Flying in a Hot Air Balloon over Cappadocia is a real bucket-list experience. But, it’s very expensive. So is it worth it? Here’s my answer to the question: Is it worth it? The Cappadocia Hot Air Balloons.
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The Cappadocia sunrise Hot Air Balloons are instantly recognisable in photos. It’s one of the top bucket list experiences on every traveller’s list. I’ve seen countless photos of the mass of hot air balloons, that all rise together at sunrise, over the stunning Cappadocia region in central Turkey.
It always looked amazing in the photos. But I couldn’t help wondering: did it look as stunning in real life as it does in the photos? With all the photo editing on social media nowadays, it’s so hard to know what the real experience is actually like. I couldn’t tell if the Cappadocia hot ait balloons in Turkey were actually worth it. Was it really a life changing bucket list experience? Or would the reality be underwhelming, and would it turn out that all of the photos you see on social media are just heavily edited?
So here’s my guide, to answer the question of is it worth it to do the Cappadocia hot air balloons at sunrise in Turkey. All of my photos were taken with a normal (not very expensive) Android phone, and none have been edited. So my photos, and my experiences, are completely genuine and real.
What is the price of the Cappadocia Hot Air Balloons?
I’ll be honest: the Cappadocia hot air balloons are expensive. When I first saw the price, it did make me think about whether it was really worth it for the price.
The prices of the Cappadocia hot air balloons seem to vary as well. I paid 250 euros for mine. That was about mid range of the prices I saw. There were cheaper options, but reviews implied that these cheaper options didn’t stay up in the air for as long. And there were more expensive options as well, which often included a champagne breakfast afterwards.
The best way to book your Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon is through Get Your Guide here (affiliate). Or you can also book this hot air balloon experience through Viator which includes a champagne breakfast (affiliate). There are lots of different companies to choose from, with different price ranges. So have a look at your dates and see what the best options are for you.
Make sure you book quite far in advance. It can get booked up, especially in peak season. And also make sure your hot air balloon experience will be fully refunded if it gets cancelled – I think they all offer this, but it’s worth checking.
Before going in the hot air balloon, I was a bit unsure about the high price. I booked it, because it felt like a bucket list experience that I didn’t want to miss. But it did seem expensive. But afterwards, I was really glad I did it. So even though it was expensive, for me, it did feel just about worth that cost.
How long are you in the air for the Cappadocia hot air balloon ride?
I was in the air for about 45 minutes – 1 hour. It was a good amount of time, and a bit longer than I was expecting.
Different companies will offer different length rides. And the length can also be affected by the weather. If the wind starts picking up, then the balloon might land sooner than it otherwise would.
How often to the Cappadocia Hot Air Balloons get cancelled?
Unfortunately, the hot air balloons in Cappadocia can get cancelled quite often. The flight of the hot air balloons is completely dependent on the weather. There needs to be very little wind for the balloons to fly. Our pilot said that there needs to be less than 7 knots of wind. So if it’s windy, the balloons can’t fly.
Even if you have your experience booked in advance, you won’t know until that morning whether it will go ahead. It’s nerve wracking to know that something you’ve been looking forward to might not actually happen. Especially if you’ve planned your entire trip to Turkey around the Cappadocia sunrise hot air balloons.
For the best chance to get to go in a hot air balloon, it’s best to stay in Cappadocia for several days. So then you’ve got several chances for it to go ahead. And make sure you plan other fun activities in Cappadocia and in Turkey, so if you have bad luck and the balloons are cancelled because of the weather, you can still have a fun trip.
The experience of the Cappadocia Hot Air Balloons
So here’s my full experience of the Cappadocia hot air balloon at sunrise. I did the experience as part of a week in Turkey – you can read about my amazing week in Turkey here. And keep reading for a detailed guide for what to expect from the Cappadocia hot air balloons, so you can decide if you think it’s worth it.
How it starts
It’s an early start for the sunrise hot air balloons. The time varies throughout the year, depending on what time sunrise is. I visited in September, and we left the hotel just before 5am. The balloon company picked us up from the hotel and drove us about 15-20 minutes to where the balloon flies from. Most of the companies offer a hotel transfer, but it’s always best to check.
Even as we were driving, I wasn’t letting myself believe the hot air balloons would actually happen. I was still preparing myself to hear that they’d been cancelled. But as we got closer, I saw a few of the earlier hot air balloons in the air. And that was when it hit me – this was actually going to happen! The wave of emotions hit me as I looked out the minibus in the semi-darkness and realised that it was actually going to happen.
The minibus dropped us off right next to the balloon we would be going up in. We got to see it be prepared as it slowly inflated with the hot air.
This part involved a bit of waiting around, while the balloon was prepared. It was probably only about 10-15 minutes. And I didn’t mind – it was nice to feel that we were there ready, and it wasn’t going to be a rush. Make sure you’re wearing warm clothes, as it can get quite cool overnight in Cappadocia and you’ll be standing around outside for a bit.
Getting in the basket
For the hot air balloon I was going in, there were about 30 people in the basket. And there were compartments with 3-4 people stood in each compartment. I liked this set up, and it felt very organised and safe. You could move around within your compartment in the basket, but the barriers within the basket stopped people moving around the basket too much and kept the weight even distributed.
The hot air balloon staff started selecting people to get into the basket. It seemed like they were encouraging the taller and heavier people to go into the centre of the basket. But with only a few people in each compartment, you could still get a great view no matter where you were stood. It was a bit difficult climbing into the basket but not too bad.
