A Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Ride: What to Know

I have ridden in several balloons over the years, but a Cappadocia hot air balloon ride is the most iconic.

You’ve all seen the pictures. The rooftop where someone pretends to be eating breakfast while hundreds of hot air balloons float majestically in the background. The balloons have grown to become the thing that is most synonymous with Cappadocia.

Cappadocia

As a whole, Cappadocia, Turkey is beautiful. It’s a unique landscape with some of the most creative and historic structures you’ll ever see.

To start, it’s important to know that contrary to belief, Cappadocia is not a city. It’s a region located within central Turkey comprised of five provinces and over ten towns.

The most popular destinations for travelers, as well as those looking to experience the beauty of a Cappadocia hot air balloon, are the towns of Göreme, Ürgüp, and Uçhisar.

I stayed in both Göreme and Uçhisar, each of which has its own incredible things to see. I won’t get into the pros and cons of each town here, but I greatly preferred Göreme.

A Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Ride

I have to admit, after just taking a hot air balloon ride in Luxor, Egypt, I was really looking forward to experiencing another so soon.

However, there was one thing I wasn’t looking forward to. The early wakeup. I’ve never been a morning person, so when my alarm started crowing at me at 4:00 AM, I wasn’t exactly light on my feet. Three snoozes later, I finally rolled out of bed at 4:30.

The majority of the Cappadocia hot air balloon rides depart from an area known as Love Valley. So, depending on how far away your hotel is, pick-up time may vary. They snagged me from my cave hotel at 5:00 AM on the dot, but there were about four others in the van already.

They are very good at telling you exactly what time they’ll be there to pick you up. Don’t think you can roll down ten minutes late and be fine.

Too Early

Bleary-eyed, we eventually collected everyone from their respective hotels and arrived at the central gathering point.

These balloon companies may all be independent, but they still coordinate with each other and pool resources. However, that’s not to say that one operator is just as good as another.

We were dropped off at the initial gathering point in a large conference room fairly early so there was plenty of waiting to be done as it filled up. Eventually, close to 100 people had been packed in, and after a slow name check of everyone present, we were good to go.

Some operators provide breakfast at this point, but mine did not.

From there, it was a short ride to the launch fields, where preparations were being made for departure.

The balloons won’t all be up and ready to go as you arrive. Some may, but the majority will still be lying on the ground waiting to be filled. This is a slow process, but it’s interesting to watch.

It starts with giant fans that are used to force air inside and partially inflate them. Next, the burner, which is the device that spouts the flame, is turned on its side and used to heat the air within.

Slowly but surely, the balloon will begin to inflate. As this is happening, your captain will give you a few instructions. It’s nothing complicated, mostly how to hold onto the basket, don’t lean over the edge, don’t touch the flame, and how to land if it’s a soft or rough landing.

Don’t worry, you won’t want to touch the flame. It’s hot, and boy can you feel it!

The balloons are huge!

As these beasts slowly begin to make their way into the sky, everyone piles into the basket at once. For the best views, try to secure a spot in the corner of the basket. It doesn’t really matter which one as the balloon will slowly rotate on its own accord.

A corner spot becomes more important the bigger the balloon is. People are generally willing to move around within the partition, but some of these balloons hold up to thirty-four people (including the pilot). While the baskets may be rectangular, that is still a lot of people to share a railing with.

My booking didn’t tell me how large our basket was, but some companies price based on the size.

We have liftoff!

As you float up into the sky, you’ll be joined by as many as one hundred other balloons. When I went, Turkey was still getting back on its feet after COVID, so there were only around fifty, but that still looked like a lot to me.

As you float, you’ll be able to see everything from a new perspective. Unless, of course, you make the mistake of booking the same company I used.

It irritated me to no end, but my balloon only went above thirty feet off the ground twice. The rest of the time, it just skimmed the surface. There were a few moments while passing rock formations that I was convinced we would hit them.

I could have jumped out and safely landed on them; we were so close!

“Can we go higher?!”

I did end up getting vocal at least twice when I shouted out, “Can we go higher?” but that fell on deaf ears.

Unfortunately, not only was my ride the lowest, but it was also the shortest.

I spoke about it in real-time on my Instagram stories, but my balloon was the last to liftoff, and then the second one to land. So basically we took off late, went high once before returning to the bottom, and then went super high at the very end before landing.

It was quite frustrating, and I wasn’t the only one who noticed. The only reasoning that I could piece out was that the balloon owner was just super cheap and trying to save money on propane.

Don’t let this dissuade you, though, because the other balloons spent much more time high up in the air, and even though we were low, it was still a really cool ride with views that you’d never be able to see otherwise.

It was fun and majestic because even though we were the lowest balloon 99% of the time, the views were still amazing.

