Visit Cappadocia's top rated and must-see attractions on this full day guided tour. Enjoy a 4km hike through the beautiful Ihlara Valley along the Melendiz River, explore the underground city of Derinkuyu, the deepest in Cappadocia, and visit a giant fairy chimney.
Turkey is a country renowned for its rich historical and cultural heritage. Amongst its many wonders, the Ihlara Valley and the underground city of Derinkuyu are fascinating destinations for those wishing to immerse themselves in the ancient wonders of this diverse country. This tour explores these remarkable sites, highlighting their historical significance and breathtaking scenery.
Ihlara Valley
Nestled in the heart of Cappadocia, the Ihlara Valley is a mesmerising natural wonder waiting to be explored. This stunning gorge stretches for approximately 14 kilometres and is carved by the Melendiz River. Upon entering the valley, a sense of tranquillity envelops the surroundings, transporting visitors back in time to an era dominated by the opulence of nature.
Aside from its awe-inspiring beauty, the Ihlara Valley is also of immense historical significance. It is believed that during the Byzantine era the valley was a refuge for early Christian communities fleeing persecution. Evidence of their presence can be found in the rock-cut churches, decorated with ancient frescoes depicting scenes from Biblical stories. By venturing into these hidden chapels, visitors can witness the preservation of religious artistry dating back over a thousand years.
Beyond its historical and cultural significance, the Ihlara Valley offers visitors a visual feast. Towering cliffs, lush vegetation, and the serene melody of the Melendiz River paint a picture of splendid harmony. Walking along the well-marked trails, explorers can revel in a tranquil ambiance while relishing the stunning views of the valley's unique rock formations. The vibrant colors of the surrounding flora and fauna only add to the valley's allure, leaving visitors spellbound by nature's artistic prowess.
Derinkuyu Underground City
Located in the Nevsehir province of Cappadocia, the Derinkuyu Underground City is a testament to human ingenuity and resilience. Delving deep beneath the Earth's surface, this subterranean marvel stretches eight levels below the ground, showcasing an elaborate network of passages, chambers, and living quarters carved by ancient civilizations.
The Derinkuyu Underground City stands as a testament to the resourcefulness of ancient Anatolian civilizations. Built thousands of years ago, it served as a refuge for communities seeking protection during times of invasion, acting as an underground fortress. With its ventilation shafts, wells, stables, churches, and even schools, the city showcases the remarkable adaptability and ingenious engineering capabilities of its architects.
Exploring the corridors of the Derinkuyu Underground City offers visitors a unique and unforgettable adventure. Ducking through narrow passages and stepping into hidden rooms, one can't help but marvel at the ancient craftsmanship that went into creating this underground labyrinth. The sense of awe and mystery is enhanced by the various chambers that served different purposes - from communal kitchens to wineries - allowing visitors to imagine the daily lives of those who once sought refuge within these rocky walls.
The Ihlara Valley and Derinkuyu Underground City serve as magnificent examples of Turkey's historical and natural wonders. As visitors traverse these awe-inspiring locations, they can soak in the profound cultural heritage woven into the fabric of Anatolian history. Whether captivated by the mystic beauty of the Ihlara Valley or awestruck by the architectural marvel of the Derinkuyu Underground City, these destinations will leave an indelible mark on all who venture within their depths.
An unforgettable adventure in Cappadocia, a region in central Turkey well known for its stunning scenery above the magnificent fairy chimneys, its historical riches and its unique geological formations. However, one of the most exhilarating and unforgettable experiences Cappadocia has to offer is tandem paragliding.
Before taking off, you will be given a safety briefing by experienced paragliding pilots who have intimate knowledge of the area. They will give you all the necessary instructions to ensure a safe and enjoyable flight.
We will pick you up and drop you off at your hotel, so you do not have to think about anything, just let go and enjoy this amazing and unique moment!
Our day begins with a visit to Devrent Valley, also known as "Imagination Valley", this is the most surreal-looking landscape. We continue on to Pashabagi also known as the Monks Valley because Christian hermits chose to locate hermit cells and churches in these three-headed pinnacles symbolic of the Holy Trinity.
Here you can witness all the stages of the formation of fairy chimneys. Next we proceed to Avanos set on the banks of the Kizilirmak (Red River) named due to red clay deposits. Here you will see potters at work and lunch is taken in a Local Restaurant. Next you continue with Goreme Open Air Museumm the world's most significant Byzantine cave churches are found in these once remote valleys where monks and nuns pursued monastic life from the 3rd century on.
We take an opportunity to view Goreme from Esentepe a complete view of the village and Goreme valley , fairy chimneys, rock formations and cave houses our day ends with Uchisar Castle.
