Magical Cappadocia!

Tripoto
4th May 2015
Photo of Magical Cappadocia! by Abagfullofmaps

Isn't that a gorgeous site?

Photo of Göreme, Göreme Belediyesi/Nevşehir Merkez/Nevşehir, Turkey by Abagfullofmaps

Cappadocia for us, was like a hidden gem. We, of course had our research in place before doing our bookings. But in reality, it was like living out our dream. The gorgeous & unusual mountainscapes, thousands of hot air balloons & the fairy chimneys were all so surreal & dreamy to believe.

10 things to have on your maps when in Cappadocia:

1) HOT AIR BALLOON

Imagine floating over a stretch of the magical fairy chimneys watching over the sun rise! You exactly know how paradise looks if you do the hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia. Celebrate over a toast of champagne post your landing.

Photo of Magical Cappadocia! by Abagfullofmaps

Who to book it with: We booked our balloon ride with Sultan balloon (http://www.sultanballoons.com/) at the price of 175 euros per person (rates of 2015). No, this isn't a paid collaboration but we recommend them as ours was the very first balloon to rise giving us a magnificent bird's view of all those colorful balloons taking shapes & slowly gliding over.

Photo of Magical Cappadocia! by Abagfullofmaps

Mornings before the ride with Sultan Balloons

Photo of Magical Cappadocia! by Abagfullofmaps

Good time to do: We did it in the month of May so the air quality was amazing hence making a scenic view. But we have seen pictures of snow clad peaks in winter as well which are a treat to the eyes. However, avoid times like September-October-November where fog might cause a reason for poor visibility. Also, do check the weather forecast before booking your trip as the rides are cancelled during the rains.

2) Pasabag or the Monks Valley

This is the place where you can see some of the most striking chimneys which look like the cone shaped rock pillars. These beauties form a moon-like picturesque landscape which are sure to blow your mind away.

Monk's Valley

Photo of Magical Cappadocia! by Abagfullofmaps

3) Göreme open air Museum

The cave dwellings in this open air museum might take up more than an hour of your day. But totally worth it! Note that there is an entry fee for this place. All our day tours were booked through a local tour agency (entries included) which we have mentioned at the end of this blog.

Goreme Open air Museum

Photo of Merkez, Goreme Open Air Museum, Müze Caddesi, Göreme Belediyesi/Nevşehir Merkez/Nevşehir, Turkey by Abagfullofmaps
Photo of Merkez, Goreme Open Air Museum, Müze Caddesi, Göreme Belediyesi/Nevşehir Merkez/Nevşehir, Turkey by Abagfullofmaps

4) Pigeon Valley

Years ago, pigeons in Cappadocia were used as message carriers & their droppings were used as fertilizers for the infertile soils. This place gets its name from the thousands of man-made dovecotes (Pigeon Houses) that have been carved into the soft volcanic rocks in the valley. Something unusual to see for sure!

Note those pigeon holes!

Photo of Aşağı Mahallesi, Pigeon Valley, Adnan Menderes Caddesi, Uçhisar Belediyesi/Nevşehir Merkez/Nevşehir, Turkey by Abagfullofmaps

5) Kaymakli Underground City

This intelligent city, as I call it, is made of 8 underground levels but only has it's four floors open to the tourists. You will realize how amazingly humans had planned this entire city more than 3000 years back then, with well-planned ventilation & storage spaces, without the development of any kind of technology or science.

The narrow passages at the underground city.

Photo of Magical Cappadocia! by Abagfullofmaps

6) Love valley

You might ask why visit so many rock formations in the same city. Wouldn’t it get monotonous? Well, have the look at the rock formations at the love valley & you wouldn’t get a reason to guess why it is called so.

Anyone for a coffee?

Photo of Magical Cappadocia! by Abagfullofmaps

7) Selime monastery

Apart from the historical significance (which the guide will explain you), the interesting part for us here was the little town’s view that you get after a short hike up. The clear Turkish skies add to the landscape.

Photo of Love Valley, Göreme Belediyesi/Nevşehir Merkez/Nevşehir, Turkey by Abagfullofmaps

Pathway leading to the view.

Photo of Love Valley, Göreme Belediyesi/Nevşehir Merkez/Nevşehir, Turkey by Abagfullofmaps

8) Hiking down Ihlara valley.

Ihlara is one of the pretty valleys where you can walk down to the canyon. An 8km walk along the Melendiz River to the town of Guzelyurt on the other side is something you shouldn't miss according to us. Plenty of local tourist offices in Göreme offer tours in this region.

Photo of Ihlara Valley, Güzelyurt/Aksaray, Turkey by Abagfullofmaps

Walk by the river

Photo of Ihlara Valley, Güzelyurt/Aksaray, Turkey by Abagfullofmaps

9) Turkish Night

Though we couldn’t catch up on this show, we would highly recommend you this experience which includes folk dance, live music, belly dancing and a Whirling Dervish Show. Apparently, Evranos is the best place for this experience, so we have read!

10) Cave hotels

There are a lot of options for Cave hotels in the Göreme area. Pick one that suits your style & budget. It’s an experience you shouldn’t miss in the comfort of a hotel.

TOURS WE TOOK: We booked all our tours in Cappadocia through TROUBLEFREE HOLIDAYS (http://www.troublefreeholiday.com/). They put us on the local tours which covered the RED tours, GREEN tours & Blue tours which cover the above mentioned locations. ARRIVING AT CAPPADOCIA

There are a lot of options for Cave hotels in the Göreme area. Pick one that suits your style & budget. It's an experience you shouldn't miss in the comfort of a hotel.

There are lot of bus services from different cities to reach Göreme. We travelled from Denizli to Göreme by an overnight bus ride. However, from Istanbul there are flights available. There are 2 airports in Capadocia, one is Kayseri Erkilet Airport and the other one is Nevşehir Kapadokya Airport which is closer to Göreme but has limited flights.

That's all for now folks.

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