Cappadocia: land of hot air balloons

Magical city to tick some things off your bucket list. Is it touristy? Definitely, BUT it is worth the hype, trust me.

Getting there

Took a domestic flight from Istanbul over and then got on my hotel’s shuttle service (about EUR10) to the hotel.

Note: Your accomodations would definitely have their own contacts for activities so if you’re not one for planning ahead, don’t worry, you’ll definitely still be able to book some activities. There are a couple of standard tours (red, green, blue) that you can book. It is chilly in the early mornings so do bring a jacket.

Day 1 (half day)

Decided to explore nearby areas and have an early night as I had to wake up really early the next day.

Where I stayed: Kookaburra Pension

Day 2 (full day)

Booked myself the hot air balloon flight (Cappadocia Balloon Travel) and my day started at 4am, where the shuttle came to pick us up from our accommodations. Once everyone had been picked up, we headed to our takeoff area where the magic happens. While the sky is still dark, you’ll see your captain hard at work, inflating your balloon. The heat that follows will definitely wake you from your grogginess, sparking excitement as you take it all in. You’re then asked to hop in one by one and before you know it, up you go! This is where the race begins, between your balloon and the other 150+ to see who manages to get up the fastest and highest. And then you see the biggest orange yolk of a sun on the horizon, going up as you are. The city waking with the sun’s rays.

And in that moment you realise how small you are on this planet. But all good times must come to an end so you’re slowly descending back down. And you’re there in awe at how the captain can skillfully manoeuvre the balloon to land precisely on a moving truck. And in a blink of an eye, you’re back on land popping some sparkling fruit drink, getting your certificate and heading back to your accommodation all before 9am.

Well, tired me decided to squeeze in a cute nap before heading out for brunch and a hike to the next town (Uchisar). Starting my hike strong at Pigeon Valley trailhead east, I found a way and hiked my way all the way to Uchisar Castle. I spent around 2-3hrs exploring this town before taking a long stroll back to Goreme where I went camel riding (Excursion Mania).

If camel riding isn’t your cup of tea, they do have horseback riding/ATV too.

Day 3 (full day)

Woke up bright and early again and headed to the Highest viewpoint in Goreme (TRY10) to watch the balloons go up. There were quite a lot of people there so I suggest going early to find yourself a good spot. They were like fireflies blinking in the dark from afar.

Went back to my hotel to get ready for my Green tour (half day) where they brought me to Pigeon Valley, Selime Monastery Museum, Ihlara Valley and Derinkuyu Underground City.

Day 4 (full day)

Last morning here, I decided to catch the balloons going up from the comfort of my hotel’s balcony.

Spent my day exploring the Goreme open air museum (cost about TRY300), Galerie Ikman and the streets of Goreme. Before catching my overnight bus to Antalya.