Soganli Valley Sunrise Balloon Flight, Cappadocia

Soganli at first light, at the bottom of the Cappadocia balloon price range. That pairing is what this flight is built on. Take-off is at dawn, the only window in which balloons here leave the ground, and the early light arrives low and sideways across the valley, catching the rugged cliffs and the rock formations before it reaches anything beneath them. Under the basket are vineyards and orchards, Byzantine churches cut into the hillsides and small traditional villages along the valley floor. The rock is volcanic tuff, soft enough to carve, which is why those churches sit inside the cliffs rather than on top of them. On-board cameras record the flight as it goes. Cappadocia has more balloon flights than any other destination in the world, and Turkish civil aviation caps the fleet at 100 balloons airborne at the same time. All of them are dawn flights, and the weather decides which mornings go ahead: operators fly somewhere between 250 and 300 days a year, with the cancelled mornings gathering between December and April. If the trip allows it, take an early morning in your stay rather than the last one. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.