Hot air balloon

Cappadocia, located in the Central Anatolian province of Nevşehir, and a popular tourist hotspot in Turkey, hosted 87,000 visitors in last month amid the ongoing pandemic.

Colorful hot air balloons dotted the skies of Cappadocia in Turkey's Central Anatolia. (AA Photo)

Hot air balloons in Cappadocia, whose activities were suspended in line with COVID-19 measures, took off for a test flight with pilots who have received training.

Eleven hot air balloons prepared for the flight and rose one after the other to the sky at sunrise in Kılıçlar Valley in the Central Anatolian province of Göreme district.

Over the past five years, more than 2 million tourists explored Turkey's Cappadocia region on the distinctive hot air balloons that have become symbolic of the historical region.

Cappadocia is located in central Anatolia's Nevşehir province and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1985.

Dozens of hot air balloons have brightened up the skies above Cappadocia. (AA Photo)

A total of 437,516 tourists enjoyed hot air balloon tours in Turkey's charming touristic hub Cappadocia between January and September, according to data compiled by Anadolu Agency.

After Cappadocia in central Turkey, widely known for attracting tourists with hot air balloons, Mardin in Turkey's southeast offers a similar experience.

In the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa, the first hot air balloon took off in Göbeklitepe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which is described as the "zero point in history."

The first ever hot air balloon ride over the ancient city of Dara in the southeastern province of Mardin was took flight on July 30.

Dozens of hot air balloons have brightened up the skies above Cappadocia, a charming touristic hub famed for its fairy chimneys in Turkey as part of an international festival.