If you want to do a hot air balloon ride somewhere in Turkey, it has to be Cappadocia. A Hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia is a beautiful experience. The landscape is unique in Cappadocia, and the aerial view of the hot air balloon flight adds to the thrilling experience. Think rugged rocky formations, chimneys jutting out of vast plains and pastel hued natural structures from above.
“Flying is for the birds, the sugar gliders and the dreamers.
Running is for the emus, the ostriches and the optimists.
Walking is for the snails, the lame and the cautious explorer…
Luckily, I love to soar above the clouds, through the heavens,
and journey to far distant galaxies and universes.”― Anthony T. Hincks
This Photo Log would convince you why a ballon ride is worth waking up at a brutal hour in the morning and worth the money you would splurge on the Cappadocia balloon ride experience. This certainly was one of the highlights of our Turkey itinerary for 10 days.
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Wake-up call for Cappadocia balloon ride
Your experience would depend a whole lot not just on the pilot and the company you choose for the hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia, but also on the season and wind factors. Whether it is a go or no-go for all flights gets decided daily by Turkish authorities basis local weather conditions. And yet, my husband and I got lucky with near-perfect flying conditions on consecutive mornings. We were travelling with our 15-month baby and had to do the hot air balloon adventure separately.
Dont think ‘get, set, go’ when you reach the start point of your ride! Let me state that this is not a rushed experience from the start to the end. Your wake up alarm would seem like it’s the middle of the night and the reality of the cold air would hit you when you get in the vehicle (arranged by your hotel or more likely, the balloon company with whom you have signed up).
Then you reach the starting point in near darkness and see this gigantic synthetic shiny material lying on the flat ground. Trust me, your first experience of the gas filling this synthetic material, which slowly but steadily starts taking the shape of a massive oval, would be a thrill.
While the pre-flight preparations were on, the flight captain gave all guests a briefing about the weather conditions of the day, how to get in and out of the basket, what to expect during the ride, what to do in case of turbulence and so on. Once the balloon was filled with gas, it seemingly took on a life of its own and had to be reined in for people to climb aboard.
Magical morning on a hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia
But once the umbilical cord was cut off and the balloon rose up in the air, it felt ethereal. As the hot air balloon rose gently higher and higher, panoramic vistas opened up.
Cappadocia hot air balloon flight: Soaring high
Once I had admired the sky shaded with pink-orange-blue hues and filled with numerous other colorful balloons, I got interested in the valleys, vivid rock formations and the interesting landscape beneath me. The flight captain pointed to the Deverent, Rose, Red and other valleys beneath.
The flight paths for each balloon ride would vary depending on the specific wind conditions and the flight duration chosen.
Unusual is an understatement for this landscape
I am not sure when some of us are visiting Mars, but there are a few other-worldly destinations here on Planet Earth. Cappadocia surely has to count as other-worldly.
This is why a hot air balloon is a non-negotiable part of any Cappadocia itinerary, even if you spend just one day in Cappadocia.
You get fantastic aerial views of Fairy chimneys in Cappadocia. These are one of the best natural landmarks in Turkey.
After an hour of gently floating in the air, the captain made a smooth landing. There are flight options available for longer duration which cover more valleys and plains, but I felt the 1 hour flight suited me fine. An hour’s flight gives you more than enough time to enjoy and take photographs of the amazing landscape.
We climbed out of the basket and the refreshments set up on a picnic table nearby were a delightful sight. I had left my cave hotel room very early in the morning and welcomed the light snacks, fruits and juices served.
Hiking or driving around the Cappadocia terrain is certainly recommended and you can check this guide on what to do in Cappadocia. I hope my personal account has covinced you to add a hot air balloon ride to your Turkey experiences.
It is better to take a bit extra to ensure a quality operator. Both my husband and I booked separate hot air balloon flights with Butterfly Balloons and were very satisfied with their overall services.
Check out the hot air balloon flight options:
Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Turkey FAQs
In my opinion, absolutely yes! The landscape I Cappadocia is surreal and an aerial view gives you a totally different perspective of it. Plus the sight of hundreds of balloons in the air against the first morning light is breath-taking.
There are a lot of options to take for a hot air balloon flight in Cappadocia. Prices vary as per operator, whether they put 10 people in the basket or 20. Prices also vary significantly as per peak season and off-season. In general, you can expect a Cappadocia hot air balloon to cost between USD150 – USD360.
You have to get up quite early to reach the site. In general, hot air balloon flights take off by 5 AM in summer months and by 6 AM in winter months when the wind conditions are the best. You would need to reach the site at least half an hour before the take-off for a briefing. And the pick-up time will vary depending on your hotel location.
The standard hot air flight in Cappadocia in about an hour. But there are options for longer hot air balloon rides in several companies, like 2 hours or even 3 hours.
This is a year-long activity. But the best time to go is during the spring (April to June) and fall (September and October).
You should carry a light jacket even in summer months. The extra layer is required as it gets cooler when the balloon rises up. It is best to wear comfortable shoes to stand in the basket for the ride.
In general, kids below 6 years are not allowed to fly. We went to Turkey with our 1.5 year old daughter and had to take hot air balloon flight on consecutive mornings while the other parent could be with the baby.
Pilots want to be assured that kids can hold on to the basket and see over it unaided. (this is typically a 6 year old). Passengers should be at least 4’6″ tall, so they can see over the edge of the basket and are able to adopt the landing position.
[This post was originally published in 2019, and later updated in 2023.]
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Beautiful view … adding this to my bucket list. BTW higher resolution pics would have been more indulging
This is a bucket-list experience! You are right about high-res pics, I got the size down to optimise page speed.
This post was completely a reminiscence of my experience of hot balloons in Cappadocia which I have written in my blog also. Glad you enjoyed this.
Isn’t it the most amazing terrain for a hot air balloon experience?