Hiking in magical Cappadocia

Fly to Kayseri or Nevşehir and included transfer to the hotel in Göreme, where you will spend the next five nights at a real cave hotel (Cappa Cave Hotel, Elysee Cave Hotel or similar).

After breakfast you walk through Göreme's charming streets. Many of the old residences, built centuries ago, have today become stylish hotels and guesthouses. You first hike a few kilometers on a rural path with views towards Uçhisar castle, before descending into Zemi valley. From here the trail leads through Görkündere back to Göreme.

In the morning there is an opportunity for an unforgettable hot air balloon ride (optional) – almost a must in Cappadocia, even though the spectacle is almost as beautiful from the ground, with dozens of colorful balloons adorning the sky.

Afterwards you walk from the hotel to Göreme's open-air museum (UNESCO), known for its unique church frescoes. Then you continue through Meskendir valley and further across Red valley to Üzümlü church. Here you can settle down at Ibrahim's outdoor restaurant for a good lunch and freshly squeezed orange juice. After the break you hike with magnificent views through Rose valley back towards Göreme. Along the way you can also visit Haçlı church ("The Church of the Cross").

Today's route takes you through Bağlıdere, also known as White valley or Love Valley, which you will soon understand when you see the first groups of fairy chimneys. These tall, narrow rock formations look like they're taken from a fairy tale, hence the name. Several are hollowed out since millennia to form dwellings, chapels and storage rooms.

From here you go up towards Uçhisar castle, where those who wish can climb up for a unique panoramic view. The tour continues through Uçhisar and then down through Pigeon Valley and back to the hotel in Göreme.

A short transfer takes you to Paşabağ, where the most peculiar fairy chimneys stand. After exploring the strange tuff stone formations you hike further towards Çavuşin castle and the impressive Church of John the Baptist. The route then follows a higher path parallel to Boztepe hill, with extensive views over Rose valley and the surrounding valleys. On the way down towards Göreme you can visit Haçlı church and take the opportunity to have another glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.

The hike starts at the small tuff castle in Ortahisar and leads over gravel roads and paths through Gomeda valley, known for its multi-story dovecotes. Here hundreds of small niches for pigeons have been carved out, one of Cappadocia's most fascinating cultural-historical details. The pigeons were important as messengers, as food, for their droppings used as fertilizer and for the eggshells that mixed with lime paint strengthened the church frescoes.

The tour ends in Mustafapaşa (Sinasos) where you check in at a new cave hotel (Konak Bezirhane Cave Hotel or similar) for the trip's last two nights.

After breakfast in the hotel's cave restaurant you get a short transfer to the village of Cemil. From here you hike towards the old settlement of Golgoli. During Christian times the population of Sinasos celebrated the Virgin Mary's birth and Easter here. You can explore the abandoned cave dwellings and explore exciting tunnels and underground rooms, even though the connection towards Gomeda valley has partially collapsed. A gravel road then leads you back down to Mustafapaşa and your hotel.

Transfer to the airport in Kayseri or Nevşehir for departure, or possibility of extension with some extra nights.