The experience of riding a hot air balloon is unique and becomes truly magical when we could enjoy it in a sublime landscape, surrounded by hundreds of colorful ballons floating in the air.
Cappadocia, Turkey.
During my visit to Istanbul, Turkey, I decided to take a few days to experience my first hot air balloon ride. The region of Cappadocia, located in central Turkey, is a unique place on the planet to live this unique experience from the air because it has a unique volcanic landscape.
The region is a world heritage site, there are underground towns and villages and also churches and caves carved into the rock with byzantine art remains.
Besides, hotels in Cappadocia are so special because there use to be antiques cave-houses where people lived and then were turned into boutique hotels. Staying in a cave hotel in Cappadocia is surely a must do! You could enjoy delicious Turkish breakfasts on it´s terraces decorated with precious rugs . The most famous town to stay is called Gerome, it is really lovely, everything reminds of a fairy tale.
The experience
The balloon company picked us up on a minivan at 4:30 am, so we had to get up so early
but totally worth it! for sure. We were driven to another hotel and they offered us a delicious Turkish breakfast while we were waiting the authorization of the local authorities to flight regarding weather conditions. This is a very important point because if the wind is whistling hard authorities don’t allow companies to fly.
When we received the ok to flight, we were taken to an open field where a lot of balloons were being inflated with enormous flames of fire. When the balloon was ready it was time to climb the basket, and before take-off we received a briefing with safety instructions.
The pilot held on to the burner to gain height and soon we started to float gently in the air. I could feel our basket so light, I mean I could feel like a bird. Quickly we saw many other balloons flying under us. Suddenly, the sky got flooded by hundreds of hot air balloons plenty of colours, it was amazing! Everything looked tiny, calm and so quiet from above.
We could enjoy the sunrise and saw one of the most incredible sights on earth. We were floating an hour through very strange landscapes, it looked like a movie scene or other planet.
To descend, the pilot just stopped using the burner and softly he used the wind direction to guide the balloon toward the land. The landing was directly in a trailer which was attached to a Van. It was a little bit aggressive so we needed to made some body movements to help the landing.
After that we celebrated with champagne and we received a certificate. It was a very nice experience. I found it very soothing and uplifting! I would certainly repeat it, it was awsome.
Some Tips :
1. Make a research to find the “right” balloon company to fly with.
The prices have really shot up due to Instagram There are differents companies and the prices depend basically on the service qualtity and the number of people per basket. It is very important to ensure that the company complies with the security measures and licenses requiered.
2. Be sure to reserve your ride in advance .
A lot of people used to visit this place. It is a hot sport for turists, especially in summer due the hot air balloon festival.
3. Be Flexible with your schedule
Balloon flight depends on the weather conditions so you should take a couple of extra days just in case. If you couldn´t flight the first day you would have another to book the ride.
4. Planning your Cappadocia itinerary
The usual pick-up time is 4:30 am so you have to spend at least 1 night in Cappadocia to do it. Also , Cappadocia is Beautifull and you could spend 2 days to visit another atraction like underground cities, visit magnific landcapes and why not practing trekking in one of many circuits.
5. Carry a jacket
The ride starts too early so if you don’t want to be uncomfortable during your flight wear appropriate clothing .
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