Until then, we had never heard of Cappadocia in Turkey, but the pictures seen on a travel blog made us want it too much. The region is really super beautiful (I will talk about it here), but we also came to enjoy a unique show: a hundred hot-air balloons flying over the region EVERY MORNING (well, weather permitting). No no, it’s not a festival or a special occasion, we see it EVERY DAY!

Note: this article will contain a lot of blah blah blah blah. We try to show you as many pictures as possible, but you know what we think about pictures: there will be more beautiful ones on Google Images or on Instagram. The idea is to make you live this experience virtually with us in an authentic way and to look behind the scenes behind this visual show. And this article will only talk about hot air balloons, we will talk about the beautiful valleys and fairy chimneys of Cappadocia a little later.

Part 1: Travel Diary
Part 2: Practical Tips

Part 1: Travel Diary

Day 1: Arrival

We came to Göreme the day before and we took advantage of the whole afternoon to visit (we’ll tell you about it in another article). JB has been a bit stressed since a few days after typing “weather goreme” on Google. Rain is forecast for the next two days.

Day 2: flight aboard a hot-air balloon

The next day, we have an appointment at 5:05 am in front of our hotel, a shuttle comes to pick us up with perfect punctuality to bring us to the office of the balloon company: Butterfly Balloons. You should know that there are about a hundred companies in the area, but this one is particularly well noted and we booked our flight 2 weeks in advance (after consulting the weather reports etc.). It is said (but info not verifiable) that only 100 balloons are allowed to fly at dawn each day, so it is better to book in advance. However, our hotel tells us in off, that if the weather isn’t favorable, it will find us places without any problem the next day.

So I think that the well-known companies are indeed full in advance (10 days in advance for October), but the less well-known companies aren’t full at all.

If we chose Buttefly Balloons, it’s because they offer gondolas with a maximum of 16 people (+ the pilot), whereas with many other companies it can be up to 27 people. The difference in price is only 30€-35€/person so we decide to opt for a flight certainly more expensive but where we are sure to see something.

Breakfast

We are taken to the airline office, where we first pay for our flight in cash or by card. Then, the price is written in euro (too bad for us because the Turkish currency loses a lot of value at the moment). The payment by cash (in USD, EUR, or Lira) offers us 10€ of discount => we pay 165€/person instead of 175€/person thanks to our small stock of euros that we always have on us. We are given the name of our pilot as well as a flyer which explains how to position ourselves at the landing.

Breakfast is presented as “light” but in reality we have a lot to eat (+ hot drinks at will). And the strawberries are excellent!

There are about a hundred of us in the room. JB is surprised that it is so industrial. At the same time, 16 people per basket, it’s normal that there are so many of us. About twenty minutes later, we are asked to take the shuttle bearing the name of our pilot.

Then, it is necessary to know that the driver is really the big boss in this story. He is the one who chooses where the balloon leaves from and his team executes it.
The site which our pilot chose today is located at the west of Göreme. By taking the shuttle until there, in the total darkness, one suddenly sees large black shadows. They are hot-air balloons. In the sky that seems tiny but in fact, it is immense! And then, from time to time, there is a small flash: they are being inflated. The spectacle is unreal, I think we have never seen a hot-air balloon so close and their sight moves us greatly! In a few minutes, we will be flying in it!

I don’t know what time they came to inflate the balloons but when we are on the scene, they are already almost fully inflated, using the fans, and then of course the gas that heats up the air. The gas expelled can be light or very strong (it is always the pilot who controls). And when the gas sent is very very strong, hot-air balloons look like a huge light bulb, it’s fairy tale!

Several hot-air balloons of our company are being inflated at the same time, on the side. Be aware that the cables that connect the basket and the canvas, close to the flame, are made of metal hehehe otherwise it would have been too dangerous. Several people start to lift them up and we are finally allowed to go up. The nacelle is divided into 5 parts: in the middle the pilot and the gas bottles. The four others are reserved for the customers: 4 people per compartment thus, which is super pleasant because we have all the place which we need. If we were 6 or 7 inside, that would have been a little tight I find.

