Cappadocia Classical - Shared Tour

The tour begins at Pigeon Valley, named after the hundreds of pigeon houses which have been carved into the rock face out of the soft, local tufa stone. This is followed by a photo stop at Uchisar which is the highest point in the area and a great spot for observing the valleys below and Mount Erciyes in the distance.

The region is covered in volcanic rock formations of various sizes and appearance and the next stop on the tour is to see what is known as the Painted Desert at Esenler; here the rock, instead of rising in tall cones or 'fairy chimney' shapes, is solid, more like a cliff with stripes of pink and brown hues, making a beautiful landscape. Lunch is served in a local restaurant carved out of a cave before heading to the spectacular Göreme Open-Air Museum, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The valley is strewn with rock-cut churches with interiors adorned with frescoes of Biblical scenes dating from between the 9th and 13th centuries AD. The final visit on the tour is to a carpet centre to admire the art of carpet weaving followed with an opportunity to try the locally produced wine at Turasan Wine cave stores - Cappadocian wine is well known for being some of the best produced in Turkey.