Cleared For a Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride
World-famous Cappadocia is known for its hot air balloons, cave hotels, and beauty. Here’s how much it cost.
If you’re unaware, there have been massive changes in the media industry in the last few months (more on that later). Unfortunately, this has meant that there were several stories that I wrote that won’t ever see the light of day. These were articles that I was excited to see published and were the result of trips, experiences, and ideas that I was passionate about.
So, I plan on sprinkling in some of these “lost” stories in Cleared for Takeoff. The first is a Vacation Funds story I wrote for Thrillist about my trip to Cappadocia, Turkey. I wrote similar articles last year about my experience attending Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour and my trip to Machu Picchu.
These budgeting-style articles provide valuable information to travelers who might want the same experiences, so here’s everything to know about planning a trip to Cappadocia, Turkey, for a hot air balloon ride.
I Traveled to Cappadocia, Turkey, for a Hot Air Balloon Ride and This Is What It Cost
Cappadocia is a region in central Turkey known for its fairy chimneys, cave hotels, and hot air balloon rides. If you’ve ever seen a photo of dozens of hot air balloons floating in the sunrise, there’s a solid chance it was a photo from Cappadocia. This has been a lifelong bucket list item for me, and when I found myself based in Istanbul for a few months last year, I knew I had to make it happen.
I planned this trip about a week and a half before I left, and to my disappointment, all the flights at reasonable times of the day were sold out. However, some airlines will reserve seats for award bookings, which allows you to book flights that seem sold out when paying cash. This was the case for my flight from Istanbul (IST) to Nevşehir (NAV), so I transferred 8,500 Capital One miles to Turkish Airlines for the booking, plus $15.89 in taxes and fees.
I didn’t want to use too many miles, so I paid $78.48 for my return flight, which had plenty of availability. I went with one of my best friends, Sarah, so we were able to split our food and rideshare expenses. We booked a two-bedroom family suite at the Seki Cave Hotel, spending €336.20 ($372.28) per person.
Although this was a pricey trip for the amount of days we were gone, it couldn’t have been more worth it. Here’s how my four-day trip to Cappadocia, Turkey, broke down.
Day by day
Day 1 - Friday
Total cost: 6,017.50 TRY ($176.76)
Our flight departed Istanbul at 11:25, so we left for the airport around 8:45. The taxi from our Airbnb in Taksim Square to the Istanbul Airport (IST) cost 587.50 Turkish Lira (TRY) per person, or $17.28. After a quick pass through security, we headed to the lounge for a bite before our flight.
Turkish Airlines is one of my favorite airlines because the in-flight service is exceptional, even on short regional flights. During our one-and-a-half-hour flight, we were served complimentary breakfast sandwiches, water, and a selection of teas, coffees, and soft drinks. After landing, we met our shuttle driver outside the small airport and headed to the hotel, spending 400 TRY per person ($11.77).
We arranged most of our experiences through our hotel, so we talked to the concierge to confirm our schedule after we checked in. The hotel partners with various tourism agencies, so we got a promotional rate of 4,530 TRY ($133) per person if we paid in cash for our hot air balloon ride. This rate included hotel pickup and drop-off, a light breakfast, and a champagne toast.
For context, comparable rides typically start around $250, so it was an easy sell. After solidifying our plans, we got a bit of rest in our two-bedroom family suite nestled into a cave.
Then, we took a short walk into town to grab takeout from a local restaurant and returned to the hotel’s rooftop to eat while watching the sunset. Dinner cost 500 TRY per person ($14.71) for a salad, pottery kebab, a bean stew, and bread. Knowing we had an early morning coming up, we went to sleep early.
Day 2 - Saturday
Total cost: 7,567 TRY ($222.54)
We had a 4:00 am wake-up call to prepare for our sunrise hot air balloon flight. Our operator picked us up in a luxury van around 5:20, and we took a short drive to the takeoff point. It was an otherworldly sight: picture dozens of hot air balloons lined up, each in different stages of inflation, the only light coming from the fire burning into the balloons. It felt like a scene from a movie. The balloons inflate surprisingly quickly, so before we knew it, we were being hurried into the basket to prepare for takeoff.
By 5:40, we were in the air—we were one of the first balloons up. That meant we got the perfect view of the dozens of other balloons entering the sky. There are as many as 100 balloons in flight at the same time, all at different altitudes, which gives the most unbelievable view set to the backdrop of the bright sunrise.
