My Trek to Turkey: Experiencing Cappadocia

After visiting Istanbul, I was on my way to Cappadocia - a popular tourist region in the deserts of Turkey. After a 13-hour bus ride, I arrived in Göreme where I stayed at Nature Park Cave and Hotel. 

The goal of this leg of the journey was to see Turkey’s countryside and have the ultimate travel experience of 700 feet in the open air. Hot air balloon rides have made Cappadocia unique for the past 30 years. As someone who is not the most comfortable with heights, I had no fears sailing through the air, photographing the landscape, and taking in the scene. 

While there are over 150 hot air balloons flying simultaneously every day in Cappadocia, it is a surreal, existential flight. The balloons take off in the wee hours of the morning for riders to enjoy the sunrise and the skies’ changing colours. As a photographer, the rolling Cappadocian landscape and vibrant balloons made for a picturesque paradise.

I took over 200 photos during my hot air balloon flight alone; it was impossible to take a bad photo. Scroll down to see my favourite photos, and if you ever have the opportunity to take a hot air balloon ride - do it.

With only one full day to explore Cappadocia, my sister and I took a day tour, visiting Pigeon Valley, Kaymakli’s Underground City, the Ihlara Valley, and the Selime Monastery.

Fairy Chimneys at the Selime Monastery

One of Cappadocia’s most notable geographical features is its rock formations created by volcano eruptions raining Taft stone. As early as the 5th century CE, this smooth and malleable earth proved useful to humans as they carved caves and shelters to escape persecution from the Byzantine Empire, and later, the Roman Empire. With natural elements being the primary culprit of eroding these formations, only the robust materials and harder rocks still remain which are now called fairy chimneys.

As it turns out, the desert was an ideal place for the persecuted to hide; it had a plethora of places to carve shelters underground and within valleys. It’s unknown when these places became vacant, but they now offer a great destination for those looking to learn about the history of migration and religion in Turkey. 

If you ever find yourself in Turkey, plan to visit Cappadocia - the views are worth the long bus ride.