Cappadocia: Experience The Most Magical Sunrise in the World
f you’ve planned a trip to Cappadocia, it’s likely that one of the first things on your bucket list is to see their famous Hot Air Balloon Sunrises. Now I know you’ve seen the photos on Instagram and are probably wondering “where the heck did they snap that AMAZING photo???” In fact, I was actually surprised at how difficult it was to find the exact locations of some of the photos I’d seen online, let alone find anywhere that had documented them with a location I could input into my Google Maps.
Never fear though, I’ve complied a list of my favourite viewpoints, including all the research I did during my trip. So yes, this includes CORRECT location names, photo inspiration and exact Google Map geo locations!!
Goreme, Where The Action Takes Place
Just before we jump into the locations, I wanted to take some time to explain the area of Cappadocia. Cappadocia is actually a large region in Turkey that’s made up of many different towns and villages and just going anywhere in Cappadocia doesn’t necessarily mean you will see the balloons at sunrise.
The place you want to be staying at is called Göreme, if you want to visit (in my opinion) the best and closest vantage points to view the balloons.
Interactive Map
How to Use This Map: This is an interactive map you can use to find your preferred viewing location. To use the map, click the icon in the top left hand corner to pop open the navigation bar. Here you can click on each location to navigate to it. The area coloured in yellow is the balloon launch site area. The area coloured in purple is a rough guide of the balloon flight area.
Aydın Kırağı (Sunrise/Sunset Point)
efinitely one of the BEST, if not THE BEST place in Göreme to view the balloons at sunrise. This viewpoint was my favourite for a number of reasons:
- It’s really easy to get to from the town centre – just a short 15min walk
- The balloons fly super close to you, I literally felt like I could shake hands with some of the people on board!
- It has a great vantage point over the valley where the balloons launch, but also over the town of Göreme. This makes it a great location to see both the balloons launch and their flight over Göreme.
- This viewing area was relatively quiet and it was super easy for me to get a great spot, considering I arrived as the balloons were launching. Don’t expect the area to be empty of course, but it’s definitely not overcrowded and you get your own space.
The most difficult thing about finding this viewpoint was that everyone referred to it as “Sunrise Point” or “Sunset Point” (even the signs in town call it that) but this is not what the location is called in GoogleMaps. In fact, if you try to type Sunrise or Sunset Point into GoogleMaps, you will be taken to the completely wrong place. Instead AYDIN KIRAĞI is where you want to go if you plan on using Google as your guide.
Love Valley
nfortunately I didn’t get a chance to venture to this viewpoint myself, but it was high on my list. The photos from here look amazing and the best part about it is that you get to capture Cappadocia’s beautiful landscape in the shot. Unlike the previous location, this one is much harder to get to without a car (which I didn’t have for this part of my journey!)
While you can hike there, it’ll take you around 30mins and you’ll be walking most of it in the dark in order to get there in time for sunrise. Location 2 in the map above leads you to a viewpoint that overlooks Love Valley (as seen in the first Instagram picture below), however shots from within the valley, looking up at the balloons flying above also look really effective (Instagram pic #2).
On Horseback
any companies in Cappadocia offer sunrise horse riding tours and I can’t think of a more magical way to view the balloons and take photos! I did a Horseback Photoshoot with Cappadocia Ranch, but they also offer sunrise Horse Riding Tours.
Cappadocia Ranch provide pick up and drop off from your hotel and if you’d like more info, you can read my full review by clicking below:
From The Balloon Launch Sites
nother awesome viewpoint I really wanted to check out (if only time permitted!) were the balloon launch sites. Not only can you get some great up-close shots with the balloons as they inflate, it’s also a great way to gather time lapse footage of the balloons firing up and taking flight. I particularly think these shots look quite majestic, however if you’re not taking an actual balloon flight (in which you are picked up from your hotel and driven to the balloon launch site), these locations can be a little difficult to find as they can change day to day.
To find out exactly where the balloons will be launching you can either ask a balloon
company directly the day before, or in my case, the hotel manager at Cave Hotel Saksagan was very knowledgeable and also did balloon tours on the side.