Let’s go for a 45-minute tour. The pilot heats up the air thoroughly and we leave very, very quickly and gain height compared to all the other hot-air balloons. We notice the presence of other hot-air balloons on the departure. Some of them send the flame to the maximum and become light bulbs, flashing in the sky. It’s really unreal!

In spite of this very “highway” side, finally we aren’t that close to other hot air balloons and apart from the noise we hear when the pilot sends gas, everything is silent. The stability of the balloon also surprises us, we were expecting to be shaken in all directions, or to wobble like the clock of a clock, or to suffer from vertigo… that nenni ! The landscapes are so sumptuous, there are so many things to see in the distance that we don’t think at all about looking down (and having vertigo).

We are next to the pilot, which isn’t the best place to look at the landscapes (field of vision < 180°C) while our neighbors on the side of the nacelle have a vision of 270°C. But the proximity with the pilot allows us to ask him a lot of questions. He has a rope, on which he can pull to turn the balloon. This way, everyone can enjoy the same view. Then, in order to direct the balloon in the right direction, already the starting point is very important (he is the one who chose it), and then the direction and strength of the wind depends on the altitude. Thus, by controlling the attitude, he more or less controls where we are going.

In this case, this morning, the control is a little less good, because it started too high, too fast and we were sent back to an uninteresting location (above a cemetery) for a good ten minutes. We had to wait for the air inside the balloon to cool down so that we went down a little and the wind sent us in the other direction. It is then that we have superb landscapes again.

Our pilot is from the region and by dint of seeing the hot air balloons every morning, it became a dream for him to make it his profession. Graduated in journalism, he left everything and enrolled in the school of hot air balloon pilots to become one. Since then, every day, he gives a smile to his passengers, amazed by the landscapes.

From above, we see everything, even if people appear very small. For example, we see cars with trailers that move in all directions, and selfies fans who have spotted the right spot to take our picture. Some even brought their Persian rugs to do like “I wake up like this in front of hundreds of hot air balloons” ahahah.

We also see future brides and grooms who have come to take wedding photos. Hot-air balloons are a real business, for those who work in this sector, but also for the services all around (photographers, cabs, hotels with a view…)

We go further and further down and see our hot air balloon friends skillfully manage to be at 5m from the ground while avoiding the many super sharp fairy chimneys. We too, at one time, we were so close to the ground that we thought of landing earlier than planned but the pilot just made on purpose to descend very low. We also grazed another balloon (from the same company) – the two balloons touched each other, and we did a stretch of road glued together like this for 10 minutes before getting back up to go faster.

We then arrive at LoveValley. It is usually around here that balloon flights end. There are a lot of fields nearby (ideal for landing), the view is breathtaking and there is enough room to lower the balloons very very low to enjoy the landscape. This valley is called Love Valley because the fairy chimneys that are located there have a rather phallic shape 😀 We go down very low, drag at the bottom of the valley, before going up and prepare for landing.

I read on a blog that it was first come, first served… that if a hot air balloon is late and Love Valley is too busy, it will be condemned to stay away for lack of space. In reality, it all depends on the pilot’s skill (and also if the wind allows it).

Watching the scene from the balloon, we observe the preparations for our landing.

Each car with trailer (and its crew) follows its balloon from the beginning and communicates via a walkietalkie. The drivers drive very very fast because they are obliged to be present when the balloon is ready to land. And it can be anywhere, on the road or in the middle of a field. The surface to be covered is very large.

For example, this balloon on the trailer of the car, do you see it? It really landed right on top of it (certainly, with the help of 3 people who pulled on the ropes to help it land). Once landed, the basket is attached to the trailer. As this balloon landed in the middle of the road, the car will take it to the next field to deflate it and unload passengers. Hot air balloons do not land next to the car because the basket is so heavy that it would be impossible for three people to lift it. If they miss the landing, the pilot will lift the balloon up and the trailer will manage to be right underneath.

Here is to illustrate the different steps to deflate the balloon. The pilot will first pull on a rope to open the top of the balloon. Two people will pull on other ropes to deflate the balloon. Once the hot air has escaped, the balloon will fall halfway down.