This tour opens with a spectacular view over Goreme from Esentepe. Unfolding before you , Goreme valley and Goreme village: fairy chimneys, rock formations and cave houses that will enchant you. We continue driving to Derinkuyu Underground City, one of the best preserved and deepest Underground Cities in Cappadocia. From here we proceed to Ihlara Valley.
This gorge is 16 km long and both sides are lined with rock carved churches, more than a hundred little churches and houses. You will walk about 4 km along the river in the valley exploring the hidden churches. At the end of your walk lunch will be served at Belisirma Village by the river.
After your substantial lunch we visit Selime Monastery,it was carved out of the rock by Christian monks in the 13th century (this is also the spot wherethe movie "Star wars" was shot).
Join us on a full day tour that takes you through some of the most scenic parts of Cappadocia and see the legendary 'fairy chimneys' passing through Pigeon Valley, Goreme Open Air Museum, Cavusin village, Avanos and Urgup, before the tour culminates at the 'Summit of Cappadocia'.
We see some spectacular scenery as we go through the Pigeon Valley and the valleys around Goreme, before we stop at the Goreme Open Air Museum. One of Turkey's Unesco World Heritage Sites, it is an essential stop on any trip where you can admire Byzantine art as well as the churches and chapels that were carved into the rocks. We then stop to see one of the oldest cave churches in the area situated in the village of Cavusin, which dates from the 5th century.
The tour continues on to Pasabag, where you can see the famous 'fair chimneys' with their mushroom-like structure before arriving into Avanos; where you have time to have lunch and appreciate the ceramic work that the region is famous for. We then head through the striking Devrent Valley, where you can even catch sight of a rock shaped like a camel! Admire more rock churches in Urgup, such as the spectacular Tavsanli Church and Church of Saint Basileious and take unforgettable photos at the Ortahisar Panorama point, by the entrance to the Red Valley. End the tour on a high note at Uchisar, the tallest point in Cappadocia.
Important information
Free shared transfer to and from the airport is included when booking this tour.
While in Cappadocia, don't forget a rare horseback riding trip of fairy chimneys through the breathtaking valleys.
Cappadocia, also known as the' Land of Beautiful Horses,' has all the conditions necessary for a performance and unforgettable ride: well-groomed, gentle and strong horses, beautiful scenery, roads far from the crowds, hospitable people who take care of you all through the day.
It's a great way to explore the area for 2 hours. Enjoy riding on horseback away from the roads and crowded tourist attractions in a peaceful environment. You will be accompanied by a professional guide who will show you the trails with incredible rock formations and the most spectacular fairy chimneys. Continue riding the local apricot orchards and traditional vineyards enjoying unique landscapes in all directions. This tour also includes a visit to the rock-cut monastery of Hallacdere, one of Cappadocia's many treasures.
Cappadocia's 2-hour riding is a very memorable experience because there is nothing more special than seeing the area from the back of the horse.
The Green tour is also known as South Cappadocia tour because of its itinerary covering all the main attractions of the South Cappadocia. You will visit the largest excavated underground city in Turkey, do trekking in Ihlara valley, visit one of the biggest rock-cut monasteries and enjoy stunning views over the Cappadocian valleys.
Itinerary
Goreme Panorama
Goreme Panorama is located exactly 2 km from the center of Goreme. You can enjoy the unique view on a bench or a chair. The view on the Goreme Uchisar road is at the end point of the Guvercinlik Valley. Erciyes Mountain, which is the most magnificent mountain of the region with a height of 3917 meters, can be seen from here. It is one of the most beautiful photo spots of Cappadocia, revealing the panorama of Erciyes and the magnificent Pigeon Valley.
Kaymakl? Underground City
Kaymakli Underground City is the biggest and deepest underground settlement in the Cappadocia region. Located in the Kaymaki Village, Kaymakli Underground City is also one of the most popular places to visit in Cappadocia.
Pigeon Valley
Pigeon Valley is located in the heart of Cappadocia, a region famous for its unique landscapes, rock formations, and underground cities.
Belisirma River
Lunch at a local restaurant in Belisirma by the river.
Onyx Demonstration
The black onyx is characteristic of the region of Cappadocia. The hardness determines the most prized variety for jewelry and craft work.
Selime Monastery
Selime Monastery is undoubtedly one of the most amazing places to visit in Cappadocia region, due to its size. The monastery is thought to have taken over 200 years to shape, and it can house as many as 5000 people at once. It was converted into a caravanserai after 11th century, and has lots of stables for camels. Selime Monastery is the biggest and most impressive monastery in Cappadocia dating back to the 8th or 9th century.
Ihlara Valley
Ihlara Valley is a fantastic canyon with a depth of about 100 meters and about 10 km. length that was formed by the volcanic activity from Mount Hasan and erosion by the Melendiz River hundred thousands of years ago. One of the best side trips from Cappadocia.
What's included?
* Hotel pick-up and drop-off.
* Lunch.
* Professional guide.
