As a hot air balloon pilot of 17 years, Rodrigo calls Cappadocia his favourite destination. He’s flown hot air balloons in Egypt, Israel, Namibia, Spain and his native country of Portugal, but he loves Cappadocia most for its surreal, volcanic topography of moonscapes and fairytale chimneys, and the ability to take his balloon high in the sky or as low as the valleys below.
I met Rodrigo on a dazzling Cappadocia hot air balloon ride with Sultan Balloons that was expertly flown by another pilot, Sadik. Rodrigo just happened to come for the ride and, as I caught glimpses of him amorously looking out into the balloon-filled horizon with awe, it was abundantly clear he loves his job.
And why wouldn’t he? Nearly every day, he gets to steer a hot air balloon over one of the most visually spectacular regions in the world, where valleys reveal volcanic rock formations uniquely shaped by the elements.
To prepare for the ride, I awoke at an ungodly hour before being picked up at the Museum Hotel by the mini-van — but it was worth it.
The hotel restaurant wasn’t even open for breakfast that early, but I was thankfully provided with hot beverages and snacks while I watched with fascination the Sultan Balloons crew inflate the balloons — a stunning sight in itself.
Once I climbed into the basket with about 10 others, it was time for take-off.
With up to 150 balloons in the sky at a time, the view is unprecedented. It’s simply impossible to convey in words the beauty of what I saw before my eyes, so I’ll let the images speak for themselves.
In the end, the experience was without question among the most memorable in my travels so far, even for an acrophobe like me. Ascending and floating through the sky in whichever direction the wind took us was surprisingly calming — a completely different sensation from the anxiety and irrational fear I feel when standing near the edge of a cliff or tall building.
Even the landing executed by Sadik was as smooth as can be.
As we clinked our flutes and shared post-ride (non-alcoholic) bubbly to celebrate the adventure and safe landing, I asked Rodrigo how much longer he’ll stay in Cappadocia.
“I’ll move to another location when I get bored,” he said.
Something tells me it won’t be any time soon.
Thank you to Sultan Balloons for having me as their guest for the Cappadocia hot air balloon ride. As always, all views expressed in this post are my own.
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I have to admit that I had no idea where Cappadocia was. I had to look it up. Breath taking views. Hot air ballooning is one adventure I’d be willing to try even though I’m afraid of heights.
Now you know 😉 Chances are you’ll be fine in a hot air balloon – despite my acrophobia, I was completely fine! The sensation of floating in the sky is completely different (to me anyway) from, say, standing near the edge of a tall building.
We’ve only flown in a hot air balloon once – and that was over Cappadocia too :-). Seeing the balloon being inflated was quite the sight! What was surprising was how quick lift-off was, and how gentle. Before we knew it, we were up, up and away… It was so quiet and peaceful up in the sky (except for the blast of fire above our heads every now and then). We understand that only Africa rivals Cappadocia in being the top place in the world to soar in a hot air balloon… (The getting-up-early-in-the-am part was the only downside to this adventure – but it was sooooo worth it.)
Incredible, isn’t it?? I’m not sure Africa would rival Cappadocia as a hot air balloon destination unless it’s during the Great Migration in the Mara or Serengeti, but I wouldn’t mind finding out 😉
I keep coming across photos of hot air balloon rides and I keep wanting to do them!! Will definitely have to add this to my 2015 list! 😀
It’s an absolute must-do in Turkey, in my opinion! Hope you get there soon.
So spectacular! So breath taking!
It is indeed! A once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Nice pics and nice write-up.
I’m going to Cappadocia this coming May and CAN’T WAIT to do a hot air balloon ride!
Just wondering – how many people in the basket and did you find it crowded? Difficult to
move around? Did you have to rotate with others to get to the perimeter of the basket to
take your pictures?
Hi Ken. There were about 10 people in the basket, but I did see other balloons with larger baskets that fit more people. It’s definitely tight in there (assuming the basket is full) – you’ll have little space to move around. If I recall correctly, I think everyone was positioned at the perimeter, but I would double-check with the balloon operator you decide to use as I’m not sure all baskets are built the same way. Hope that helps.