Flying in the sky - riding hot air balloon in Cappadocia

In early morning around 05:00 o'clock we had to leave our warm room in Cappadocia hotel to chase the sunrise. Cappadocia, the place in Turkey which is unique in the world and is a miraculous nature wonder is the common name of the field covered by the provinces of Aksaray (Nevşehir). The name was traditionally used in Christian sources throughout history and is still widely used as an international tourism concept to define a region of exceptional natural wonders, in particular characterized by fairy chimneys and a unique historical and cultural heritage.



It's very cold, we went in a big van, picking up another tourists who were interested in enjoying Cappadocia from the sky. I'm still very sleepy, but it would be better riding the balloon before the sunrise. Arriving in the office, we were welcome by hot drink, tea, milk & coffee, accompanion with light snacks to fill our empty stomach and warmer our body. It's very cold, so the beverage and snacks were really helpful to avoid the chill. I could imagine how cold way above the air with the wind blows.


After waiting for half an hour, we had to go to van again, join another group. The shine was about to emerge. We went through some small road to reach the balloon. We saw many colorful balloon were prepared to fly. The crews blew the gas/acetylene on the balloon to bloom, it's from a huge tube such as oxygen tube. It's very hot and there was fire when the gas was blown.


Hot Air Balloon Tour is one of the most popular activities in Goreme. To join the tour, we need to pay US$250/person including the return pick up transportation from hotel to the balloon area. Typically lifting off at sunrise, these rides last about an hour in the air and literally go wherever the wind may blow in the Cappadocia Valley. Our balloon basket could only hold 8 people with the pilot riding air currents much like a boat. To go inside the basket, we had to climb, some staffs were helping us, because it's quite high. In the basket there were 2 rows where we had to stand, we hardly could not move or even turn our body on the narrow space. There were some additional tubes tied to the basket for the fuel reserve.


It's amazing, the sky was almost full of balloon, one by one was started to airborne. Our balloon was almost the last to fly, we could see so many balloon above us. The pilot drove well, he made us get higher and higher up above the other balloons by releasing some fuel. It made us feel superior to go higher than others. Unfortunately if it's too high, we could not see the marvelous landscape of Cappadocia, it looks flat, like 2 dimension object.


The scenery was amazing, floating down the valleys, sometimes quite close to the chimney rocks for around an hour. From above we could see some farmers were drying tea, fruits, etc. for candy, snack or herbs. The sensation of ballooning is very gentle and it's calming effect seems to put the world below into perspective. Rock formations and world-famous fairychimneys drift into view, giving you the unmatched feeling of being above it all. During the sunrise, the sky became red, then brighter, till the sun shine so strong. It became hot, not as cold as we experienced before riding the balloon. To go down and up, the pilot should measure the fuel. He would release it if he wanted to go down, and add more gas to go up.


The relief consists of a high plateau over 1000 m in altitude that is pierced by volcanic peaks. Due to its inland location and high altitude, Cappadocia has a markedly continental climate, with hot dry summers and cold snowy winters. Rainfall is sparse and the region is largely semi-arid. The Cappadocia region is largely underlain by sedimentary rocks formed in lakes and streams, and ignimbrite deposits erupted from ancient volcanoes approximately 9 to 3 million years ago. The rocks of Cappadocia near Göreme eroded into hundreds of spectacular pillars and minaret-like forms. The volcanic deposits are soft rocks that the people of the villages at the heart of the Cappadocia Region carved out to form houses, churches and monasteries. Göreme became a monastic center between 300—1200 AD.


The Göreme Open Air Museum is the most visited site of the monastic communities in Cappadocia, it is one of the most famous sites in central Turkey. The complex contains more than 30 rock-carved churches and chapels, some of them have superb frescoes inside, dating from the 9th to the 11th centuries.


It's a fantastic ride, if you've ever had the urge to splurge on a balloon ride. After an hour we landed on the ground again. The car who brought the balloon has been standby following our path to land. They brought a table with table clothes. On the table they put the glass, some crackers and traditional champagne toast for all of us to celebrate the success riding hot air balloon, non-alcoholic beverages were also available. A certificate was distributed one by one to the passengers by the pilot. The next passengers were waiting already for the next ride.


Beautiful Cappadocia would be the perfect place to experience the magic of riding balloon, not only for growing wine grapes or its beautiful landscape, but also for soaring peacefully in hot air balloons. There are 15 balloon companies in the region, and they are profesional enough to provide the best service.

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