Hot air balloons in Cappadocia: where to watch them at sunrise away from the crowds

If there’s one thing that draws crowds to Cappadocia (even more than its landscapes), it is the hot air balloons! Just imagine: in 2018, more than 500,000 people flew over Cappadocia by balloon. Yes, you read well, half a million people! It’s just crazy! At the same time, photos of Cappadocia’s sky filled with hot air balloons at sunrise have gone around the world. And I have to admit, it’s pretty damn impressive.

So let’s put an end to the suspense right away: we did not fly over Cappadocia by balloon! To be honest, we felt the price for an hour long flight was too high, between 200 and 300 euros per person. We preferred to save that money to travel longer instead ;).
Note: The price itself isn’t unreasonable for a hot air balloon flight in Cappadocia. It’s actually a fairly “standard” rate for this type of activity. It was just too much for our backpacker budget ;).

And let’s be honest, the show from ground level isn’t bad either, if you’re in the right spots! We’ll let you judge yourselves form the photos ;).

Since we spent a week in the region, we had plenty of time to observe how the juicy hot air balloon business works in Cappadocia, as well as the different types of flights. We also got up 4 times at 4 a.m. to test out different spots for watching the hot air balloons at sunrise, away from the crowds. Because let’s face it, with 500 other people around, it gets a lot less fun! We’re sharing all of that with you in the rest of the article. Nice, isn’t it? Follow the guide!

Our tips if you want to fly over Cappadocia by hot air balloon

We didn’t take a balloon flight ourselves, but you might feel like giving it a try! Since we thought of you, we looked into some information to help you pick the best possible balloon flight.

Takeoff

Balloons don’t take off every day! For obvious safety reasons, if there’s too much wind, the hot air balloons simply don’t fly. Fabienne knows this well, having gotten up twice at 4 a.m. to see them. Unfortunately, they didn’t take off either time! So if you absolutely want to do a hot air balloon flight, plan for at least 2 mornings to make sure it happens.

Price

To give you an idea, we saw prices ranging between 200 and 300 euros per person. We were there in late May, so at the start of high season. Obviously, paying as little as possible is nice, but we’d suggest basing your choice on the following criteria instead.

Departure time

Is it better to depart before or after sunrise? Most mornings actually have 2 departures. One takes off before sunrise, so the balloon is already up when the sun appears, and another takes off during sunrise itself. It might sound counterintuitive, but we’d actually recommend the second option. Honestly, we find the scenery more impressive once the sun has already risen. The valleys are then lit up by beautiful morning light. If you leave before sunrise, you’ll spend half your flight “in the dark,” which feels like a real shame to us. Plus, by going on the second flight, you get to watch the first hundred or so balloons take off, and you’ll then join the sky right in the middle of all the other balloons.

Flying through the valleys

Having watched the balloons several times and talked with several people who’ve done a flight, I can tell you that not all flights are equal! Some balloons simply climb very high and then come back down. Others fly right through the valleys, getting up close to the fairy chimneys, like in Love Valley or Rose Valley. I guess it depends on the pilot’s experience. But when choosing an operator, be sure to ask them if you’ll get to fly through the valleys.

Clothing

Also, bring warm clothes! How you dress obviously depends on the season of your visit to Cappadocia. In June, July, and August, it matters less. Either way, bring a beanie, some light gloves, and a good jacket. Yes, it really can get quite cold up there, especially at 1,000 meters in the air!

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Best places to watch the balloons in Cappadocia, away from the crowds

The sheer number of balloons filling Cappadocia’s sky almost every morning has created another phenomenon. People now come to Cappadocia just to watch the balloons dance across the sky at sunrise. And honestly, we get why. Watching 100 to 200 hot air balloons float over the already stunning landscapes of this region of Turkey really is a unique sight!

But a great show also means a crazy amount of people… Honestly, you’ll prabably be shocked by how many people are out on the streets of Göreme at 4:30 in the morning ;). Any place easily reachable on foot or by car from Göreme is absolutely crowded at sunrise. Since I don’t especially like crowds and wanted to enjoy the show in peace, I made the effort to track down some very quiet spots with a nice view. Here’s everything I found.

Below, you’ll find a small map with my favorite spots for watching the sunrise with the balloons in Cappadocia. You’ll also notice I’ve included a few sunset spots. You’ll see that I’ve also included a few spots for the sunset. I’ve also marked the trails, along with the distances and elevation gains, to reach these different spots on foot from Göreme.

Sunrise spot in the Love Valley

The first spot is right in the heart of Love Valley, not at the viewpoints outside the valley that are accessible by car and crowded in the morning. I experienced one of the most beautiful sunrises of my life there! It’s actually about 3 to 4 km from the centre of Göreme (a 30 to 45 minute walk), along the same hiking route we described earlier. The itinerary is shown in green on the map. Set off at least 45 minutes before sunrise to make it there in time.

The spot sits inside Love Valley, right at the foot of the fairy chimneys, which makes for really great photos, and I had it entirely to myself. Balloons take off from all around, and for over an hour, it’s a guaranteed show, especially since some balloons fly very low through the valley!

Spot close to Göreme

If you don’t feel like walking too far from Göreme, this second spot is probably the one you’ll go for. It’s the turquoise trail on the map. It’s set back from the viewpoint with the Turkish flag, where everyone goes in the morning (and evening too :)). You’ll get a lovely view of the fairy chimneys in the area known as Görkündere, and the morning we chose to go there, Fabienne and I were completely alone. Unfortunately, we weren’t so lucky with the hot air balloons, they didn’t take off that day 🙁 #CantWinThemAll

Swords Valley

I’d actually spotted this place while doing this hike, and I didn’t regret going back for sunrise! It’s located above Swords Valley and offers a beautiful panoramic view of the surroundings. However, it’s almost 3 km from Göreme. It’s the purple path on the map. Planfor a good 45 minutes to get there. Tip: bring a flashlight so you’re visible while walking in the morning, since part of the route follow tracks sometimes used by vehicles transporting the balloons.

The view here is very different from the Love Valley spot, and this time we watch the balloons takeoff from above. You also get a beautiful view of the village of Göreme, with Uçhisar in the background.

Note: this place is also great for sunset!

Rose Valley and the summit of Akdağ

We’re grouping these two spots together since they’re close to one another. On the map, it’s the orange trail. That said, since they’re quite far from Göreme, it’s better to drive to the Rose Valley parking area if you’re heading out in the morning. Another option is to camp the night before at the summit of Akdağ (Mount Aktepe), which makes for a fantastic camping spot!

Honestly, doing this hike one morning, I walked right past the viewpoint over Rose Valley (which must be incredible at sunset), and especially right past 2 tents set up at the summit of Aktepe (which forms a kind of plateau, making it perfect for camping). I must say I was a little jealous of those campers. They were at the perfect place for sunset, then again in the morning for the balloons.

In any case, if you try camping at Aktepe, let us know how it went, just to make us jealous!

That’s it! We think you now know everything you need before booking your flight, as well as the best spots to enjoy the balloon show at sunrise in Cappadocia in peace. There are certainly other great spots out there too. Generally speaking, as long as a place isn’t reachable by car and requires more than a 15 minute walk, it’s usually worth it! Have you found other spots yourself? Feel free to share them with us in the comments ;).

See you soon for our final article on Turkey: a detailed review and budget breakdown of our trip!

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