* Air-conditioned vehicle.
* Entrance fees to Underground City EUR12 (if option is selected).
* Entrance fees to ?hlara Valley EUR15 (if option is selected).
Take in the best of northern Cappadocia on a full day tour. Explore the Devrent and Pasabag valleys and visit the open-air museum.
Discover Cappadocia on a 7-hour guided tour. Visit the town of Avanos, famous for its pottery. See a demonstration of the Hittite technique.
Explore Cavusin, one of the oldest settlements in the area. People still live in cave dwellings and stone houses. Walk among the fairy chimneys of the Devrent Valley and marvel at the unique animal-like rock formations.
Visit the open-air museum and see centuries-old rock-cut churches and monasteries. In the Pasabag Valley, see the best collection of fairy chimneys in Cappadocia.
Uchisar Rock Castle is the highest point in the area. Take in the panoramic views from the top of the castle.
Itinerary
Uchisar Castle Panorama
It's the highest point in Cappadocia and if you climb it, you'll have a holistic view of all the valleys and lands. It's charming and the climb is relatively easy.
Love Valley
Love Valley, also known as Baglidere Valley, is one of the most fantastic valleys in Cappadocia. Located between the Avanos and Goreme roads, the valley is named after the interesting fairy chimney formations and is popular with couples for marriage proposals. The soil of the region is very rich in minerals, making it an ideal place for growing fruit and vegetables. The fairy chimneys in the valley are a must see. Love Valley is also on the popular hot air balloon routes of Cappadocia.
Lunch
Lunch is served in a traditional local restaurant.
Avanos Pottery Demonstration
Throughout history mankind has always been resourceful. They have taken the features and advantages of the landscape and used them to their advantage, whether it was building castles on hills to get the best view of their approaching enemy, or building settlements and villages near a water source. The small town of Avanos in Turkey is no exception.
The Red River
The Kizilirmak (Red River) is aptly named for the red clay that litters its banks. The people of Avanos have been extracting the clay and using it to make household products since Hittite times.
Devrent Valley
A lesser known cousin of the other Cappadocian valleys, the Devrent Valley is also known as the Imagination Valley or the Pink Valley because of its colour. The valley doesn't have any cave temples like the others, but instead has an incredible lunar landscape with fairy chimneys that seem out of place and belong to another world.
You will witness Sema, a ceremony representing the mystical journey of man's spiritual ascent through love and his search for truth and perfection. Turning towards the truth, a dervish grows through love, deserts his ego, finds the truth, and arrives at Perfection. The he returns from this spiritual journey as a man who reached maturity and a greater perfection, so as to love and to be of service to all of creation, and to all creatures without discriminating in regard to belief, class, or race. The dervishes, with their head-dresses and white skirts are spiritually born to the truth by removing their black cloaks, and they journey and advance to spiritual maturity through the stage of the Sema ceremony.
From the onset and at each stage of the Sema ceremony, holding their arms in a crisscross position, they represent the number one, and testify to god's unity. While Whirling, their arms open, their right hands directed toward the sky and ready to receive God's beneficence, gazing up, they turn their left hands toward the earth and turn from right to left, pivoting around the heart. This is his way of conveying God's spiritual gift to the people upon whom God "looks with a divine" watchfulness. Revolving around the heart, from right to left, they embrace all of humankind and all of creation with affection and love.
This private tour is a great way to discover the amazing sights of this fascinating region. You'll find an underground city, medieval churches hollowed out of caves and Cappadocia's famous rock formations.
After being picked up from your hotel, the first stop is the subterranean city at Kaymakli, first carved out of the rock by the Hittites nearly 3500 years ago and later used by the early Christians for shelter against their persecutors.
Afterwards, we'll drive on to the Citadel of Uchisar, the highest point in the region, where you will be able to admire truly amazing views from the top of the fortress.
Next stop is Goreme, where we'll visit the Open Air Museum. Here you can wander around the remains of Byzantine churches cut into the living rock as you admire their colourful medieval frescoes.
After visiting Goremewe'll drive through the Devrent Valley, a landscape from another planet with its amazing rock formations known as fairy chimneys.
We'll then drive on to Pasabaglari, where you can visit a chapel dedicated to St Simeon. You can also admire a hermit's shelter cut into one of the fairy chimneys.
Our final stop will be the town of Avanos, renowned throughout Turkey for the quality of its red earthenware pottery. There will be plenty of time for you to admire the local potters at work, and you can even have a go yourself if you wish.
Goreme which have the old names of Korama, Matiana and Maccan is 10 km far away from the center of Nevsehir province. Located among the "fairy chimney" rock formations, is a town in Cappadocia. The valley created from volcanic rocks is famous with the chimney rocks resulting from the erosion made by the natural factors to these rocks and with the historical richness. You will see it's magnificent Valley Scenery Views of Swords Valley, Love Valley, Red Valley.
