
While you are in the flight, the ground staff is chasing you back on land below and will meet the balloon as it descends at the landing site which is mainly dependent on the nature and direction of winds. On days with perfect weather conditions, the balloon will often be able to land directly on the ground crew’s trailer.
Descending Down
After debarking from the balloon, you can enjoy a small meal at the landing site while the ground staff pack up the balloon. Most balloon business also lend/ award certificates to commemorate your successful flight as a token of appreciation. Once the balloon is wrapped up, passengers are dropped back to their respective destination from where they were picked up. The duration of the entire activity is almost 4-5 hours.
Flight Options
A standard hot-air balloon ride lasts for around 45 minutes to 1 hour, and a basket can easily carry up to 18-20 passengers at a time on an average including the captain. The total cost of whole experience is inclusive of all charges which includes pick and drop services, breakfast meal, post flight refreshments. Most companies also offer a variety of high-end hot air ballooning options. The only major difference is basket size, which ranges between 16-24 passengers along with the variation in flight timings.
You can also opt for the most exclusive option to book a private hot-air ballooning tour for your group. Private flights can accommodate your entire group in the basket, and you can easily enjoy your flight by capturing photogenic landscape sights with your loved ones.
Book Your Flight
There are around 20 competitors providing their services for hot air balloon flights in Cappadocia. Majority of their offices are based either in Göreme, Avanos, or in Ürgüp.
It is recommended that you do your bookings in advance. Often recognized by Federation of Aeronautical International hot air ballooning is safest air sport in aviation and it is Cappadocia’s most famous activity, particularly during summer season, perhaps because the balloons fill up fast. A lot of people do their hotel bookings and balloon flights together because there many companies partner with hotels and offer discount packages.
Voyager Balloons in Avanos is also a very well-known balloon operator, and their standard flights duration is 1 hour. They have bigger baskets though, which can carry almost 24 passengers at a time.
Göreme’s Butterfly Balloons is one of the most established and reputable balloon operators.
Their standard flights only carry up to 16 passengers in one flight, and the flight last for at least one hour. Their higher-end exclusive flight guarantees a 1.5 hour flight time and a basket that can only carry up to 12 passengers. Their breakfast meal is also very good.
Plan your itinerary in Cappadocia
Some people believe that you can visit Cappadocia from Istanbul or a coastal resort base for ballooning for a day trip, but they are mistaken because it is practically not possible. Ballooning is ideally done in the very early hours of the day, so you must stay up at least for the whole night before your flight if you want to head up into the air.
Although some visitors do stay for just one night because of their quick-fire itinerary, but they end up regretting over the fact that they should have spent more time or prolonged their visit.
Apart from hot air ballooning there is a lot more to discover about the many facets of Cappadocia’s charm. To name a few; this region’s cave churches, fascinating Byzantine relics of underground cities, monasteries, along with its wild topographical nature, are other notable attractions of this place.
Where to Stay?
The rough triangle formed by the area linking the Cappadocia villages of Ortahisar, Göreme, and Uçhisar and the small towns of Avanos and Ürgüp, are Cappadocia’s main tourism hub.
The valley of fairy chimney rock formations is densely surrounded by this area over which the hot air balloons fly over, including Cappadocia’s most famous Byzantine rock churches. All hot air balloon service providers offer pick and drop services to passengers from almost every hotel in the Cappadocia village to the balloon riding site, so it doesn’t matter which village or town you pick to stay in.
Göreme village is the hub of tourism having plenty of options available for hoteling. It is also situated right on the edge of the valleys. Many hotel room terraces present a breath-taking view which is ideal for perfect photography where you can watch the balloons hovering over the valleys in the early morning.
Uçhisar is also very good place to stay, which is centered round a rock citadel where you can have access to good views of the valley. If you prefer more amenities, both Avanis and Ürgüp offer small-town facilities such as banks, supermarkets, and cafes. Where if you like more traditional environment then ortahisar is the best choice.
How to get there?
The Cappadocia region has two airports; one is Kayseri Airport and other is Nevşehir Kapadokya Airport. Keysari Airport is commonly used which is located 75 kilometers east of Göreme in the city of Kayseri. Kayseri airport has more flight options available. Whereas Nevşehir Kapadokya is located 29 kilometers northwest of Nevşehir city. Cappadocia’s tourism center is 38 kilometers away from the airport. The good thing is shuttle bus services operate from both airports to the Cappadocia villages however your pickup needs to be pre-booked beforehand. Your desired hotel in Cappadocia can book the shuttle services for you in addition to the room. You can also hire a rented car which is easily available at both airports. The main roads in Cappadocia are in excellent condition and are clearly signed to guide you during the journey.
If you are traveling through a bus to Cappadocia, Nevşehir Bus Station is the main drop off location. Bus transport services also run from Ankara and Istanbul along with coastal resort towns such as Bodrum, Antalya, and Fethiye, as well as other various major tourists points such as Denizli and Konya.
