Cappadocia was the last stop on my one month trip and so I have already left Turkey as I am writing this. One of the most recognisable places in the world, due to the unique rock formations, Cappadocia and the town Göreme was on my list to visit for a long time. After all, it is the place where you get one of the most amazing balloon rides. But is it worth a visit? Is it really a magical place or just a tourist trap?
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Cappadocia and Göreme
Cappadocia is a semi-arid region (semi-desert) in central Turkey and, as mentioned, is known for its distinctive rock formations, some looking like ‘fairy chimneys’. I based myself in the town Göreme, the centre of the valleys.
Here is some history.
Flying into Kayseri from Istanbul was quite easy and cheap. From there it is a one hour bus drive to Göreme and therefore my hotel (I recommend to organise a shuttle with the hotel). I was very excited! As soon as I checked in into my ‘cave hotel’ I went exploring.
It became pretty quickly clear to me, that I was in the middle of a very touristy area. Everything is made for tourists in Göreme. The main streets were covered by souvenir shops, companies selling tours and restaurants with tourist prices. There was also lots of roadworks which made the town very dusty. However, as much as Göreme might not be the prettiest place, it is certainly the centre of this magical place.
I could not stop taking photos..
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The ‘famous’ Balloon Ride
To ride or not to ride? That was the question to myself. Originally I had it in my head that I would definitely go on a balloon ride. After all, it is a must do in this magical place, isn’t it? Then I started looking into it.
There is certainly no shortage of companies offering this very popular experience. And even when I read that there will be up to 30 people in one basket, I still hoped I would find a cheap deal to have this experience. And maybe with less people?
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After talking with a few companies, however, it became pretty clear that it was all just a big tourist trap. They promote it as this amazing experience. You get picked up at 4.30am, watch the balloon go up, enjoy the views of the valleys for at least one hour and finish with ‘alcohol free’ champagne. All by 7am. Well, it didn’t sell me. I had no interest in sharing this experience with 30 random people.
I also noticed on the photos online that most photos were of the balloons not from the inside of the balloons. Well, I could do that. For free. As such I decided to look at, rather than ride the balloons from my hotel terrace instead. I was ready at 5.30am when the first balloon came up. The photos I took of the balloons were all beautiful (and believe me I took plenty)!
My summary
I watched the balloon rides on three mornings. I saw balloons going up and down, some a little bit close to us on purpose, some disapperead too quickly. That was definitely not one hour up in the air. I waved at a few who came close, and wondered how they all fit into this small basket. It looked pretty crowded.
I must say it all looked pretty amazing from my terrace, all by myself, with a cup of coffee in the hand.
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At the end, I was happy that I didn’t go on the balloon ride in Cappadocia. I saved myself 150 Euro and the hassle of crowded balloons. But you can still go. After all it is a unique and magical place to do it at. It just wasn’t for me. I value my hikes and exploring the valleys by foot as a much better personal experience. But you probably know that about me by now.
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Hiking in Cappadocia – the Pigeon Valley
Hiking in Cappadocia was certainly fun. As I was here for three days, I did three different hikes. I have some amazing photos, so I will write some hikes in a different blog post. One of the shorter hikes was to the town next door, to Uçhisar, via the Pigeon Valley.
Uçhisar was quite a pretty village. Sitting on top of a mountain overlooking the valley and Göreme it seemed cleaner and almost more luxurious than Göreme. Although Göreme was more perfect for me (even with all the dust) for my two other hikes. The Love Valley and the Rose Valley. More to those hikes soon.
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All in all my days in Cappadocia and Göreme were amazing. What a unique and magical place it is. Yes, it is somehow a tourist trap, but if you want to enjoy the scenery, the landscape, the valleys and its rock formations, as well as hiking, then I would definitely recommend coming here.
After seeing so much of Turkey already, I am glad I added this part of Turkey to my trip. I will always have amazing memories about Cappadocia. Will I come back? Most likely not. But who knows…
(post 177)
