Cappadocia · Türkiye · Series
Cappadocia in 18 seconds: why it looks like this
Cappadocia looks the way it does because ancient volcanoes buried the region in ash, the ash hardened into soft rock, and wind and rain carved it into towers. People then cut homes, storerooms and churches into the same rock. The balloons come from the calm, cold air of the valleys at dawn, which is why they fly at sunrise and only when the wind allows.
The places in this film
- 1
Fairy chimneys
Towers of soft volcanic tuff, often with a cap of harder rock that protects the column beneath. The best are in the Love, Rose and Pasabag valleys.
- 2
Cave homes
The rock is soft enough to carve by hand, so houses, pigeon lofts and whole underground cities were dug into it. Many guesthouses are cave rooms.
- 3
Rock-cut churches
Early Christian communities painted frescoes inside churches cut from the cliffs. The Göreme Open-Air Museum is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- 4
The balloons
Dozens lift off at sunrise on calm mornings. Flights are cancelled when the wind is wrong, so plan at least two mornings.
Plan it
- Best time
- April to June and September to October, for calm mild mornings. Winter brings snow on the chimneys and fewer flights.
- How long
- Two full days at minimum, three if a balloon flight is the point of the trip.
- Getting around
- Fly to Kayseri or Nevşehir, then take a shuttle to Göreme or Uçhisar. The valleys are walkable, and a car or tour covers the underground cities.
Good to know
- You do not need to fly to enjoy the balloons. The viewpoints above Göreme at sunrise are free.
- Book flights for your first morning, so a cancellation can roll to the next.
- Walk the Rose Valley at golden hour for the colour the name comes from.
Frequently asked
Why are there so many balloons in Cappadocia? +
The valleys hold calm, stable air at dawn, the landscape is unlike anywhere else from above, and a large flight industry has grown around both. On a good morning well over a hundred balloons can be in the air at once.
How many days do you need in Cappadocia? +
Two to three. That gives two chances at a balloon sunrise, a day walking the valleys and the open-air museum, and a half-day at one of the underground cities.
What are fairy chimneys made of? +
Tuff, a soft rock formed from compacted volcanic ash. Rain and wind wear it away, except where a harder cap stone shelters the column below, leaving a tower with a hat.
