Göreme Valley Hot Air Balloon Flight in Cappadocia

Cappadocia flies more balloons than any other destination in the world, and this trip puts a basket over the Göreme valley at first light. Hotel pickup starts the morning, with small snacks, juice and water handed round before the drive out to the field. The launch site is settled in advance by the pilots in line with the day's civil aviation clearance, and the operator's usual departure valleys are Love Valley, the Valley of the Swords, Red Valley, Roser Valley and Devrent Valley. From the basket the ground reads as one eroded cone after another: fairy chimneys standing in loose rows, cave dwellings cut into rock soft enough to work by hand. The balloon travels with the wind over Göreme and the wider region, and average flight time is 60 minutes. Turkish civil aviation caps the sky at 100 balloons in the air at once, so the fleet rises together and the sky above the valley fills within minutes of the first burner. After landing there is a toast with non-alcoholic champagne and fruit juice, and every passenger receives a flight certificate. The drive back takes 10 to 15 minutes depending on where the balloon comes down. Flights go at dawn only, and the weather decides each morning: operators here fly somewhere between 250 and 300 days a year, with cancellations bunching between December and April, so booking early in a stay leaves room to be moved to another day.