Similar to Love Valley, if you don’t have a car, this viewpoint can be difficult to reach. It is approximately a 30-40min hike depending on which launch site you visit. Getting all dressed up for the photo and then having to hike for 40 minutes just to get to the destination isn’t particularly ideal. But by all means, if you have a car, definitely go here!
Inside A Hot Air Balloon
kay so this is an obvious one, and you might be thinking “why is this so far down the list??” But I will stress that taking a photo inside a hot air balloon is not as easy as you think. They. are. Crowded. Making it difficult for you to move freely and take a photo, let alone get a shot without anyone else it it.
This however is the only way to get in-air action shots and birds-eye views over Goreme’s beautiful rock formations and valleys. GoPro’s on hand held tripods and selfie sticks are your best bet to capture a great photo.
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Cave Hotels
kay I KNOW it’s surprising that this viewpoint is 6th on my list, because all the photos on Instagram are of people watching the balloons from the balconies of cave hotels. But seriously. It’s kinda over rated – when it comes to watching the balloons at least.
I stayed at Mithra Cave Hotel, which is probably one of the two more well known cave hotels to watch the balloons. From my personal observation, Mithra Cave Hotel actually has a better view than the renowned Sultan Cave Suites (Mithra over looks Sultan to its left and is a little higher). I could also see from my view on Mithra’s rooftop, a lot of other hotels in the area that looked to have the same or possibly a better view, plus, they were much less crowded. Unfortunately the hotels don’t have any signage, so I can’t tell you their names, but I do want to point out that you don’t need to stay at Sultan Cave Suites or Mithra exclusively to get a great view of the balloons at sunrise. I would like to stress that staying at Mithra Cave Hotel is not overrated (it’s actually amazing), but when it comes to balloon view points, I believe finding a lesser known hotel nearby Mithra or Sultan Cave Suites would provide a similar or better view with a much more pleasant experience.
Anyway, let’s start with the good:
- Watching the balloons from a cave hotel provides a much more comfortable experience. You can literally wake up 5mins before the sunrise and walk outside your room, onto the balcony and you’re done!
- Most cave hotels have cute balcony set ups like Turkish rugs, cushions, and even Turkish breakfasts that really do add to the vibe for your photos. These are solely for props though and you’re not to eat the food!
And now the bad…
- I have to say the worst part about viewing the balloons from a cave hotel, particularly one quite famous on Instagram, is that they are super crowded with the worst kind of people. INSTAGRAMMERS. I know, I KNOW, I am an Instagrammer, but some just act incredibly obnoxious. Imagine 40+ females, dressed to impress and continuously posing as if they are models, meaning you have to wait and find a space to take a clear shot. You don’t really get the luxury to sit back, relax and enjoy the view. The good thing was that everyone was quite civil in taking turns sitting amongst the different set ups to get a photo. Unfortunately it means that everyone else waiting their turn is now part of the crowd watching you… which was a complete nightmare for camera shy me.
- The balloons are a lot further away than at Sunrise Point (Location 1). At times, you feel quite removed from the action, but in some instances, the balloons do come close to the hotels.
Red Valley Panoramic View Point
ed Valley Panoramic View Point is last on this list not because it isn’t stunning, but mainly because it is further away from the balloon action. Being one of the most famous spots to view the sunset in Cappadocia, for sunrise, expect to get a great view of the balloons rising over the Goreme landscape.
The balloons here will start closer to you and gradually move further away as they continue on their flight path. This viewpoint is perfect for panoramic landscape shots that feature the beautiful Goreme landscape as the highlight, and the balloons as a magical accompaniment.
- Save up to 20% on a Hot Air Balloon Flight. Includes hotel transfers, breakfast and a glass of bubbly.
- Save up to 20% on the popular Cappadocia Red Tour. On this tour you visit historic sites such as Devrent Valley, Pasabagi Valley, Avanos, Göreme Open Air Museum, Esentepe and more.
- Save up to 20% on the popular Cappadocia Green Tour. I did this tour personally and it was a very interesting experience. On this tour you enjoy panoramic views from Esentepe, Derinkuyu Underground City – this was fascinating, Ihlara Valley, a walk along the river, lunch at Belisirma village and the Selime Monastery which featured in Star Wars.
