Cappadocia

Zelve Open Air Museum gives us an experience of Old Cappadocia with its rocky cliffs and maze of caves which once used to be home to the Muslim and Christian communities.

This cave settlement has houses, churches, mosques, storage, and everything that is required while people resided here. Valleys in the museum provide outdoor activities which would interest travelers and also one would see some intricate paintings carved on the rocks.

The rock-cut mosque remains the prime attraction of this museum. It’s a perfect site to take some panoramic pictures of this beautiful natural wonder.

These underground cities were famous for hiding Christians for a long time to escape the Arab and Persian invaders. These underground cities are extremely beautiful and enormous with rooms that are connected through tunnels and some of which are allowed for visitors to explore.

Traversing through these mazy tunnels is an exciting experience as one would notice how did the Christians survive underground for so long with basic amenities and storage spaces. People with walking disabilities should keep a check as some of these tunnels are steep and narrow.

Derinkuyu underground city is similar to Kayamakli underground city but just that is less popular than the latter one and thus visitors would find it less crowded and can be explored at its own pace by taking some pretty pictures.

Red and Rose Valley are just gorgeous and breathtaking with its rocks in a different palette of roses are spread across making it one of the most beautiful sites for a hike.

As travelers would explore this valley, they would come across nicely built churches, paintings, and decorations, colourful flowers, and fields. There are various hiking and trekking trails to enjoy the alluring views of this valley.

Pigeon Valley is located near Uchisar town offering spectacular views over Cappadocia and was named due to dovecotes (pigeon houses) carved into the rocks in ancient times. Pigeons are of utmost importance to locals here as they proved beneficial over the years and the cave-dwelling in this valley has been painted white to attract birds.

Pretty fairy chimneys have been carved for pigeons’ nests that is an attractive site to view. Travelers should not miss the “Evil Eye Tree” here for some great pictures with a rocky valley as a backdrop.

Ihlara is a beautiful deep gorge that looks stunning with the river Melendiz flowing through it. Ihlara Valley is famed for both its natural beauty and rock-carved ancient churches. It serves as a serene and calm location to visit in Cappadocia and served as a peaceful place among monks for recreation.

It’s a pure nature lover’s delight with lush tall polar trees, cliffs, and nature walks is a popular activity through any of the 4 entrances.

Cavusin village in Cappadocia is an old-Greek village and a historical site lying between 2 towns and surrounded by an enchanting valley. This village is famed for its cave homes now deserted and its two famous Byzantine churches.

Cavusin church known for its stunning interior frescoes and the Church of St. John the Baptist is thought to be the oldest church of Cappadocia can be reached after hiking above the houses is an impressive sight with beautiful interiors and breathtaking views of the village and cave houses from the high cliffs.

Like all other villages, even Uchisar village is dominated by a rock fortress with tunnels and caves situated at the highest point of Cappadocia. One can climb up these fortresses for some magnificent panoramic view over the village.

Within the rocks, many rooms are connected through passages, tunnels, and stairs. Adventure junkies and hikers can opt for valley walks as Uchisar serves as a good starting point to explore scenic valley walks and trails through Pigeon Valley and villages until Goreme.

Pasabag valley has become a landmark of Cappadocia for its mushroom-shaped fairy chimneys. This valley is often termed as Monk Valley since they utilized this valley to stay away from civilization and practised here. They carved monk cells instead of pillars to lead a devotional life and one of them is permitted for its visitors to explore. It’s a unique site to visit thus attracting travelers all over the world.

Cappadocia is world-famous for its hot air balloon rides as it serves as one of the top Turkish highlights to be experienced. This goes without saying that Hot Air Ballooning is a must activity to be explored when in Cappadocia. If you didn’t do this you didn’t see Cappadocia up-close.

Travelers have to assemble early morning for a hot air balloon ride to catch the glimpse of valleys and rock formations just after sunrise or during sunrise. The colour palette of surreal landscape views due to sunrise would catch anyone’s eye above the fairy chimneys of the valleys.

Since the balloons fly as per the wind conditions there is a possibility of rides getting canned due to weather conditions. Hence, it is advisable to stay in Cappadocia for a minimum of 3 nights to not miss this experience and you can book this activity in advance during the start of your trip and if it gets cancelled you have other days for the activity to happen.