Bucket List / Experience Goals
Ride In A Hot Air Balloon
Ticked off in April 2015
Rise silently at dawn as dozens of balloons lift off around you and the sun comes up over the landscape below.
The adventure
It starts in the dark: a field full of baskets on their sides, fans roaring and burners firing great orange flames into the envelopes as they swell and rise. You climb in, the pilot pulls the burner and the ground simply lets go.
Over Cappadocia, scores of balloons rise together above valleys of fairy chimneys and cave houses as the first sun turns the rock pink and gold. Over Luxor you drift across the Nile with the green fields on one bank and the desert and the Valley of the Kings on the other, the temples catching the light below. Between the bursts of the burner it is completely silent. The landing can be a bump or a gentle kiss on a field, and there's usually a glass of something waiting.
Why it’s epic
- Cappadocia regularly sends up 100 or more balloons on a calm morning.
- Flights over Luxor pass the Nile, the West Bank temples and the Theban hills.
- Sunrise from the air, with the shadows of the other balloons on the ground.
What it is
Balloons fly at dawn, when the air is still. Cappadocia is the most famous place in the world to do it, and Luxor lets you drift over the temples and tombs of ancient Thebes.
How to do it
Book with a licensed operator, who collect you before sunrise. Flights are always weather-dependent.
Top tip
Book for the first morning of your stay, so if it's cancelled you can try again the next day.
Need to know
- Pick-ups are around 4 to 5am, depending on the season.
- Flights are often cancelled for wind; a good operator refunds or rebooks.
- Choose a licensed operator with a good safety record.
Do it yourself
My experience
Ticked off, but the full story is still to be written up.
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