Hot air ballooning in Turkey

It has long been a travel dream of mine to experience flight in a hot air balloon. A trip to Turkey felt like the perfect opportunity to indulge in this adventure. The region of Cappadocia, located in the center of the country, is one of the most famous and well-known hot air ballooning destinations in the world.

Flying over landscapes of fairy chimneys, the famous love valley, and the red and rose valleys are all reasons to choose this destination. Here are a few things to keep in mind when booking a hot air balloon.

Add a few extra days to your trip than you need for sight-seeing

Booking a balloon tour is tenuous at best. As they are heavily dependent on external factors, there is a large chance that your tour may be canceled more than once. I would recommend scheduling your tour at the beginning of your trip. This way, if it is canceled, you have options to reschedule before heading off to your next destination.

*Note: if your tour is canceled, please don’t take out your frustrations on the tour operator. Cancellations are strictly safety related, usually based on the weather conditions.

Choosing a season

Ballooning season in Turkey is year round. However, that doesn’t ensure your flight will take off. There are many weather-related factors when determining if a balloon can fly. The most stable conditions are found between April to June, plus September and October. We booked our trip at the end of April and had a lot of luck with our timing. All tours were canceled the 5 days leading up to our scheduled day. Do your research and plan ahead. Choose one of the peak seasons for the best chances at getting to fly.

Monitor the weather

One of the interesting facts I learned about balloons is that they are completely guided by the winds. There is no way to control the direction of a hot air balloon. The pilot is able to control the height above ground, but not where the balloon is headed. Because of this, wind speeds are important to track. If the winds are too strong, or gusting too high, balloons are not permitted to take off.

Book in advance

It is possible that a last minute booking can be made for a balloon tour. This is not a cost-efficient plan for the budget traveler. At this time of writing, a balloon ride in a basket of at least 12 people costs around $250 per person. Prices fluctuate based on how far out you are booking and how many people are traveling in the basket. The more people in a basket, the cheaper the flight. Private balloon tours start at about $500 per person. These prices can go up if you intend to book last minute, i.e. within a week or 2 of departure.

*Tip from our pilot: larger balloons that carry a higher number of passengers are operated by the most experienced pilots. If safety is your top concern, then booking a basket with 20+ people might help to ease your mind.

Picking the right tour company

I personally found choosing a tour company to be the most challenging. There are a large number of operators in Göreme and the surrounding towns throughout the Cappadocia region. They can be booked through their own websites, or through third party websites, such as Get your Guide, and Viator.

Royal Balloons is one of the most famous and longest operating in the region. They are also known for having a fantastic safety rating. On the downside, they also tend to have higher prices and book up far in advance. Butterfly Balloons, Goreme Balloons, Kapadokya Balloons, Turquaz Balloons and Discovery Balloons are also popular choices.

After a lot of research, I felt like there was not much of a difference in quality between these companies. They are all required to meet certain safety standards and have reported no major accidents. In the end, we chose the most affordably priced operator from the above list that still had options available (1 month prior to our trip).

I can highly recommend booking with Discovery Balloons. The booking included pick-up and drop-off directly from our hotel. The tour coordinators were professional and organized. Our pilot had over 10 years of flying experience. We really enjoyed watching the balloons inflating in the dark hours of dawn, and of course the adrenaline that came with lift off. The post-flight champagne toast, led by our pilot, was also a nice celebratory touch at the end.

A hot air balloon tour in Turkey really is a magical experience. I am so glad to have had the opportunity to take this trip and would absolutely do it again if given the chance. I hope these tips will help you as you plan your trip!