Soganli and Ihlara Valley Balloon Ride in Cappadocia

The logistics here start a day early. Once the reservation is confirmed the operator sends a private shuttle the day before the flight, collecting you from your hotel or another address you nominate, which is not how most Cappadocia bookings are run. At the take-off area there is a light breakfast while the crews work on the envelope. The pilot runs through the safety briefing and the plan for the morning, then everyone boards, and the flight lasts an hour. The two valleys on this booking are Soganli and Ihlara, both well outside the Goreme sector where the bulk of the region's balloons operate. Ihlara is a canyon rather than open rock: vegetation grows along the floor of it and caves are cut into the walls, so the colour under the basket has little to do with the bare ground further north. Soganli is the quieter of the two areas, with rock-cut churches and working villages below. Back on land there is a champagne party and a flight certificate before the shuttle returns you to your hotel or to wherever the morning started. At 176 euros the price sits mid-range for Cappadocia. The rating is 4.9, but it comes from 8 reviews, which is too small a sample to carry much weight.