∞ Destination is Infinity

Turkey

Eleven days in spring 2022: paragliding above Ölüdeniz, the white terraces of Pamukkale, a balloon over Cappadocia, and Istanbul to finish.

Watch the film 3:28

Four stops in eleven days

"A country that has vibrant unique amalgamation of things."

Us, January 2025

On 31 March 2022 we flew from London Stansted to Dalaman, on Turkey's south-west coast. From there we went paragliding above Ölüdeniz, spent a night at Pamukkale, flew in a hot air balloon over Cappadocia, and finished with two nights in Istanbul's old town, in sight of Hagia Sophia.

  1. ÖlüdenizFethiye · landed 31 MarTUI flight to Dalaman
  2. PamukkaleDenizli · 2–3 Apr
  3. CappadociaNevşehir · 5–8 Apr
  4. IstanbulSultanahmet · 8–10 AprFlight
Ölüdeniz from high above, with the lagoon, the long white beach and the mountains behind
Flying tandem over Ölüdeniz, with the lagoon and the town far belowA yellow paraglider lifting off the launch slope above the sea
Region
Fethiye, Muğla
Flew in
31 Mar · Stansted to Dalaman
We did
Tandem paragliding

Ölüdeniz

We landed at Dalaman on 31 March, on an early TUI flight from London Stansted. Ölüdeniz, on the coast near Fethiye, was where we came to fly.

The launch is a bare, stony slope high on Babadağ, the mountain behind the lagoon. We watched a yellow glider fill with air and lift off the edge, then strapped into our harnesses with our pilots. We each flew tandem, with the lagoon, the long white beach and the town far below, and a few steep turns on the way down.

Later we walked the long beach below.

2:43 Watch Ölüdeniz
Turquoise pools on Pamukkale's white travertine terraces, with trees and mountains behind
Pamukkale's white terraces and pools under a pink sunset skyMeenu walking through a shallow white travertine pool in the evening light
Region
Denizli
Stayed
2–3 Apr 2022 · 1 night
Hotel
Hotel Sahin

Pamukkale

Pamukkale was a single night at Hotel Sahin. From the air the hillside is bright white, with turquoise pools stepped down its face and green farmland all around.

We walked through the shallow pools as the sun went down, and stayed on the terraces until the lights of the town came on below.

In the morning, hot air balloons drifted over the white hillside. We took a boat out on the lake below the terraces, where ducks paddled and a turtle swam in the clear water.

1:32 Watch Pamukkale
Dozens of hot air balloons in a pink dawn sky over the cave houses
Meenu and Praddy in the balloon basket, with more balloons and the valleys behindRiding horses among Cappadocia's fairy chimneys
Region
Nevşehir
Stayed
5–8 Apr 2022 · 3 nights
Hotels
Seki Cave Hotel · Arinna Cappadocia

Cappadocia

We had three nights here, one at Seki Cave Hotel and then two at Arinna Cappadocia. One of our rooms was a cave room, with rough stone walls and an arched window over the town.

Our balloon flight started in the dark, with the burners firing into the envelope as it filled on the ground. As the sky turned blue we rose with dozens of other balloons over the valleys and fairy chimneys. After landing, we raised a glass in the field.

On another morning we watched the balloons from a rooftop terrace laid with cushions, as they floated over the cave houses. We rode horses between the fairy chimneys, and ended one day at a viewpoint over the valley as the sun went down.

1:55 Watch Cappadocia
Hagia Sophia's dome and minarets seen from the air
Meenu and Praddy by the fountain in front of Hagia SophiaIstanbul's domes and minarets in silhouette under a red and orange sunset
Area
Sultanahmet, old town
Stayed
8–10 Apr 2022 · 2 nights
Hotel
Rast Hotel Sultanahmet

Istanbul

We flew in from Cappadocia for our last two nights. Our room looked across the rooftops to Hagia Sophia, from the balcony and from the round tub by the window.

Hagia Sophia is a mosque and a former church. Inside, the chandeliers hang low over a green carpet. We stood by the fountain in front of it, and from the rooftop terrace at Seven Hills we looked out at the Blue Mosque, with a seagull on the rail beside us.

In the shops we found Turkish delight, dried fruit, and a lamp shop hung with mosaic glass lamps. We saw a dinner show with dancers in gold, a whirling dervish and a belly dancer. At night we were out on the Bosphorus, with the bridge between Europe and Asia lit pink and purple.

0:34 Watch Istanbul

From our bookings

  • Budget for the hotels. Our six booked nights averaged about US$200 a night for the two of us. Pamukkale was the cheapest, about a third of a night in Cappadocia. Sultanahmet was the most expensive.
  • Keep bookings refundable. Two of our Booking.com reservations, a night in Cappadocia and a second night in Pamukkale, were cancelled and cost us nothing.
  • Stay over in Pamukkale. One night gave us the terraces at sunset and dusk, and balloons over the hillside at sunrise.
  • Dress warm for the balloon. Our early-April flight took off before sunrise, and we wore padded jackets in the basket.

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