- Save 20% on Cappadocia private airport transfers for up to 3 people.
- Cappadocia Horse Riding Experience: In Cappadocia, there are two experiences you can do to explore inside the valleys (besides hiking); horse riding and ATV tours. Due to the landscape, ATV are not allowed to go into the valleys, therefore I recommend to choose the horse riding experience.
- Dinner and Folk Show in Goreme: I really enjoyed this experience. There were several different dances throughout the night and dinner included a range of breads, dips, cheese, meats and rice.
Below, see the two accomodation I spent time in during my stay at Cappadocia. Both were great. Cave Hotel Saksagan was excellent for the price and definitely great for travellers on a budget. For one night I indulged at Mithra Cave Hotel, which was also beautiful. Both include breakfast.
Or search for your own accomodation:
- See my review of a horse riding photoshoot experience with Cappadocia Ranch.
- Discover Pamukkale in 24 Hours!
What a fantastic experience! Love all the photos.
Kisses
http://www.atrendylifestyle.com/
It definitely was! Glad you enjoyed the post and photos!
First of all thanks for the guide. I was loving it until I reached the hotels part:
“saw a great many lesser known (and much less crowded) hotels that looked to have a much better view than both Sultan and Mithra”.
So basically you say there are many less known hotels with better view than Mithra and Sultan, yet you don’t mention not even one name, just posting a link to book Mithra.
Sorry, but that’s kind of lame
Hi Barry,
Glad you enjoyed the post and thank you so much for taking the time to read our blog. Let me take some time to clarify things for you.
I did see tourists on other hotel rooftops, but unfortunately I actually don’t know the names of those hotels – it’s all cave-like with no signage – which you can see in my pictures above as well. I only knew where Sultan Suites was because it is the most renowded for the view and I made effort to actually find it while I was there. Many of the balconies you can see in the pictures above were actually hotels you could stay in – which I only realised after seeing the view at sunrise. In the photos, you can see there is no way of identifying what those hotels actually were. I only saw that the opportunities for a better or similar view existed and wanted to point out that the information online (at the time of writing) implies that ONLY Mithra and Sultan have the best views – which is not entirely accurate. From my observation on the Mithra rooftop, it appeared that there are actually quite a few hotels in the area that would have just as good of a view, but likely less well known and therefore less crowded.
I really hope that clarifies this for you, but if there’s still any confusion do not hesitate to contact us via email or DM and we can explain it further. I’ll will also make an edit to the post so that this is clearer for anyone else that reads in future. For this, we appreciate your feedback as improving our posts only help us.
Regarding links, we generally only provide links to places that we’ve actually stayed in or can recommend ourselves – while I didn’t stay in Sultan Suites I made effort to visit it and check it out since it was (at the time of writing) the most popular accomodation option. In general, we wouldn’t want to recommend a stay somewhere that we’ve not actually stayed ourselves :) Additionally, links are provided throughout content when places or names are mentioned so people can click for more info, as per good SEO practices.
Preciosos !! en España hay un sitio donde todos los fines de semana se ve este paisaje con globos SEGOVIA !!
https://www.corbatasygemelos.es/
Ohh wow, I didn’t know that there was a similar experience in Spain. I will need to check it out one day – visiting Spain is still very high on my list!!
all these hot air balloons! so magical!
kelseybang.com
4allthingsdisney.com
Hi Kelsey! Yes! I know! They are so beautiful to watch in the morning! Totally makes getting up at 4AM worth it!!
It’s gorgeous indeed. What an awesome experience. Your photos are amazing dear! Thanks for sharing!
Jessica | notjessfashion.com
Aww thank you so much Jess! Really glad you enjoyed this post!
This is amazing! You make me want to book a trip to see this right NOW!
-Ashley
Le Stylo Rouge
Haha! Well at least you have this handy guide to take with you when you go! :’D
this is so magical … I want to see this
https://www.melodyjacob.com/2018/10/2018-winter-2018-fashion-must-have.html
I hope you’re able to visit one day too!
These photos are so gorgeous! Absolutely stunning!
XOXO,
Vanessa
http://WWW.WhatWouldVWear.com
Thank you Vanessa! Really glad you like the post :) :)
OMGGGG all of these photos are just amazing – what a view !!!
