One of the most relaxing ways to discover a beautiful area is by flying a hot air balloon. It is perfectly safe and a very satisfying experience. In Turkey you can find many good deals to fly over the beautiful Turkish landscape by hot air balloon.
The most beautiful Instagram pictures of hot air balloons in Turkey are usually from Cappadocia. Cappadocia with its amazing fairytale landscape is the most beautiful location for a hot air balloon ride. The Hoodoo rock formations are almost surreal, also know as the “fairy chimneys”. It is easy to understand why this is one of the most stunning and popular locations in the world to go hot air ballooning!
Yes, Cappadocia is without a doubt the most beautiful location in the world to step into a hot air balloon and have a view over the amazing landscape. But you can find more amazing hot air balloon locations in Turkey. What do you think about a hot air balloon ride above the historical site of Ephesus, or above the white Pamukkale thermal spring cascade baths?
Not only does Turkey have the most beautiful locations in the world for hot air ballooning, it is also one of the cheapest hot air balloon rides you can find around the world.
Hot Air Balloons in Cappadocia, the Fairytale Landscape!
One of the most beautiful places of the world to fly a hot air balloon is without a doubt in Cappadocia, Turkey. If you search for the best hot air balloons location in Google you will find Cappadocia 9 out of 10 times on number one!
Cappadocia is a beautiful location for hot air ballooning because of it majestical surroundings. The amazing “fairy chimneys” are part of this area. The chimney rocks that make up this area, make it look like the surface of the moon.
Especially during the sunrise, this area is one of the most beautiful places to photograph mainly because of the collors and rock formation. You can make the most amazing photos both from the hot air balloon as from an observation point from the ground.
Cappadocia attracts many tourists to the region with the hot air balloon rides over the cone-shaped rock formations. But its not only the rock formations that attracts the tourists to Cappadocia, but also the incredible houses made into the rocks and underground city that you can discover there.
The town of Göreme, Cappadocia, is where you can find the most hotels where the hot air balloon riders will pick up their customers. From most hotels you also have a beautiful view over the cone-shaped rocks and if you are willing to wake up early, the amazing view of all the balloons that are passing by over the landscape. Be ready to make some amazing photos for your social media!
History of the Cappadocia Landscape That You Will Fly Over With Your Hot Air Balloon!
The Cappadocian relief is a high plateau about 1000 meters above sea level. The plateau is pierced by volcanic peaks that creat a dramatic but visually stunning landscape. The landscape exists out of rocks in the shape of towers, valleys, cones, and caves.
If you are looking from the hot air balloon it might look as a deserted moon landscape, but when you will walk around the rocks and caves you will notice the many winding paths and beautifully carved caves that are scattered in the unique landscape.
The rock formations in Cappadocia were created by volcanic eruptions, which after by erosion and wind where carved into this amazing landscape. When you fly over this landscape by hot air balloon, you can see how the wind, rain, and time have sculptured the cone shaped rock formations. You can clearly see the “softer” rock layers which wear out faster than the harder rock layers above it.
Will you take the hot air balloon ride in the early morning or will you decide to watch the balloons and amazing landscape from the ground?
Pamukkale Hot Air Balloon Ride, a Birds View on the Thermal Pools!
Turkey has more exciting hot air balloon experiences then Cappadadocia alone. For example in Turkey’s Inner Aegean region, in the river Menderes valley, you can find the amazing Pamukkale hot springs and the ruins of Hierapolis on one side of the valley and on the other side you can see the ruins of the old city of Laodicea.
Flying a hot air balloon over the Pamukkale hot springs will not only show you the beautifull shimmering, snow-white limestone springs, but also you will have the birds-eye view over the historical ruins of Hierapolis.
There is no place in the world other than Pamukkale where you can take a hot air balloon ride over one of the most amazing natural sites in the world and at the same time see the ruins of a city that was founded in the 2nd century BC. Since then the hot springs have been used as a spa and health treatment center.
In 2020 it is one of the hottest destinations in Turkey and one of the best places to go up in a hot air balloon and to view the amazing historical spa treatment center from the sky.
Take the hot air balloon in the morning and enjoy one of the hot springs, with a temperature between 35 °C (95 °F) to 100 °C (212 °F), the rest of the day. Even in wintertime you can enjoy the hot springs at Pamukkale. I would almost say that you will enjoy the hot springs more when it is cold outside.
Don’t make that hold you back to go to Pamukalle and enjoy the springs from a hot air balloon in summer. The limestone surface of the hotsprings are a beautiful sight in summer, you can see the white mountain covering from far down the valley.
The white minerals that you see when flying the hot air balloon over Pamukkale are the travertine terraces made by the mineral water from the hot springs. The mineral water is dripping down the mountain side and runs down the mineral terraces into the pools. These pools on the mountain side is where you will see most tourists taking a bath.
After Cappadocia, Pamukkale is definitely number two on the list of most beautiful places to take the hot air balloon in Turkey!
Ephesus the Old City by Hot Air Balloon
Do you like to go off the beaten path, then taking a hot air balloon ride above Ephesus might be right up your sleeve. Ephesus, located near modern day Selçuk in İzmir Province in Turkey is a beautiful place that attracts thousends of visiters each year. Most visitors will take the walking tour though Ephesus, and we definitly recommend you to do that also.
But if you want to see the real size of the old city, and the beautiful location it was build on, we recommend you to take a hot air balloon ride to discover the true beauty of the historical city.
Flying over the ancient city of Ephesus is something that not many have done before you. Only recently the Turkish government has opened up 9 more districts where hot air balloons are allowed to fly, and Ephesus is one of them. Yet it is not very easy to find a balloon company that is doing hot air balloon flights over the old city.
What makes a flight over the historical city of Ephesus so special? Fly over the largest open-air museum in Turkey. See the Grand Theatre, the beautifully restored Library, the Hercules Gate, the Latrines, the old Brothel en the marketplace from the hot air balloon. Of course walking through the city you can also see all these amazing historical buildings and locations from up close, but flying over it and seeing the city laying in the beautiful landscape from a distance is also very special and unforgettable.