Taking off in the hot air balloon
I’d never been in a hot air balloon before, so I wasn’t completely sure what to expect. The take off was a little bit scary. The basket tipped as it was about to go up, and I was scared it was about to tip over! But the pilot, and additional staff on the ground, were super calm and all seemed completely in control. It might have even been meant to do that. And then we had a really gentle proper take off. It was really gentle as we started to float higher – there was hardly any movement in the basket at all, so it felt really safe.
The first views from the hot air balloon ride
Almost as soon as we were in the air, the amazing views started. There was no waiting around to get to the good photo spots. You were instantly surrounded by amazing views, and views of the other balloons.
One of the most amazing, and really unique, things about the sunrise hot air balloon rides in Cappadocia is the amount of other balloons that also go up at sunrise. Our pilot told us there were 164 going up that morning. In some ways, the views of the other balloons made the experience even more special. The views would have been nice even if we were the only hot air balloon in the sky. But the views of all of the other balloons just made it feel really special.
It was just an incredible experience to be floating in the sky, in silence, with all the other balloons around us.
The sunrise
As we got a bit higher, we found the sunrise. The sun started to peek over the top of the mountains as we rose to that height. And that just made it even more magical. The pilot of the balloon announced the sunrise. And it was just one of those ‘wow’ moments, when you know that you’re part of something special.
The views over the Cappadocia landscape
The views of the Cappadocia landscape were just amazing. For me, that’s a big thing that makes the Cappadocia hot air balloon experience so stunning. The landscape is really impressive. It’s like a desert mountainous area, with impressive rock formations caused by years of volcanic activity.
From the hot air balloon, you can see the landscape well. You can look down, as well as looking across the whole area. You can see the famous Cappadocia fairy chimneys. Being high in the air, you could appreciate the size and scale of his huge desert mountainous area. In the balloon we got to 500m high (according to the pilot), which gave great views.
Going low over the villages
As well as going high, the pilot also took the balloon low over some areas. We flew really low over one of the villages, so we could all clearly see the houses cut into the rocks. It was great to be able to see the village close up, and there were times it felt like we were almost about the brush the top of the roofs, or knock into some workmen who were starting work early.
Taking photos – but not too many
I took so many photos from the hot air balloon. I was desperate to capture every moment. And it felt like the views were constantly changing. The pilot was really good at turning the balloon frequently, so everyone in the basket got the same opportunity for views. And the views were so good, and constantly evolving.
So you’d be taking photos of the sunrise, and then the balloon would turn a bit, so then you’d be able to get better photos of all of the other balloons. And then we’d go higher and lower, and then to a different part of the region. The variety of the views was more than I had been expecting. It really did feel like for the whole 45 mins – 1 hour the views were changing. And the light was changing as well, as the sun rose higher into the sky.
But I did make sure I took a few breaks from taking photos. I’m so glad I’ve got the photos, but my best memories are from when I put my camera aside and just stood there, looking around, and taking in the moment. It’s so easy to be so focussed on taking photos that you end up experiencing the whole thing through your phone screen. So make sure you put your phone away so you can really feel present and alive in the moment.
The landing (and a little drink)
Unfortunately, the experience had to come to an end. I could happily have stayed for another hour at least. But all of the balloons were starting to come down.
The landing wasn’t too scary. At the beginning of the flight, we’d been taught the ‘landing position’. Which basically meant crouching down in your compartment in the basket and holding on. So when the pilot told us to take the ‘landing position’, we could all crouch down. The downside of being crouched down is that you can’t see out, so you don’t know when the balloon is going to land. But the landing was really gentle, with just a small bump. There were staff from the balloon company waiting on the ground for us to land, and everyone seemed very calm and professional.
We then all stayed in the basket as the pilot and ground staff manoeuvred the basket onto the back of a trailer. I have no idea how he did that. I have enough trouble parking my car, let alone parking a hot air balloon perfectly on a trailer that’s only the same width as the basket. As one person in the group commented, the pilot’s parallel parking skills must be amazing!
Once the basket was safely parked and secured, the ground staff helped everyone climb out. We were then given a small glass of fizzy apple juice, and a final chance to take photos. Some of the more expensive experiences include a full champagne breakfast at this point, so it’s up to you if you want that. For the one I booked, we had about 10 minutes with a drink before the minibus was ready to take us back to the hotel. We got back to the hotel about 8am, ready for the hotel breakfast.
So is it worth it to do the Cappadocia Hot Air balloons at sunrise?
I think it is definitely worth it to do the Cappadocia hot air balloons at sunrise. It is expensive. But I was impressed with the experience. We had longer in the air than I was expecting. And the photos you see online actually don’t give you the full scale of the experience – the real thing is better. With a simple phone camera, you can take amazing photos yourself. And the views are just incredible. If you’re lucky enough to be in the Cappadocia region of Turkey, and if the weather is on your side, then the Cappadocia hot air balloons at sunrise are definitely worth it.
Remember to book your Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon is through Get Your Guide here (affiliate). Or you can also book this hot air balloon experience through Viator which includes a champagne breakfast (affiliate).
Hope you enjoyed my guide to what is a Turkish Bath, and my experience in Istanbul! Make sure you also check out my guide to visiting the rest of Istanbul, and also my ultimate itinerary for one week in Turkey. After your Turkish Bath, you’ll probably also want some food – so check out my guide to what to eat in Turkey. Or you can read my guide to another fun experience in Turkey – what it’s like to try a Turkish Bath in Turkey.