Employees are still pulling on the rope, while passengers are invited to get off. We are all required to walk on the balloon to help it deflate further. This also allows us to see that the canvas is still a little warm and the air coming out of it too. It’s really magic! All this experience is based on only one thing: the hot air rises!!

Then we all pull on a rope to lengthen the sail (and make it easier to store). It was while pulling on 10 tops that we realized the weight of the veil. Participating backstage isn’t something that all companies offer, they must surely think it’s a thankless task. But our company wanted us to participate and I think it’s really cool, it’s more fun and friendly.

The pilot announces to us that we had 10 minutes of additional flight (1h10 instead of 1h, surely to catch up the 10 minutes where we floated above a cemetery without interest). The crew prepares us a small cocktail with champagne (mouais…) and we toast together, before being distributed each one a balloon baptism diploma with our name + an ahahha medal.

Some pictures of us during and after the flight. As you can see, being in a hot air balloon isn’t the best place for a selfie, but the experience is unforgettable and to be done at least once in a lifetime. For practical advice (prices, which company to choose etc.), look at the end of this article

Day 3: Watching the hot air balloons from below

Today, we are in another hotel: the Sultan Cave Suites, known by the instagrammers of the whole world (I exaggerate a chouilla) but this hotel has the advantage of being very pretty but also has a terrace with Persian carpets. It’s thanks (because?) to Instagram’s photos that we came here, hoping to have a quiet breakfast while watching the hot air balloons. Finally the experience was very disappointing (we talk about it here), the expectation is too high compared to the reality.

It’s 6 a.m. and my alarm clock rings. Painful awakening after waking up at 4:30 a.m. the day before and 5:30 a.m. the night before. I ask JB to see if we see anything. If we see, that he wakes me up (the rain is announced for today also), that’s how I could sleep 15 minutes more. JB comes back around 6:15 and tells me to hurry. I go out on the terrace in pyjamas and slippers but the show is so great that it wakes me up immediately. Well, contrary to what the pictures suggest, the hot air balloons are much bigger than that. At 6:15 am, there is no light and the only light you can see comes from the gas jets that the pilot activates to heat the air of the balloons. A few minutes later, they are put up and some of them leave, again creating a giant flashing light bulb effect.

I insist again: on the pictures, it looks small, but on the spot, we realize the size of these huge “balloons”. Even if you are far away, you can see them well, without zooming.

Today, the wind seems to be blowing more because the hot-air balloons will not be long in coming to us. Here is the view we have from the terrace of the hotel. We did not know it, but if we had continued to climb the hill, we could have had a better viewpoint, near the enormous antenna which dominates Göreme.

We thought we could have breakfast and watch all this at the same time, but unfortunately not only breakfast is served only 2 hours later, on the lower floor, but there are a lot of instagrammers squatting on the terrace of our hotel (without being customers, they even paid a cab to come here WTF) and taking the best places to take pictures and stay there. An employee comes to fire the squatters but they have no dignity, and remain under protest. I think that the hotel should have handled this situation better by putting a sign at the entrance, because it’s quite frustrating to choose a hotel just for a nice view and finally get stepped on by squatters. Look, on the picture above, as a guest, I am relegated to the lower terrace, leaning against a cement 😀 post because squatters have taken all the space on the ottoman carpets.

It was expected that all guests would be on the terrace, but not that all Göreme would be there as well. We look at the direction where the balloons are going. Initially we were going to look at the hot air balloons from a point called sunset view point (to be found on google maps), but it looks like they are heading more towards the Love Valley. As we knew from the previous day’s experience that they lingered at the end in the Love Valley, we take the car, 11 minutes, to get there.

Our trip was not in vain because by the time we arrived, the hot air balloons arrived too, en masse. And during 15 minutes, they follow one another to take the place of VIP at the very bottom of the valley. I let you admire the photos, which speak for themselves.

But all this passes very very quickly, after 15 minutes, they land one after the other, and there are only a few stragglers left in the Love valley. In the distance, we see about twenty hot-air balloons that have not yet arrived.

