Cappadocia Day Tours, Transfers, Activities – Turkey

Our first real encounter with Cappadocia’s almost Martian landscape is in the Devrent valley where rock formations are amazing. A walk through *Zelve Open Air Museum is a journey into the past with its troglodyte houses. This is one of the earliest inhabited and last abandoned Cappadocian monastic settlements. We visit Pasabag’s “fairy chimneys” where the voice of the wind harmonizes with the songs of the fairies. We pause at Avanos, a centre of terracotta art since 3000 BC, for a demonstration in a traditional pottery workshop. After lunch in Avanos we visit the Goreme Open Air Museum to see the best examples of Byzantine art in Cappadocia. These are found in rock-cut churches with frescoes and paintings dating from as early as the 10th century. The tour ends with a visit to Uchisar Rock Castle providing a panoramic view of Cappadocia valleys. *Please note that a Zelve visit is only guaranteed on private tours.

The tour begins with a descent towards the centre of the earth at Kaymakli Underground City*** one of the largest and deepest of Cappadocia’s many such settlements. We then drive to Ihlara Canyon, walking through the canyon via the Steps of Anatolia to Belisirma village, the ancient Peristrema. Set by the Melendiz River, this is known as the “Valley of the Sky”. Churches carved from the rocks form a gallery of early paintings that are remarkably accurate. We lunch in Belisirma at a local riverside restaurant. On the way to Agzikarahan** Caravanserai we visit the beautiful village of Selime. Agzikarahan is a fine example of the Turkish Seljuk art, built in the early 13th century on the legendary Silk Road to accommodate traders and their camels. ** Please note Agizkarahan is included only on days when it is open.

Our first stop is the Soganli valley, one of the earliest settlements in Cappadocia. Then we drive to Urgup through the unspoiled Cappadocian villages surrounded by “table-top” mountains. On the way we visit the Medrese in Taskinpasa, a theological school of the Seljuk Turks and Mustafapaṣa (Sinassos), an ancient Greek town with spectacular old Greek houses – fine examples of late Greek settlements and architecture. Lunch will be in one of them. After, we take a 5km hike along the Red Valley, one of the most breathtakingly and mysteriously beautiful valleys in the region. The valley, with its fabulous volcanic rock formations, is in the heart of Cappadocia but well away from mainstream tourist haunts. The little chapels of the hermits, carved out of the valley walls, lend a spiritual dimension to the beauty.

***Underground city can be included in private Legend or Dream Tours.

The Whirling Dervish Sema (ceremony) represents the journey of human beings seeking truth and perfection. Inspired by Mevlânâ in the 13th century, this is a genuine rite, not a tourist show and is performed in a restored 13th century caravanserai.

Cappadocia has been home to many cultures and has one of the Turkey’s richest culinary cultures. Enjoy a cooking lesson by the head chef of Museum Hotel, an award winner nationally and internationally for classical and modern Turkish cuisines.

Ankara or Ankara Airport – Cappadocia Hotel (vice versa): Private