Cappadocia in Turkey is a world-famous tourist destination with incredible scenery – the fairy chimneys, cave dwellings, underground cities. But most of all, we know it for the stunning images of hundreds of hot air balloons scattered across the sunrise. A hot air balloon flight in Cappadocia is on many people’s bucket list. But is it worthy of the hype? Is it worth the cost? Is it just another tourist trend? What if you’re scared of heights? Read on!
FAQs about taking a hot air balloon flight in Cappadocia
How do I pronounce ‘Cappadocia’?
You’ll probably hear a few different pronunciations of ‘Cappadocia’, especially the ‘c’ at the end.The Turkish is Kapadokya with the hard ‘K’ instead of a ‘ch’ or ‘sh’, so that’s what I’ve been going with.
Where is Cappadocia and where should I stay?
First of all, many people don’t realise that Cappadocia is not actually the name of a town or city. It is actually a region containing several cities in the centre of Turkey, approx 3 hours south-east of Ankara. We stayed in Goreme – small enough to walk around, close to the hot air balloon launch sites as well as other attractions, plenty of accommodation, food and travel options. Other places to stay include Neveshir, Uchisar, Urgup, Ortahisar. Many people choose to stay in cave hotels built into the historical dwellings. I was also pleasantly surprised to see campsites with tents and campervans overlooking Goreme, which I imagine would be a really special stopover.
What currency do they use in Turkey?
In Turkey, they use Turkish Lira. At time of writing, the exchange rate is just under 50 Lira to the pound. However, we found in Cappadocia that they happily accepted euros in many places. It’s also worth noting that the ATM withdrawal fees are some of the most expensive I’ve ever seen (7-10%) and the withdrawal limit is fairly low. Ziraat Bank and Post Office didn’t seem to have such fees, but they also didn’t have cash when we tried them!
How do I get to Cappadocia?
There are regular flights into Nevsehir or Kayseri airports from Istanbul, with an approx journey time of
1.5 hours. Nevsehir is closer to Cappadocia so the taxi bill, a 45 minute journey, is less. Budget conscious travellers might choose a bus for about 10 hours from Istanbul – Turkey is big! We took a 4 hour bus ride from Ankara, which dropped us in the centre of Goreme. We found Otobilet and Flixbus are the best sites for booking buses in Turkey.
How long should I stay in Cappadocia?
We stayed two nights and had to cram a lot into that time. This required some strength and stamina – I’m talking up at 4am for a balloon ride, exploring all day and finally knocking out at midnight after a Turkish dinner and dance night! I’d recommend not doing that! Take at least three days, up to a week, to explore at a leisurely pace.
Exploring the fairy chimneys in Cappadocia
How do I book a hot air balloon flight in Cappadocia?
There are a lot of companies to choose from. Do a search, read reviews, look for offers. Some companies offer smaller groups or private rides. Your accommodation might have arrangements with specific companies. We settled on Flower Balloons booked through GetYourGuide, which had a reasonable price and good reviews.
How much does a balloon flight cost and what’s included?
This varies a lot depending on the company, tour size, and season. We went on a Thursday morning in the middle of August. It cost us £114 per person and included: pick-up/drop-off, approximately an hour-long balloon ride in a basket of 28 people, mini breakfast, certificate and ‘champagne’ ceremony. Most people also tip, so one needs to be mindful of this. The balloon company will also charge extra for their official pictures, if you want them.
Like most tourists, in the days before our trip we searched online hoping to find a deal for a balloon ride. We quickly found the prices were way out of our budget, some costing several hundred euro. Private tours can range in the thousands. Our hostel offered us a ride for £150pp. We have since met people who snagged great deals for even less than £100. We had resigned ourselved to staying on the ground, maybe finding a viewpoint or rooftop to witness the sunrise and watch other people in balloons. Then, a very last minute, final-ditch search at 10:30pm turned up a discounted rate on GetYourGuide. Success!
Is it safe? What if I’m scared of heights?
Well, I am scared of heights and I’ll admit to trembling knees and white-knuckle clutching the bars
upon lift-off, but then I realised how steady and peaceful the balloon was and how much control the pilots had. My advice? Face your fear and clutch tightly on to the railing until you can feel yourself relax. It is worth it.
Also, to put your mind at ease, the pilots have to be thoroughly trained and licenced and the balloon flights are actually overseen by the Turkish Civil Aviation Authority. They monitor conditions each day and decide whether flights can go ahead. Indeed, what you don’t often hear from the travel influencers is that balloon rides can be cancelled due to bad weather.
