Heart of Cappadocia Travel&Hot Air Ballooning Cappadocia — Local services in Göreme

We were running out of time trying to find a private ATV guide for a sunset ride on our last evening in Cappadocia. We don’t usually get fancy or spend a lot of money so we wanted it to be special. Everyone was either booked or the tours had already started. We saw the ATVs out front of Heart of Cappadocia and we were told that there was already a tour and that we could hurry to catch up with the group. No private guide. I walked outside to think about it and a few minutes later the same man came out and said that he could offer a private guide. We’d have to leave quick to complete the whole tour and see the sunset. Gave some fair pricing for one quad. We negotiated a price for two quads plus our guide. Ran inside to pay and found our guide quickly getting his things together.

Bekir, or “Bex”, our guide, was so awesome. It was obvious he hadn’t planned on going out for another ride that day. We got fitted for our helmets, jumped on the quads, and headed out. We got up some speed and saw all the sites. Bex was an instructor so he was keen on safety but took us over fun terrain. Always checked on us to make sure we were doing ok. Gave use information on each valley and allowed us time to explore. Took excellent, professional-level pictures and videos of us. We made it to sunset point with plenty of time. Took in the views, drank hot wine.

It was an absolutely wonderful and very special experience. We are thankful to Bex for making it so special for us and taking the time to do one last ride for the day.

The next day we passed by the shop and were offered to sit and have a cup of tea....

Terrible experience with this rental agency. While it is true that we were somewhat at fault for no adhering to a specific traffic rule, the manner in which the agency handled the incident was highly inappropriate and perilous. They tracked us down using UPS and intercepted us on the road, away from any populated area. Their approach was aggressive, and they made false claims about police charges and fines totaling to more than 1000 EUR (remember there was, and never will be any fine this high in Turkey for breaking traffic rules). They took away our motor cycle and insisted we accompany them to their office in order to pay the money. We felt really uncomfortable, intimidated and unsafe, especially as we were three women confronted by seven or eight men upon arrival. We promptly contacted the local authorities. Despite that, the rental agency persisted in their aggressive behavior. Fortunately, the police intervened and removed us from this toxic environment. Later on the police themselves told us that this agency has a pattern of deceiving and intimidating tourists, creating a false sense of vulnerability and exploiting their position. Therefore, I urge potential customers to exercise caution and be vigilant when considering any dealings with this...

We booked both a hot air balloon flight and a sunset ATV tour. We can really recommend both. Let's start with the hot air balloon. The pickup is so easy and punctual. They pick you up in front of the door of your hotel, once we arrived, the balloon was ready for takeoff. We were one of the first ones to takeoff, so we were lucky to be above all the rest. The pilot's manoeuvres were incredible, bringing us within meters of the chimneys, after descending from 1km altitude. The flight lasted exactly 1hr and the pilot managed to land on top of the trailer. After the flight there was (very sweet) non-alcoholic champagne and a certificate to take home. Overall a fantastic experience! Then the ATV sunet tour. Again a very smooth and punctual pickup. Helmets were provided, and you had the option to buy a bacalava ( to cover your face from dust). Guides were very nice, ATV's were in good condition. We made 3 stops to overlook the valleys, driving was a lot of fun, but very dusty. Be prepared to be covered in dust, but the sunset spot was beautiful! Book your tours in person in the office rather than online. Mr Hassan gave us some local tips for restaurants and places to visit as well. We can definitely recommend both...