We aren’t alone on the spot, there are already about twenty cars with trailers waiting to land, tourists like us who came by car or cab, future brides and grooms looking for the perfect photo for their wedding album…. but after those 15 minutes of traffic jam in the Love Valley, all the tourists left at once. Kind of in too much of a hurry!!

It is 7:30 am and breakfast is only served at 8:30 am at the hotel, we have nothing else to do and we are still walking around.

There is one balloon that lingers much longer than the others. It is possible that the passengers opted for a 1h30 flight (more expensive but with less people too, in the 12 persons/nacelle). So, we had time to take pictures while playing with the perspectives (ohlala what a laugh :D)

The sun really rises now, and it is a dream show that is offered to us, we see in the distance different valleys, a little fog, the soft morning light… it is sublime!

Part 2: Practical Tips

How to get there?

You have to go to the city of Göreme in Turkey.
There are two airports near Göreme: Kayseri or Nevsehir. Just book a hotel in Göreme and ask them for a transfer, they will send someone with a sign with your name waiting for you at the airport of your choice (they are used to it) for 40 to 50TL/person.

Otherwise, you can rent a car at the airport, it is very convenient to visit the surroundings because the distances are too great to do everything on foot (and public transport is almost non-existent).

If you want more info about Göreme, I have written two complete guides (with departure from Istanbul or departure from Paris)

How long to stay?

We recommend that you stay at least 2 nights. If ever the first flight is impossible because of the weather, at least you can hope to leave the next day.

For those who don’t plan to pay for a balloon flight, stay 2 nights anyway, because there are many things to visit in the area and to see the balloons only once, it’s not enough ahahah:D

Thus, it is quite possible to visit Göreme in an extended weekend from Paris (Friday => Sunday).

Section 1: For those who plan to fly in a balloon

How much does it cost?

Between 160€ and 180€/person for the flight of about one hour.
Those who opt for flights with less people, or a longer duration, or a privatized flight (if possible) will have to pay more.

For info, we have opted for the Butterfly Flight (Min. 1 hour flight duration with 12 to 16 people) with Butterfly Balloons, for 175€ (165€ if payment in cash).

It is more expensive than the average because our hotel could offer us another company for 160€/person.

Is it necessary to book the balloon flight in advance?

In theory, there are so many companies that if it’s just a question of seats (I arrive the day before and I want to fly in a hot-air balloon the next day), you will surely find room (about a hundred hot-air balloons take off every morning), just by talking with the hotel receptionist.
But we advise you to book as soon as possible if you choose the most reputable companies.

For example, we wanted to book a flight on September 26th for a flight on September 29th. We contacted Butterfly Balloons, Kapadokya Balloons, Voyager Balloons and it was refusal upon refusal. Bufferfly Balloons was sold out until October 7th (12 days in advance), Voyager Balloons was sold out until October 5th (10 days in advance) and Kapadokya Balloons did not answer us. Finally, checking the weather forecast, we booked on September 29th for a flight on October 13th with Butterfly.

How do I make a reservation?

Availability isn’t clearly indicated on the companies’ websites. Click on “book now” to fill in the form (on all company websites there is a “book now” button). You give your availabilities (two days), choose the type of flights (how many people, duration) and they will answer during the day if there are seats available. If you don’t know the name of your hotel yet, enter a hotel name at the piff. It is possible to change it afterwards.

If there is one, you will find in the mail a link to secure your reservation (by entering your credit card number). It isn’t really a payment because you will pay on the day of the flight. Two days before, we will send you an email to let you know the time when the shuttle will come to pick you up. And we will also ask you the number of your room at the hotel (if you have it).

Which company to choose?

There are several criteria to choose your company:

1. The first is a question of security. There are no parachutes distributed during the flight (and anyway, at this altitude, parachutes are useless). It is necessary that the equipment is good, that the pilot is experienced, that the crew is trained in first aid…
2. Comfort during the flight: there are companies which do not propose at all a choice as for the number of passengers/flight. And others who fix it in advance, imposing a limit of 16 or 20 people/nacelle. Those are obviously more expensive. The number of passengers per gondola is also important in case of strong wind, because you have to adopt a particular position during the landing in this case => if you are too many, you risk being crushed.
3. The duration of the flight : idem, some people do not respect the duration of the flight, they can shorten it. This is the inexperience of the pilot, because a good pilot will know how to control his movement and respect approximately the duration fixed in advance
4. The experience of the pilot: since we don’t know which pilot to fall on, the company must have only good and experienced pilots. It is essential to have a good experience, because it is very easy to fly super high, but difficult to be able to sneak between the valleys (which gives the charm of this flight).

