Balloons & Spires

A pre-dawn start today (11:45 Australian time… we’ll have some adjusting to do on our return next week) for a balloon flight in Goreme.

I counted I think 102 balloons, around 24 passengers to a balloon so this is a serious business here. For comparison, the township of Urgup has signs claiming 19,700 (permanent) residents. It is quite remarkable how successfully Cappadocia markets itself in the global tourism industry. The aerial vantage point is a great way to appreciate the natural rock spires and canyons.

Our travel agent organised a tour with a Turkish travel agent who ultimately organised with Kaya Balloons. They ran a professional, safe and friendly operation and we seemed to be ahead of the pack on take off, giving the pilot more opportunities to get lower & closer I think.