Balloons rising before sunrise in Cappadocia
The sunrise balloon trip was billed as THE thing to do while visiting this part or Turkey and despite having to drag yourself out of bed for a 4:40 am departure we have to agree. It is a very serene experience and they have launching 50+ hot air balloons every day down to a science. There are multiple companies operating in the area but everyone is ferried from their respective hotels to a central meeting spot where they give you a coffee or tea and bread/pastries. From there everyone is put on shuttles to their balloons. We were on one of the smaller group rides with 12 passengers instead of 24. Our tour agent, Credo Tours, booked it, and we would recommend our operator, Kapadokya Balloons. They were professional and friendly and our pilot, Turgut, was experienced with more than 800 hours flying. Here it is in pictures.
Filling the balloon and heating the air in the pre-dawn hours.
On board and ready to go.
Liftoff. It was darker than this picture makes it seem.
Our balloon was on the other side of these rocks.
We were above this balloon.
Even farther above it. Note the mosque in the village below.
Pat aloft.
These rock formations were done in the last 10 years by some Aussies but they are still kind of cool.
The post-landing champagne cocktail. The landing is bumpy, but that is about the toughest part.
It's What We Do 
I like the post-landing – I'd drink to that. Seriously it looks absolutely serene to be moving about in an open basket looking at the scenery below and beyond. The one balloon half hidden by rock looks like a giant tennis ball – love all the colors of the balloons. Another first for my family!!Mom
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