freddofrog04

Hi

Just out of curiosity, how do you get in & out of the basket on a hot air ballon ride ?

Is there easy access for elderley or those with limited ability ?

Any recommended companies / experiences,


Thanks

worldinabag

Hi

Some members of our tour group did it. You get up very early to go up. They raved about it. Cappodocia is awesome and seen from the air would be incredible. A travel show in Australia rated it as one of the 10 things you have to do before "you ride the real one" . Be warned - it's very expensive. About €270 each.

sharon1306

I went on a hot air balloon ride in Cairns about 2 years ago, and it was an awesome experience. You have to start at an unearthly hour and a lot depends on the weather and wind speed and such.

DickM

I highly recommend Kapadokya Ballons, www.kapadokyaballoons.com. Last month my wife and I took their longer "classic" flight, about $300pp, over the spectacular landscape. Definitely one of the highlights of our trip to Turkey and worth the splurge. To your question, though, we all had to climb over the rim of the basket to get in and out. But there were plenty of people there to help. You might contact them directly, [email protected], for more information.

unaS

I also went with Kappadokya Balloons in 2004. It was indescribable. The utter peace and quiet, the beauty of Cappadocia from up high, the feeling of floating...just unbelievable.

They had a hot coffee/tea meet up early in the am - before sunrise - and a good filling breakfast in the field when we returneed.

I was able to climb in all right becuase they had a step ladder there, but it took 4 men to get me out I was already over 60 then...

There are two flights a day. I <b>very</b> strongly recommend the early one - you see the sunrise from above. Marvelous! They also provide transportation from/to your hotel.

NeoPatrick

We also used Kapadokya Ballons, and they were wonderful. Getting in and out was a bit of a challenge to some, but we were in the presence of a large family of Turkish wine growers and the &quot;grandma&quot; made it with the help of some of the men and a ladder. Much laughter took place.

We've done balloon trips in Napa, France, and Albuquerque and Cappodocia was by far the best!

propertravel

http://www.propertravel.com/hotairballooning.htm

getting in and out is quite easy. If necessary you will be receiving help. Kapadokya Balloons long rides offers special seating if required in advance.

Check the link above for pictures of ballooning.
Have fun,
Murat

ms_adventure

hi everyone ive just recently come back from a visit to Cappadocia and also had the oppertunity to go hot air ballooning.I took my adventure with Goreme balloons who were helpfull but also very experienced and professional. The views were fantastic and left you speechless.
www.goremeballoons.com

worldinabag

Hi

That's great - thanks for the feedback. Can I ask some questions. How did you get in and out of the basket? What was the cost per person? How long did it last?

Cheers

ms_adventure

Hi, As for getting in and out of the basket well, on the sides of the basket there are little foot holes to put your feet in to help you climb in and out. The length of the flight depends on which flight you take there is a standard flight which is 1 hour long and is 160 euros and a deluxe flight which is 1.5 hours long and is 230 euros. I took the standard flight but next time i would take the deluxe tour. Any mre questions you can e mail the company. www.goremeballoons.com

winnie

How many people go up at once? Are there less expensive purveyors of this experience? Thanks,Winnie

ms_adventure

The deluxe tour is 1.5 hours long and are smaller they have 8 to 10 people but max 12 also you get discount for cash payment too.

ms_adventure

The standard tour is 1 hour long this is a bigger balloon with 16 to 21 people. If anyone has any more questions please dont hesitate to ask me!

milliebz

ms adventure,
How far in advance did you make your reservation. Did you have to pay in advance or just guarantee with a credit card?

ms_adventure

hello milliebz,I made my reservation about 2 weeks before my flight,but the earlier the better to make sure you get a place.(this is mainly in the summer season)I paid in cash after the flight as you get a cash discount.
If you would like to find out about payment by credit card contact the company.They will answere your questions and get back to you promptly.
www.goremeballoons.com

milliebz

Thanks ms adventure. I am still trying to figure out how to get enough cash to pay for the discounts offered at the hotels and the balloon ride. I have not yet contacted my banks and credit unions since it is still so early but I am reading some of the threads to try and figure it out.

ms_adventure

Hello milliebz,hey its never too early to prepare yourself for your next trip.I try to go back to turkey every 8 weeks, when I get back from one trip I start planning my next trip! If you dont mind me asking when are you going? If there is anything else I can help you with just ask!

milliebz

I just reread my post and wanted to clarify. What I meant was I am trying to figure out how to withdraw enough cash from the ATMs inside the limits to get the cash discounts. There are four of us so the balloon ride plus hotels (which also offer discounts) is quite a bit.

We are coming from Greece and going to Fethiye for a couple of days to tour Olundeniz, Kayakoy and Hisaranou. We are then going to Cirali/Olympos for three days and then to Cappadocia for 3 days. We will end with four days in Cappadocia. Any recommendations for any of these areas would be great. We already have our hotels but restaurants sites would be welcome.

ms_adventure

Hi, well if ur going to Fethiye I will let you know I really enjoyed it there!Fethiye, Hisaronu and Olu Denise are quite close together(still a bus ride) and ive heard the weather is still nice there too,there I have done the paragliding twice where I have landed on Olu Denise beach.Also there you can visit the lagoon which is about a 15 to 20 minute walk.If your looking for the night life I dont think there will be much there now as its mainly a summer resort (maybe some closer to new year) plus its really cold as Hisaronu is up in the mountains.Fethiye is lovely especially around the harbour both day and nite. Cappadocia if you go into the town you will have a choice of restraunts there and cafes some have internet but there is an internet cafe.Where are you staying in Cappadocia? I stayed in the Janet hotel which was about 15 mins walk to the town it was just on the out skirts of urgup.I really hope you can sort everything out.If I can help with anything else just ask. Good luck