Our total flight time was a little over an hour, and the sun had fully risen by the time we landed. It was a nerve-wracking experience, especially if you’re slightly afraid of flights, as our highest position was 900 meters (3,000 feet). However, it was worth the nerves and money, and I can honestly say I’ve never experienced anything like it. This was one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences that make you feel incredibly fortunate to be able to travel.
After our flight, we were taken back to our hotel and waited for the hotel breakfast to begin at 8:00 am. After eating our body weight in one of the best hotel breakfasts I’ve had in a long time, we took a long nap to recover from the early start to the day.
Then, we grabbed a quick lunch of some shared appetizers for 490 TRY per person ($14.41) and headed to the spa at Kelebek Special Cave Hotel, a partner of our property. We booked a 90-minute treatment, which included the traditional Hammam services of a peeling and soap scrub, followed by a face mask and a massage, which cost 4,895 TRY ($143.95). It was an interesting experience, but not one I would recommend. It felt overpriced for the quality of the treatment.
After the spa, we went to the market to buy wine and snacks, spending 615 TRY ($18.09) per person. We took our purchase to the rooftop to watch another beautiful sunset, then returned to the suite to freshen up before dinner. Our hotel was located in a small village, but there’s a larger town about 10 minutes away, so we took a taxi for 100 TRY ($2.94) to go to a rooftop restaurant.
The cuisine was elevated, and our meal included oxtail, kebab, hummus with Turkish braised beef, and a goat cheese salad for 1,342 TRY ($39.47) per person. We hailed the same taxi driver for the ride back, spending 125 TRY ($3.68) per person, and called it a night.
Day 3 - Sunday
Total cost: 6,085 TRY ($178.74)
Our hotel rooftop had one of the best views in Cappadocia, so we woke up early to see the balloons from the ground rather than the sky. It’s hard to say which experience is better, being in the balloons or seeing them from the rooftop, but both were absolutely magical. After drinking coffee and chatting with other hotel guests watching the balloons, we headed back to the room to take a quick nap before breakfast.
We enjoyed another delicious breakfast before heading out on the full-day red tour, which cost 3,000 TRY ($88) per person and included an English-speaking guide, entry fees, lunch, transportation, and all taxes. Unfortunately, our operator forgot to pick us up, so we were picked up by someone who worked in the office around 10:30 and were taken to meet the group at the second stop of the tour. This meant we missed the tour's first stop, which was a disappointing way to start the day.
The tour includes several stops, all close together, so you don’t spend too much time in the van. Most of the tour is centered around the region's unique landscape, so you spend a lot of time learning about the fairy chimneys and the history of Cappadocia. We purchased water for 15 TRY ($0.44) at one of the stops.
Our favorite stop was an underground pottery museum, where we saw art from 5,000 BC to the modern day. We watched a demonstration from a master potter who showed us how to make a wine decanter that takes a minimum of 13 years of training to do successfully. The store's shop has ceramics made by local artists, and I simply couldn’t resist buying some presents for my family, spending 1,900 TRY ($55.89).
After the tour, we were dropped off at a different hotel, where the tour guide bought us all a round of drinks. We made some wonderful friends while on the tour, so we stayed a bit longer and paid an additional 495 TRY ($14.56) for another cocktail. I wouldn’t recommend the operator, as the tour guide seemed uninterested and rushed, and our itinerary looked slightly different than advertised. The red tour is worthwhile, but do your research before booking rather than making all bookings through your hotel.
When we got back to our hotel, we were pretty tired, so we opted for delivery from a local Indian restaurant, spending 675 TRY ($19.85) per person.
Day 4 - Monday
Total cost: 915 TRY ($26.94)
Our flight didn’t depart until 3:35 pm, so we got a late checkout and had a slow start to the morning. Due to the wind, all hot air balloon rides were canceled, so we couldn’t wake up early to see them one last time. Instead, we had a late breakfast around 9:30 and worked until our 1:50 pm departure to the airport. We had leftovers from the Indian delivery the night before, so we had no additional lunch expenses.
The shuttle cost another 400 TRY ($11.77) per person, and then we quickly went through security and boarded our flight. We grabbed an Uber back to our Airbnb in Istanbul for 515 TRY ($15.17), and with that, our trip was complete.
How it all broke down
Upfront and travel costs: $466.65 + 8,500 miles
Costs from the week: $604.98
Final total: $1,071.63 + 8,500 miles
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