We will be staying at the Kelebek Hotel in Goreme for 3 nights in early October. The hotel states that they work with Voyager, Goreme, and Urgup Balloon Companies. Lonely Planet strongly recommends Kapadokya Balloons and admits it's more pricey. Have you had any experience, good or bad, that you can share? Thanks for your advice.
Chris
I've used Goreme and thought them to be excellent. The important factor in ballooning is safety. You should ask what training your pilot has, how long he has been flying in Cappadocia, and how many flights he's flown. My pilot had more than fifteen years experience flying balloons (mostly outside Turkey) but considerable experience in Cappadocia, too. That's important because the unique topography creates unusual air current patterns that pilots have to be aware of.
So, I would contact the hotel and ask them why they picked the companies they did, and then contact the companies directly about their pilots.
Kapadokya is the oldest company, I think, and that may be why Lonely Planet recommends them. They were, however, involved in a serious accident a couple of seasons ago. I have no idea whether or not they were at fault or whether it was just bad luck.