Now visit the Goreme Open Air Museum where you can see several churches built into caves by Christians between the 10th and 13th centuries. In the museum you have a chance to visit several different churches and chapels.
Then you visit Cavusin village and its cave church. It is the oldest one in the area dating back to the 5th century. The next stop is in Pasabag where you can see mushroom-like fairy-chimneys with multiple caps and stems situated in the middle of a vineyard.
After Cavusin you go to Avanos, a small town known for its ceramics. Here is the places in which ateliers of ceramics are worked, soil is shaped and cooked in order to make pots and pans. There you have lunch and also visit a ceramics workshop where you can see how pottery is made and decorated.
After Lunch in Avanos, you will be able to see Devrent Valley, and also Zelve Valley, you most probably won't want to stop taking pictures of these areas. In Devrent valley you can view rocks of different shapes,there is one that resembles a camel.
The next stop is in Urgup.Urgup which has got the famous cave hotels, wines and handmade carpets is the most important tourism center of the Cappaddocia Region.
The tour then moves on Ortahisar for a panoramic sunset and an opportunity to take some unforgettable photos while the 'fairy chimney' rocks change colour. The next stop is Uchisar which is the highest point in the area and provides a great vantage point. Finally, the tour reaches Kaymakli Underground city where archaeologists believe as many as 3,500 people may have been housed centuries ago.. First opened to tourists in 1964.The houses in the village are constructed around the nearly one hundred tunnels of the underground city. The tunnels are still used today as storage areas, stables, and cellars.
Created from volcanic rocks, these chimney-shaped rocks are the result of erosion made by natural factors over the centuries. The area has also been an important religious place and underwent intensive emigration of the first Christians. You will see its magnificent Valley Scenery Views of Swords Valley, Love Valley, Red Valley.
Uchisar Castle sometimes mentioned as Rock Skyscraper, this is the highest point and the biggest fairy chimney of Cappadocia, it is possible to see most of the region from the up of the castle.
Goreme which have the old names of Korama, Matiana and Maccan is 10 km far away from the center of Nevsehir province. Located among the "fairy chimney" rock formations, is a town in Cappadocia. The valley created from volcanic rocks is famous with the chimney rocks resulting from the erosion made by the natural factors to these rocks and with the historical richness. It has been an important religious place together with the intensive emigration of the first. You will see its magnificent Valley Scenery Views of Swords Valley, Love Valley, Red Valley. Take great pictures and share with millions. The formation of fairy chimneys continues, clearly as in Red Valley Mountain and Zelve Mountain.
Locals have proudly dubbed the area "Love Valley". Love Valley is just one of the many treats in store in Cappadocia, a fascinating corner of it; unique shaped fairy chimneys, walking around and picturing these unique pinnacles, Red Valley and Mount Erciyes.
Then walk through Pasabaglar, used to be known as Valley of Monks. You will have a tea break here. Turkish tea is very important in the Turkish culture and must be tried.
The next stop is in Urgup. The Uzumlu Church, Cambazli Church and Sarica Church in Ortahisar which was one of the villages of Urgup are the oldest rock churches from the region. Additionally, Tavsanli Church and Church of Saint Basileious are worth seeing. Urgup which has got the famous cave hotels, wines and hand-made carpets is the most important tourism center of the Cappaddocia Region. The old cave houses were restored as a tourist cave hotels without damaging their historic structure.
We end our tour at Uc Guzeller which means Three Beautifuls, located in the entrance of Urgup town, you can see 3 unique mushrooms fairy chimney with beautiful panorama from high.
Includes air conditioned luxury minivan equipped with CD, DVD, VCD Players and internet connection, professional touring driver, professional guiding services with valley trekking specialty, all entrance tickets and fees, local set lunch, all parking and road taxes.
A great way to get right off the beaten track! Take a guided tour through the most beautiful of Cappadocias spectacular rock-cut valleys on a sturdy ATV (quad) bike. These tours are a great activity option for those seeking a few hours of fun and adventure outdoors.
ATVs provide an opportunity for great sight-seeing, as one is enabled to roam the hills, valleys, dunes, and trails of Cappadocia. All tours include a guide and detailed safety instruction. Our All Terrain Vehicles are extremely easy to use, as they are fully automatic, so no experience is necessary.
The tracks you will be riding on are carefully laid out to be challenging, but not frightening. If you want exciting fun and outdoor activities to look around Cappadocia, you can join a our guided Quad tours in Cappadocia.
The valleys we cover for our daily rides depend on the weather conditions and your riding experience.
Most of our rides are in and around Rose/Red Valleys, Sword Valley, Love Valley and White/Honey Valley - as these are the most beautiful trails to ride and we can reach many remote locations away from the crowds - with spectacular vistas and amazing views throughout the entire ride.
