Cappadocia – Nature’s gift to Turkey

Our last stop in this journey is Cappadocia, a semi-arid region in central Turkey and the most picturesque. Nature has designed this area with fairy chimneys and unique rock formations created by volcanic eruptions and subsequent wind erosion. The weather and landscape in Cappadocia very much reminded me of Leh and Ladakh.

Three to four million years ago a series of volcanic eruptions shook the Central Anatolian area, forming what we now know as the Cappadocia fairies or ‘Cotton Castles’.  This is the world’s only open-air museum. Hittites turned these structures into homes and early Christians turned them into monasteries. A hot air balloon ride over such a landscape makes it memorable and exhilarating.

Some quick facts: 

• Cappadocia spans a distance of 5,000 kilometres and sits on an altitude of over 1,000 metres, cutting through three Anatolian provinces – Nevsehir, Keyseri and Nigde.
• The name Cappadocia derives from the Persian word Katpaktukya, which means ‘the land of beautiful horses’ for in ancient times the region was known for its equine offering.
• There are a number of underground cities in Cappadocia, some connected by a network of tunnels. These subterranean settlements were made possible thanks to the pliability of the soft rock.
• There are as many as 600 churches carved from the soft Cappadocian rock, and possibly many more that have not yet been discovered. These churches date back to Medieval times and display beautiful painted frescoes.
• The world’s capital for hot air ballooning.
• This area is also home to some of the best grapes in Turkey and has been turned into internationally acclaimed wines.

Watch this video before I share more details on how to get there, where to stay and what to do. 

How to get here:
Depending on where you are coming from, you can choose between busses, trains and aircraft to get to Nevsehir or Goreme. Nevsehir is the nearest airport, while a lot of them land in Kayseri and take 75 min mini-van ride (50 TL/person) to Goreme.

Where to stay:
A lot of people stay in Goreme for two reasons

1. Experience cave hotels (sounds fancy and expensive

2. Access to monuments and hot air balloons

Instead of staying at the touristy Goreme hotel where stay and food are expensive, I stayed at Nevsehir and took a 15-min mini-van ride (5TL/person) to Goreme.

What to do:
You will need minimum of 2 days tour this wonderland. The best way to go around is either rent a car and pay a tour guide to come with you or join a tour. We found a tour company through Viator and took the Green and Red tour to visit the area. You will need one day for each of these tours as they don’t pick you up before 9.30 am and most of them wait for people to come back from hot air ballooning.

The Green tour involves quite a bit of driving around and covers the following places.

• Nevsehir
• Derinkuyu (underground city)
• 3 km walk along the river at Ihlara valley (2nd longest canyon after Grand Canyon) – lunch by the river
• Yaprakhisar (conical fairy chimneys)
• Selime Monastery
• Pegion Valley

Here are my pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/vE81V5gddcNFfaCf6 

The Red tour involves short distances with a fancy lunch buffet

• Avanos (pottery town)
• Devrent Valley (lunar landscapes)
• Çavusin (oldest settlement)
• Uchisar Castle (highest point in Cappadocia)
• Winery

Here are my pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/x97cjTpgYuEfN1BR6 

Disadvantages of these tours:
1. They depart late
2. Some guides are extroverts and share more information, while some are introverts and share only when asked
3. Best suited for those who are lazy and don’t want to do their reading about the place and monuments
4. They rush you at monuments and don’t give you adequate time to enjoy the beauty
5. If you aren’t vigilant, they tend to skip places
6. Avanos pottery stop, Pigeon Valley shopping stop and wine tour are sham. Guides take you to expensive places and you waste time there.
7. Lunch stop on Red tour is good, while Green tour is bad

Advantages of these tours:1. Tickets are bought in advance and entry to monuments are quick

2. It is easier to move around

When I complained about the guide on the Red tour, the owner of the tour company gave me a free sunset walking tour to Rose Valley. This is a beautiful 4 kms walk through the valley and up the mountain. I got to stay at the peak for 30 mins and enjoy the stark landscape and watch sun go down.

Hot air ballooning:

1. 30 years ago, they started the hot air ballooning business in this area to enjoy the landscape from above and now it is the world’s hot air ballooning capital.
2. It costs anywhere between 100-300 euros based on the balloon company you choose. Book your balloon ride well in advance so that you don’t end up paying a bomb or run the risk of non-availability.
3. The pick-up for the hot air balloon ride is at 4.00 am and you are up in the air for an hour watching the sun rise.
4. There is a probability of the ride being cancelled due to poor wind or direction, so schedule it on the first day of your sightseeing.
5. Most balloon rides even with a Champagne (a French tourist told me it was a fruit soda and not Champagne)
6. You can still take pictures by going to Goreme early in the morning and take pictures of hot air balloons flying closer to the fairy chimneys

Quad Bike ride: I decided to skip this adventure because it generates lot of dust.

Tips:
1. Try inexpensive local food at Nevsehir and save your shopping list for Eminonu Market in Istanbul.
2. Call Ali to schedule your pick-up or local sightseeing travel 

3. There is always room for negotiation, so remember to bargain

I hope you enjoyed these travel blogs and find all the information useful to plan your trip. If you need more information, I'm just a holler away.