If you missed part 1 of this post series, go back, otherwise continue reading.
The format of this blog post will be quite different from the previous three. As our time in Cappadocia was limited, all the activities will be listed in chronological order starting from our 3:00am alarm.
1) 3:30am – Air Balloon flight
Pickup from our Hotel was scheduled at 3:30am. Tired & half asleep, we were impatient to have all the people joining us in the air balloon inside the bus. Once complete, we went to Gorëme to pickup the breakfast bags before heading to Ürgüp for take off.
At Ürgüp, we witnessed the air balloon get inflated; it took roughly 20 minutes to be ready. Shortly after, the group was inside the air balloon basket, excited for takeoff. The flight took roughly 1 hour, flying over the valley with a magnificent view of Gorëme, it’s mountains and ancient settlements at sunrise.

2) 10:00am – The Helios Cave Hotel
We arrived home at around 7:00am mesmerized & speechless but exhausted due to lack of sleep. We went straight to bed to nap a bit before breakfast (given that breakfast ends at 10:30am). Hours later, we woke up to an alarm tired yet excited for what the day had in store for us.
On a side note, I had to mention our hotel as an experience because it is not every day that one gets to sleep in a cave. Our suite was well ventilated yet had the right amount of humidity enhancing the quality of our sleep.

3) 11:30am – Underground city (Kaymakli)
Given that we are really into caves and exploring ancient cities, we decided to explore Kaymakli. It is an underground city that was used as a shelter by the aborigines of that time against different conquerors.
The entrance fee was 75TL per person. It took us around an 1 and a half hour to explore all the levels of this city. It is worth mentioning that Kaymakli can be kind of claustrophobic for people who don’t like narrow pathways or tunnels.
Continue reading “Turkey backpack trip 2022 – Cappadocia (4)”