What should I wear?
This obviously varies depending on the season. For example, winter can be bitterly cold and bring snow. We flew mid-August when temperatures dropped to about 18c during the night but quickly climbed up to 37c during the day. We both wore shorts and a T-shirt with a thin fleece over the top. This might not be enough for other people, but we’re pretty good with cold – Scottish, after all! – and the sunrise brought warmth, as did the intermittent blasting of the gas being ignited to lift the balloon.
So what is a balloon flight in Cappadocia like?
My experience:
Setting out
We woke before the sun at approx 4:15am and were last to be picked up by a minibus at 4:45. We were driven to a nearby site where we were given a little bag each with a small packed breakfast of water, juice and a pastry. Huge fans started inflating the balloon on the ground as we waited near the minibus. Once it had enough loft, they lit the gas, using it to bring the basket upright. All around the valley and hills there were hundreds of other groups doing the same thing, little bursts of flame lighting the dark just as sunrise was glinting on the horizon.
We were quickly hustled into the basket, which is split into several sections by a kind of steel cage/bars. There were 28 of us in the basket, divided into different sections with about 4 people per little section; there were also two pilots. The size of the basket and how many of us were going up in it surprised me. This didn’t help calm my nerves!
Safety briefing
The pilots instructed us quickly on how to brace and kneel down in order to land again later. They also told us that this was the only time we were not allowed to video/photograph. And with that as our briefest of safety briefings, we were up, up and away!
The Flight
Ours was one of the first balloons up but we were quickly joined in the sky by the many others, just in time for the sun to rise over the hills. Stunning.
Now, I won’t lie, at first, my fear of heights was really rearing its ugly head… I was clutching quite tightly on to the bar in front of me, stomach feeling quite wrong as we lifted up and up, clutching at Adam beside me. But it was incredibly beautiful, and when the pilot stopped the flames blasting occasionally, there was such a quiet and calm.
I was surprised at how stable the basket was, and also how much control they had over where they could take the basket – I had assumed we’d fly up and just have to go where the breeze took us. It wasn’t like this though: one moment we were up high, and the next we were hovering down between the fairy chimneys! Then we were floating along a road, waving at people on rooftops. At one point we were mere inches from a campervan, literally chatting and laughing with the campers on the ground!
This did a lot to ease my fear. Although it was still a slightly nervous laugh from me when the pilot joked that it was his first time too! I mean, I think he was joking…
Back to Earth
We were up in the air, floating around over Goreme and the surrounding chimneys and valleys for about 45 minutes.
Eventually, the pilots told us that we were making our descent. We took our brace positions: me basically sitting on a squatting Adam and holding the handles. The pilot maneouvered the basket very skilfully towards a trailer where the waiting ground crew was ready to guide it down, pulling on heavy ropes. We had to wait in the basket for a few minutes while the balloon deflated and began dropping back down to the side. Then we clambered up over the sides of the basket and back to solid ground. It was a different landing site from the take-off site because of wind currents, but the minibuses were there to meet us.
After the flight
We were elated. Smiles all around. There was a ‘champagne’ ceremony – cherryade in flutes! We all cheers’ed while the crew threw petal confetti around and gave us a certificate – a nice touch.
Then they asked for tips for the crew and we gladly contributed. However, we felt slightly uncomfortable when they then asked for another $40 to access the pictures they’d being taking from selfie sticks and 360 angles during the flight. I’ve seen this on many other tours, but it always feels like an extra cash grab for activities you’ve already paid well for and tipped. The rest of the group was made up of an Italian tour group and they split the cost between them. We decided that we were happy with our own selfies and memories.
Afterwards, we were driven back to our hostel. We were back by 7am! We’d only been gone a few hours, but, in that time, had been up on the most beautiful adventure before returning back to earth.
So, is the bucket-list hot air balloon flight in Cappadocia worth it?
Yes. Definitely. If you have the opportunity to take a balloon flight in Cappadocia, do not pass it up. It is one of the most memorable experiences ever.
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I have always made a point of never accepting guest posts on AbFabTravels, but I have just made an exception! My daughter Beth is currently on a sabbatical and travelling the world. She has agreed to contribute a few articles, giving a young person’s perspective and insights into a different way of travelling. She is a fantastic writer so please check out her posts.
Hello, Travel Cappadocia would like to thank you for describing this experience so beautifully. We look forward to welcoming you on your next Cappadocia vacation. See you soon 🙂