Balloon Ride over Cappadocia travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises, spa and resorts

Hot-air ballooning is one of the greatest way to travel: floating peacefully with the wind across the landscape. Over Cappadocia, it is truly sublime. This rugged region of central Turkey has some of the most stunning terrain in the world. Soft volcanic rocks have been eroded into strangely shaped pillars and stacks. There are hundreds of these ”fairly chimneys” in natural colours ranging from dark pink to yellow, and ballooning is sometimes the only way to see them.

You are collected from your hotel and taken to the launch site before sunrise. After the balloon is inflated, you climb into the basket. Take off is a gentle experience, like rising into the air on an invisible elevator. Then you fly over the valleys and rocks for about ninety minutes. After a gentle landing, passengers usually celebrate with a champagne breakfast.

Cappadocia is in the middle of a landmass with a great difference in night and day temperature. During the night, cold air accumulates in the valleys. Thanks to this reliable flow, which begins around sunrise, balloon pilots can fly almost every day of the year. Passengers can enjoy Cappadocia‘s great seasonal variety. In spring there is a carpet of miniature poppies in summer a rush of fruit and flowers, and autumn is the time of grapes. Winter is often beautiful, with a covering of snow. Some experts agree that Cappadocia is the best place in the world to fly. The predictable thermal conditions allow balloons to fly very close to the ground. Sometimes you fly low enough to trees to pick ripe apricots.