The weather and flying through the air.

While it may not seem like it, the balloon pilots are able to exert a degree of control over the direction of their balloon. They undergo a lot of training before they’re allowed to fly, and in that process, they learn to change elevation to catch differing wind directions.

This allows them to more or less steer in a limited fashion towards the landing zone.

Naturally, more wind would mean a faster speed, but Turkish authorities monitor the weather closely, and if they determine that it’s too windy, they won’t allow the balloons to fly.

Given Cappadocia’s landscape and its high elevation, this probably happens far more often than the balloon operators would like.

A soft landing… this time.

Prior to takeoff, the crew will go over what to do during a hard landing.

When I flew, we were fortunate enough to have a gentle landing. Our landing was so smooth that we came straight down and barely bounced as we landed directly on the company’s trailer.

This is in stark contrast to my hot air balloon ride in Luxor, Egypt, where we came in a bit hot. I don’t want to call it a crash, but that’s essentially what it was.

On that flight, we were moving fast, and the bottom of the basket hit the ground hard. It then raked its way across the desert before stopping. It was pretty fun, believe it or not.

This happened because it was so windy. Avoiding this is part of why they won’t fly on windy days in Cappadocia.

After landing, we were offered the opportunity to buy pictures that someone had been taking for us. We also got one for free that was taken before liftoff.

Booking a Cappadocia hot air balloon ride.

Now onto the important stuff.

Booking a Cappadocia hot air balloon ride is pretty easy as there are dozens of operators to choose from.

Currently, the price per person is around $125 to $200, depending on the operator.

The company I used was called Air Kapadokya, but as you saw above, I wouldn’t recommend them. They just happened to be who my hotel used.

Operators compete for your business so they will offer different things to try and entice you. These include things like a certificate that says you flew with them, a free picture, coffee, tea, breakfast, snacks, and celebratory champagne.

I would say don’t worry about the little things. If you have a choice, the size of the basket is the only thing of consequence, but even that is minor. I have had the corner in an eighteen-person basket, and a thirty-four-person basket and didn’t notice a difference. (Remember, try to get a corner.)

Looking to go alone? You are able to rent a private balloon for one or two people, but be prepared to shell out up to $5000. Hard pass.

You can book your hot air balloon ride through most hotels in the area, but be sure to book it far enough in advance. With a limited number of balloons, they do sell out. There’s an even higher probability of that happening with the full return of tourism to the area.

And remember, one operator is not just as good as another. Be sure to check reviews, and if booking through your hotel, find out what company they use.

What happens if your flight gets canceled?

Fear not; balloon operators offer full refunds if they are grounded. Or, if possible, they’ll bump you onto the next day’s flight. You can’t always count on being rescheduled though, because these do sell out.

Even if they don’t sell out, there could be two or three days in a row of grounded balloons. That’s way too many people to accommodate with rescheduling.

Additional Information

Restrictions:

It varies from company to company, but for many, ten years old is considered to be the minimum age.

There are companies that take children as young as six, but I can’t say that would be the best idea. The baskets come pretty high up, and I have a hard time believing that a six-year-old would even be able to see out.

Plus, having been in a semi-hard balloon landing before, it’s not something I’d want a six-year-old to experience.

For that matter, that is exactly why hot air balloons are not suitable for pregnant women.

Lodging:

Hotels in the area are the same as the balloons; they will sell out.

I went to Cappadocia in October, which is the shoulder season, and had trouble finding a place to stay when I spontaneously decided to stay an extra night; this was during the pandemic when tourism was already down.

Had it been high season, I probably would have been out of luck and forced to move on. Luckily I didn’t because then I never would have hitchhiked in Pamukkale, and my Turkey trip would have turned out quite different.

As long as you book your room in advance you should be fine.

I recommend booking what is known as a cave hotel. Cappadocia is famous for them. Their authenticity varies, but the best ones are carved right into the cliffside. Others are still very nice, but they are built from stone mined from the caves.

What to wear:

This largely depends on the time of the year, but basically, dress for the weather and remember that it gets colder, the higher the balloon goes. As for footwear, it’s best to wear closed-toe shoes. Flip-flops and sandals are no good.

Skydiving:

I am currently working on getting my A License, so of course, I have to mention skydiving. Should you have your B License, a Cappadocia hot air balloon jump is a real possibility.

This requires a bit more planning as a special permit is necessary since the balloon will go to a much higher elevation.

You can rent a rig, but tandem jumps are not offered. More information can be found at Skydive Cappadocia @skydivecappadokia.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see anyone jump while I was there.

So what do you think about hot air balloon rides in Cappadocia? Is it something that you would like to experience? Let me know in the comments below! And don’t worry, most balloons go much higher than I did!

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