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!!
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:
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:
And now the bad…
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.
