Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Ride In December

Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Ride In December

We woke up at the crack of dawn and headed out to a small village outside of Goreme to be picked up by our balloon driver. Our driver took us over the countryside in his truck, driving through fields and towns until we arrived at the launch site for our hot air balloons. We started inflating our balloon with copious amounts of helium and then prepared ourselves for takeoff. After we were all set, it was time to say goodbye to the ground below and start our ascent into the clouds! The views from above were incredible! The Cappadocia plateau is so beautiful, there's no way you won't fall in love with it after seeing it from a different perspective. In total, we spent about an hour exploring this wonderland by air before heading back down to earth again. Our pilot drove us back through town to our hotel where we dropped off our backpacks before going on a late lunch date together at a local restaurant."

We woke up at the crack of dawn and headed out to a small village outside of Goreme to be picked up by our balloon driver.

We woke up at the crack of dawn and headed out to a small village outside of Goreme to be picked up by our balloon driver. Our hotel had arranged everything, so it was just a matter of getting into the car and driving there.

The ride was scheduled for 5am, but since it was still dark out when we left Goreme, we didn't arrive until closer to 7am (which was actually fine since most people don't get up until 9am anyway). The launch site was in an open field with no buildings or trees around it--just some tents set up near where they were launching from.

We met with our driver and he took us over to one of these tents where we could sit down while waiting for other passengers who were also flying that morning before loading them into their balloons one-by-one onto chains attached underneath each basket so they could be lifted up into the air once everyone was safely secured inside theirs'.

Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Ride In December

Our driver took us over the countryside in his truck, driving through fields and towns until we arrived at the launch site for our hot air balloons. The launch site was in a small village outside of Goreme.

We started inflating our balloon with copious amounts of helium and then prepared ourselves for takeoff.

Once you're in the basket, and the balloon is fully inflated with helium, it's time for takeoff. This is probably the most exciting part of your flight! You will ascend into the sky as if by magic. The balloon will stay afloat until all of its helium escapes--which could take hours or days depending on how long you've been in flight and how much air there is at different altitudes. It's important that we keep our altitude at about 2 kilometers above sea level so as not to disturb any birds or other animals below us (and also because it looks cool).

Once we reach our desired height, we'll begin sailing downwind toward our destination: a small village called Mustafapasa where my friend has arranged for us all to spend some time together before heading back home again.*

After we were all set, it was time to say goodbye to the ground below and start our ascent into the clouds!

Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Ride In December

The takeoff was a bit bumpy due to strong winds, but once we were up in the air it was smooth sailing. We circled around Cappadocia for about an hour while enjoying amazing views of rock formations and ancient cave dwellings before returning safely back down onto solid ground.

The views from above were incredible! The Cappadocia plateau is so beautiful, there's no way you won't fall in love with it after seeing it from a different perspective. The landscape was just as stunning as I expected it to be, but what really made this experience special was the feeling of being completely alone in the world. You're literally thousands of feet above everyone else and there are only two people on your hot air balloon ride: yourself and your pilot/guide.

The most beautiful part about this trip was flying over Goreme Valley (pictured below), which is one of my favorite places in all of Turkey!

In total, we spent about an hour exploring this wonderland by air before heading back down to earth again. Our pilot drove us back through town to our hotel where we dropped off our backpacks before going on a late lunch date together at a local restaurant.

The balloon ride was a lot of fun and well worth the money. In total, we spent about an hour exploring this wonderland by air before heading back down to earth again. Our pilot drove us back through town to our hotel where we dropped off our backpacks before going on a late lunch date together at a local restaurant.

The meal we had was delicious: grilled lamb chops with rice pilaf and vegetables were followed by baklava for dessert (which came with honey). We talked about all kinds of things during our meal--what's happening at work, plans for Christmas break, what movies are coming out next summer...you name it! It was nice getting to know each other better over dinner :)

That evening was one of my favorite moments of the trip! We ate dinner together at their house under their gorgeous Christmas tree filled with lights and then sat around talking until it was way past my bedtime (or theirs). The food was delicious, and I loved hearing about how they met in college and fell in love while studying abroad.

The conversation was interesting, especially because they're both writers who have worked at large companies like Facebook and Google. They talked about how they balance work life with family life and what it's like raising kids in Silicon Valley versus New York City (where they lived before moving to Turkey). And then there were all those lights on their tree--which is apparently real rather than artificial--and we drank some wine...

If you're planning on visiting Cappadocia and want to do something different than just walking tours or bus tours this winter season, I highly recommend going hot air ballooning!

Cappadocia is an amazing area to visit, and hot air balloon rides are a great way to see it. It's fun and exciting, but also gives you a different perspective on the area than walking tours or bus tours. If you're planning on visiting Cappadocia this winter season and want to do something different than just walking tours or bus tours, I highly recommend going hot air ballooning!

Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Ride In December

I would highly recommend this activity to anyone visiting Cappadocia. It's a great way to see the area from a different perspective and really get an idea of what makes it so special. If you're planning on going hot air ballooning in December, make sure you book early because there are only so many seats available each day!