SOUTH-GREEN Tour Cappadocia

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. Ortahisar Castle stands on the Nevşehir-Ürgüp road, forming one of the highest points in Central Cappadocia. While the widespread Kavak ignimbrite erodes and disappears due to surface erosion in large areas in the region, the section where Ortahisar Castle is located has been preserved without erosion and remains a high witness hill compared to its surroundings. The castle is considered the largest fairy chimney in Cappadocia and has been used for both strategic and settlement purposes. Around the castle, you can find examples of Cappadocia's characteristic civilian architecture. Ortahisar Castle is important for estimating the degree of erosion on the ignimbrite plateau. In fact, the vertical distance between the peaks of these hills and the plateau surface they rise from indicates the thickness of eroded Kavak ignimbrite in the region.

   30 min

2. Pigeon Valley is famous in Cappadocia due to all the small pigeon dwellings that are carved into rockfaces.earned its name from the countless man made dovecotes (Pigeon Houses) that have been carved into the soft volcanic tuff. Since ancient times Pigeons have been used in the Cappadocia region for food and fertiliser for the infertile soil. While pigeons no longer play such an important role in the area, their rocky homes have still been maintained by locals and can be found atop rock pillars and inside excavated cave houses and churches throughout the region, however, they are particularly numerous in this valley.

   30 min

3. Ozkonak is located 14 kilometres from Avanos and was discovered in 1972 by a local farmer. This farmer, Latif Acar discovered the underground city when he notices water going missing. The complex is made up of 10 floors, at a depth of 40 metres and it is thought it could house up to 60,000 people. Only four floors are open to the public now. The larger areas of the city are connected by tunnels, however, Ozkonak also had a system of pipes connecting each level, to allow communication in times of hiding. There are also holes above the tunnels used for dumping hot oil on the enemies.

   1 h

4. The Rose Valley is an isolated valley behind Urgup. It has beautiful rock formations with some great hidden rock – carved churches. The most interesting part of this area is the countless tracks connecting the small villages and towns through vineyards and gardens like a spider net. It is always possible to see villagers working in the area and offering grapes, apples or apricots to you.

   30 min

5. One of the oldest settlements in the area, Cavusin is situated 2km from Goreme, on the Goreme – Avanos road. The Church of St. John the Baptist offers a panoramic view of the village. This church and its paintings date back to the 5th century, making it the oldest church in the region. It have a large courtyard which is unusual for Cappadocia.

   30 min

6. Red Valleys incomparable landscape resulted from millennia of geological formation. The volcanoes Mt. Erciyes (Kayseri) and Hasan Dağı (Aksaray) spewed ash into the air. The volcanic ash settled and consolidated into a light, porous rock called “tuff.” Rain and wind have eroded away the soft rock, leaving behind the swirling cliffs and fairy chimneys. Red Valley was first developed during the Byzantine period, during the renaissance of the Middle Byzantine Period (900–1100 AD). The Byzantine Greeks developed the valley’s agriculture and cave churches. They carved several kilometers of water channels, dug large cisterns, and terraced the valley floors. Such intensive agricultural investments allowed for a significant population to dwell in the valley. They also carved kitchens, beehives, and pigeons houses into the landscape. Many of these agricultural feature can be seen as you hike through the valleys. The advanced irrigation system was largely abandoned during the Ottoman Empire.

   20 min

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Know before you go

How it compares in Goreme

• Its from-price is 46% below the median of the 555 day trips we list in Goreme.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Goreme

Göreme sits in the heart of Cappadocia, a surreal landscape of fairy chimneys, cave churches and dawn skies filled with hot-air balloons.

Göreme's houses and hotels are carved into soft volcanic rock, and the town is ringed by valleys of cone-shaped fairy chimneys shaped by erosion. The Göreme Open-Air Museum gathers rock-cut monasteries and churches whose frescoes, painted by Byzantine monks, still glow with colour, especially in the Dark Church.

Top-ranked sights in Goreme: Pigeon Valley (Güvercinlik Vadisi), Devrent Valley (Devrent Vadisi), Monks Valley (Pasabag Vadisi).

See all 1935 experiences in Goreme