Photographing Hot Air Balloons Goreme/Cappadocia:

Hot air ballooning is a very popular activity in Cappadocia. Many travel bloggers list this as a ‘must do’ activity. 

Out of curiosity, we inquired about the price to take a ride in one of the balloons in Goreme. It turned out to be about 150 euros!! 

Thankfully, there is an alternative, which in our opinion is much better, to save some money and still capture that perfect moment. 

The best place to view the hot air balloons taking off in Goreme is from Sunset Point. When you have arrived in Goreme you can ask your hotel or anyone where this is located, it is a popular spot for sunset (yep, you saw that coming). 

We woke up at about 5:30am to start our 25 minute walk up to sunset point. We were the first people to arrive and did not properly factor in that the sunrise would be later since it was still the summer. 

There is a small convenience store at the top of the viewpoint who had a very large black dog inside. We sat in the dark for half an hour listening to this dog bark at us before we saw a glimmer of light start to emerge and with it, a few more onlookers. 

There is a small path just steps away from this store where you can go get a better photo of the balloons. Watch your step! 

The balloons start to flicker as they inflate in the distance and you will be shocked just how many there are! 

From this path you will be able to get the best photographs of the balloons rising and flying overtop of you. Watch out for the stray dogs who live at the viewpoint. They can be aggressive and dangerous when standing on the steep ledge.