Hot air balloon seems to be the first thing that people think of when you mention Cappadocia. It truly is an experience that you wouldn’t want to miss when you are in Cappadocia.
Read on for more information on how to book a ride and about my experience on a hot air balloon!
Always book in advance
Hot air balloons are scheduled to fly every morning (also in the afternoon during winter season) but it may sometimes get cancelled due to poor weather condition.
Another thing to keep in mind is that if your balloon flight is cancelled, it is usually difficult to reschedule to another day. Reason being: hot air balloon flights are extremely popular in Cappadocia so they are fully booked almost everyday. Unless someone pulls out their reservation last minute, the balloon company may be able to slot you in for the ride next day, but the chances are usually slim.
If you have limited days travelling in Cappadocia and really do not want to miss the flight, make sure to book your flight in advance. You can do so via your hotel or directly from the hot air balloon company.
We booked our trip with a local company called Urgup via their website. We went for the Classic Flight option: 1-hour ride with about 24 people in a basket. There are other options out there depending on your own budget and preference.
When we were searching online about hot air balloon rides in Cappadocia, about a month before our trip, we were surprised that a few of the top reviewed companies were almost fully booked.
Make sure to plan early!
Flight Day
At 4.30am, we were picked up by Urgup’s shuttle van from our hotel. They brought us together with other sleepy travellers to their office for registration. Light breakfast were provided before heading to the balloon take off site.
Along the way, you can see hot air balloons lighting up in the dark, just like blinking neon light bulbs. Was a really pretty sight and got me all excited!
Upon arriving, we were ushered to our balloons by the ground staff and were introduced to our pilot. We climbed into our basket, went through some safety instruction and the next moment, we started taking off. It all happened really quickly and after a short while we are high up in the sky.
I must say, the view of Cappadocia from above is different from what you see on ground, but equally beautiful. It was even more magical to be surrounded by so many hot air balloons at the same time!
When it’s almost time for sunrise, our pilot ‘parked’ us at a spot for the best sunrise view. More and more balloons appeared around us, filling up the sky, all waiting to catch sunrise. At this point of time, I felt really lucky that our balloon flight wasn’t cancelled, thanks to good weather.
The sunrise wasn’t as perfect as we’d expect due to clouds on that day, but the view of hundreds of colourful balloons filling up the sky was just too beautiful. According to our pilot, almost 150 balloons fly in Cappadocia every morning and most days are fully booked as more and more tourist visit Cappadocia.
After sunrise, our pilot continued our tour around Cappadocia, giving us chance to take plenty of photos and videos of the unique landscape.
One thing to note is that it gets really really cold up there, definitely less than 10 degrees (in May). Towards the end, I would’ve wished for a longer rider but part of me also wanted to go back to ground because it was just too cold.
We took off at 5.40am, stayed on the balloon for about 70 minutes and finished with a small champagne ceremony with the group. The package included a drop off back to our hotels after the balloon ride.
For those of you who are reading this and still considering on whether to go on a balloon ride in Cappadocia, I’d say go for it! It is expensive, but definitely worth for a once in a lifetime experience that you can’t get elsewhere.
If you’re interested in hiking, check our this article about my hiking adventure in Cappadocia.