And so lovely of you to share all the exact locations – sometimes I feel like people on instagram are not even interested in sharing their places and recommendations – as if there was a battle about the best picture or something ;) So this post gives me even more hope, that there are such amazing souls out there as you are :) ♥
xxx
Tina
http://styleappetite.com/en/hotel-review-le-medina-privilege-marrakesch/
Thank you so much Tina for your beautiful comment! You definitely hit the nail on the head with regard to exactly what we’re trying to achieve with our blog. For us it has always been about honesty and sharing our knowledge! If you find a great place, wouldn’t you also want to share it?? I also find that people on Instagram are very secretive about their places and recommendations and I was feeling frustrated by it too! So our goal is to be different! Even if we get a sent a product to review, we will write an honest review – especially if we didn’t like it. Or if people want to know exactly where we took a particular picture, or even if they wanted to know how or if it was edited, we want to share our knowledge and be very open with that too.
Thanks again for your comment, it really helps us feel confident that we’re on the right path and helping people :)
Wow, I’m in awe of all these amazing photos! I imagine it was such an incredible experience to see all these hot air balloons in person! Thanks for sharing!
http://roadesque.com
Thank you Valerie! It definitely was incredible – you can’t help but get super excited when you see the balloons for the first time! There’s so many!
Ahhh really want to go here so thanks for sharing all these tips! Hope you had the best time! Big Xx Susanne – http://bagatyou.com
Hi Susanne, yes it was truly magical! And no problem, hope they prove useful if you ever go to Turkey one day! xx
This is so amazing and these photos are so gorgeous! x
Ann-Marie | http://facetocurls.com/
Aww thank you Ann-Marie!
Holy moly, all of your your pics are just incredible!!! Kudos to you for finding the locations. I’ve seen quite a few of the balloon pics taken in Cappadocia on Instagram. They all look so magical and dreamy. I love the idea of horseback riding and how cute are you in your floral maxi dress. This must have been an unforgettable experience. I would love to do this some day but for now I am just going to go back and admire all of your stunning captures.
Xx
Nikki
http://www.nikkilivinglife.com
Aww thank you Nikki! Such a beautiful comment! It’s one of those places where it’s just as magical to witness as all the pictures you see online! There’s this moment of pure enchantment (for a lack of a better word) when you see the balloons rise from the valleys into the air for the first time. It’s amazing! I can’t wait to see your pictures one day too :)
Wow what beautiful photos! Such a nice post.
Gemma x
http://www.jacquardflower.uk
Thank you Gemma! Glad you liked them!
this is so amazing!
Rêtro Vintage Maggie | Facebook | Instagram
Thank you Magda!!
This is absolutely magical! Definitely on my bucket list!!
xx,
-Lauren
https://vandifair.com
Simply beautiful. Perfect for those that want to try something interesting but aren’t too keen on skydiving or bungee
Yes 100% – you can enjoy the heights without the scary side of things haha
This place is so magical.
It is out if this world
xx
https://theonethattravels.wordpress.com/
Right! Turkish Rugs, Apple tea, a gorgeous landscape and this beautiful view is just a magical atmosphere!
Cappadocia has been all over my Instagram. Your photos are absolutely beautiful. And I love how you always disclose the locations!!!
http://www.jeannieinabottleblog.com
Such wonderful photographs, so picture perfect. Thanks so much for sharing them with us.
Laura xo
http://www.shehearts.net
Cappadocia is a great narrative and pictures
Thank you! It is a beautiful place! Would love to go back!
hi TALYSSA,
I love your article and the images is gorgeous. Would you recommend to visit Turkey and Cappadocia in Winter or not al all?
Hi!! So sorry for my late reply, I totally missed this comment. I’ve not visited Cappadocia in winter, but I do know that they do still do balloon flights pending the weather conditions are still safe. The bonus of going in winter would be that there would be significantly less tourists, which means a much more pleasant time enjoying the sites. Winter looks cool with the snow, but for me I love the desert-like feel of the area a bit more! I think Turkey in general is more of a summer location, because other areas have beaches or Pamukkale (not sure if you saw this post) has thermal pools you might want to swim in as well.