So you have to read a lot of notices on the Internet. We opted for Butterfly Balloons, I’m sure there are other companies just as serious, but the trend went well with them and our pilot was very good. When we made our reservation, they answered us within the hour, and the reviews are really very complimentary about them. They have an insurance for the pilot, the balloons and all the passengers. Their site clearly indicates the number of flights per balloon and per pilot.

We highly recommend! Well, I think their balloons are a bit ugly (color level) but the important thing is that the other balloons are pretty, right? 😀

Section 2: For those who just want to look at the balloons

Where to look at hot-air balloons?

1. From Göreme

Hot-air balloons are flying all over the region, so when you are in the cities next to Göreme, you can see the balloons. But it is in Göreme that you can see them the best so I strongly advise you to book a hotel in Göreme itself (since you have to get up very early in the morning).

Secondly, almost all hotels have terraces, but you will want a hotel in the high-rise, and not in the city center (where there are plenty of restaurants).
For that, choose the hotels around Cave Life Hotel (link Booking ), Ascension Cave Suites ( link Booking)… which not only have very nice terraces, but which are 5 minutes away from a 360°C viewpoint overlooking all Göreme, this viewpoint is called Sunset view on Google Maps (not to be confused with sunset view point which is elsewhere, very important!)

Or choose the hotels next to Kelebek Special Cave Hotel (link Booking) which have beautiful terraces (in addition to having a hammam on site). Going up the hill next to these hotels, you will see a huge antenna with a 360°C view also on all Göreme.

If ever these hotels (and hotels around these places) are too expensive for you, know that Göreme is a small town, you can walk to the points of view that I have indicated (antenna and sunset view).

Avoid the star hotels on Instagram (Sultan Cave Suites, Koza Cave Hotel, Mithra Cave Hotel Cappadocia) so you don’t have to wait in line to take a picture and be run over by squatters

2. From one of the valleys

Type rose valley, or sunset view point on Google Maps. You have to get there very early because hot air balloons leave close to these places, so within 10 minutes you might see much less hot air balloons than you would have seen. These points are accessible on foot (> 2km from the center of Göreme). There will be more places for you than on the hotel terraces, and if you are lucky, you will see a hot air balloon flying 3m above your head.

Type love valley, this is where most hot air balloons try to finish the flight. It isn’t accessible by foot from Göreme, it is better to go there by cab or with a car (like us). The advantage is to see, in addition, the landing, the backstage, and to enjoy the show for a longer time (we will see the late balloons). Possibility to have several hot-air balloons flying 3m above the head.

What time should I get up?

So, it changes according to the season. For example, when we were there, the sunrise is scheduled at 6:30 am and we saw the first hot air balloons ready to leave around 6:15 am. The best is to ask your hotel, in addition to looking on Google the exact time of the sunrise.

How is it going for the photos?

Even for such an extraordinary visual spectacle, the photos remain uglier than reality. Because of the lack of light (at dawn), it is difficult to have beautiful Instagram style photos with a normal smartphone. You can see that my photo on the terrace of the hotel has nothing to do with the filtered photos on Instagram, because I only have a small camera and I do not retouch it. If you have a good camera, now is the time to take it out. Then, the best moments don’t last that long (15 minutes for the traffic jam in the Love Valley) so we advise you to enjoy it with your eyes.

Can we have breakfast and watch the hot air balloons at the same time?

No, breakfast is usually served in a warm room at 8:30 am, well after the hot air balloons have passed. The breakfast you see on the Instagram pictures is prepared just for the pictures 😀 Anyway, you will see, everybody is so busy taking pictures that nobody will have the idea of having breakfast at the same time.

If you want more info about Göreme, I have written two complete guides & estimated budgets (with departure from Istanbul or departure from Paris)