From CAD 1,680 Was CAD 1,960
Guarantee
Small Group
Unknown
Rating
(10 reviews)
Experience Overview
Explore the stunning landscapes of Cappadocia on this week-long walking tour. Hike ancient pathways through spectacular scenery, past the famous 'fairy chimneys', orchards and vineyards. Along the way, visit iconic sites such as the underground Christian city of Kaymalik, see how traditional pottery is made and try Turkish food.
Volcanic scenery - Uncover the fairytale scenery that the central region of Turkey is famous for.
Goreme - Wake up to views of air balloons filling the sky from our base in the charming town of Goreme.
Uchisar - Climb the rock-cut 'castle' and take in the breathtaking views over Cappadocia.
Highlights
Hike Cappadocia's uniquely sculpted volcanic landscape from our premium hotel base|Moderate grade walks through multi-coloured valleys past the famous fairy chimneys|Try local food of the region at Uschisar in female run restaurant
Trip Details
Product Code: 20493
Tour Type: Small Group
Accommodation: Moderate
Transport: BusTaxi
Guide Language: English
Supplier Code: WGV
Starts: Turkey
Finishes: Turkey
Duration: 8 days
Departures: Guaranteed
Physical rating:
Unknown
Includes
- Explore Tour Leader
- Driver(s)
Accommodation
Sobek Stone HousePrice
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD 1680 (CAD 210 /day)
Itinerary
Our trip starts today in Goreme, a remarkable honey-hued village and our base for a week of exploring the impressive landscapes of Cappadocia. This area is famous for its unique geological formations as well as a history that stretches back to before the Hittites (2000 BC). Our tour leader plans to meet you in the hotel reception at 6pm for a welcome meeting and for those that wish, there'll be the chance to go out for dinner. There are no other activities planned today, so you're free to arrive in Goreme at any time. If you'd like an airport transfer today, you'll need to arrive into Kayseri Airport (ASR), which is around a one-hour and fifteen minute drive away. Should you miss the welcome meeting, our tour leader will inform you of any essential information as soon as you catch up. Our comfortable base for the week is the Sobek Stone House - a characterful, stone-built, hotel located on the outskirts of Goreme. The hotel is set in beautiful gardens and offers wonderful views of Cappadocia. Each of the 40 rooms is tastefully decorated in an individual fashion with private bathrooms and air-conditioning. Facilities include an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, sauna, restaurant and a terrace bar. If you're up early in the mornings, you'll be able to see hot air balloons filling the sky from the terrace.
If you're interested in the optional sunrise balloon trip, we recommend booking it for your first morning in Cappadocia. This gives you plenty of time to rebook in the case of cancellation. Please see the optional excursions details for more information. This morning, we'll drive a short distance to Kizilcukur (Red) Valley, the start of our first hike. Sometimes known as the 'red hole', Kizilcukur is possibly the hottest valley in the region. Hidden in its array of fairy chimneys is The Church with Grapes where there are frescoes depicting viticulture and fruit growing. Eventually, we'll reach the small village of Cavusin which lies on top of a collapsed section of an early Christian cave city. This was caused by a huge rockslide which, together with earthquakes and natural erosion, caused a split in the plateau. The atrium of the church at Cavusin has cascaded down, exposing some of the frescoes. We'll then ascend Bozdag Table Mountain for views of the surrounding area from Cappadocia's highest point at 1,300 metres/4,265 feet above sea level. After the walk, we'll drive to the local town of Avanos, famous for millennia for its pottery. Here, we'll have a pottery demonstration followed by the opportunity to explore this riverside town. Today's 12 kilometre/7.5 mile walk is expected to take around five to six hours with a total ascent of 250 metres/820 feet.
Today's walk is slightly further afield in the Ihlara Valley, located a 90-minute drive from Goreme. We plan to make a stop en-route to visit Kaymakli Underground City either at the start or end of the day depending on timings. Built by Christians escaping Arab oppression and once home to 3,500 people, this troglodyte cave-city is one of the largest of 34 similar excavations in Cappadocia. Built under the Citadel of Kaymakli, it contains nearly 100 tunnels on eight subterranean floors. We'll explore the four that are open to the public, containing stables, a church and storage places. We'll start our walk in the Ihlara Valley, along a trail that follows the river downstream passing the villages of Belisirma and Selime. The narrow, steep-sided Ihlara Valley, dotted with rock-cut churches, was once the favourite retreat of Byzantine monks. This valley was formed by primeval earthquakes and the once rushing river is now a quiet stream. As we walk along the winding valley, with cliffs reaching up to 170 metres in some places, we'll see small garden cultures that originally would have provided for the colonies making them self-sufficient. There are many rock-cut churches in this valley with well-preserved frescoes dating from the 9th century. Today's 13 kilometre/8.1 mile walk is expected to take around five hours with a total descent of around 100 metres/328 feet.
As it's the mid-week point of our tour, we've planned a shorter walk for today. Today's bus transfers are included but you might prefer to take it easy and relax in Goreme instead. We'll start the day with a short drive to Cat town where we'll begin our walk. The route follows a path with yet more great scenes for photography enthusiasts, passes by huge dovecotes that hosted thousands of pigeons, and continues on the valley floor. The route is filled with hawthorn, oleaster, and rosehip bushes and the walk ends at Aciksaray ruins - a 10-11th century Byzantine site of cave houses, churches and a monastery. After our walk and some time for lunch, the rest of the afternoon is at leisure back in Goreme. In the evening, we'll drive the short distance to Uchisar town for dinner. Here we will try some regional food prepared by local women. This is a local community initiative supported by the municipality to help local development. Today's optional 7 kilometre/4.4 mile walk is expected to take around two to three hours with a total descent of around 350 metres/1,148 feet.
This morning, we'll walk in Akvadi (White) Valley where we can further appreciate the geology of the region. Three volcanoes erupted 10 million years ago, spreading ash all over the region. This hardened into a soft, porous stone called tufa. Wind, water and sand have eroded portions of the tufa to form the almost alien landscape which we see today. The walk leads us to Uchisar, an area renowned for its number of 'fairy chimneys'. These remarkable structures are formed as a result of a hard boulder being caught in the tufa so that as the erosion process occurs, it leaves the boulder delicately perched on top of the slender pillar. We'll also visit Uchisar 'Castle' which, situated high on a rocky outcrop, gives commanding views of the entire region. This afternoon will be spent walking along Pigeon Valley to Goreme, where we'll visit a traditional Turkish tea shop and learn how to make Turkish tea or coffee. Finally, we'll visit Goreme Open Air Museum to explore the splendid cluster of monastic Byzantine artistry with rock-cut churches, chapels and monasteries - a UNESCO World Heritage site. Today's 15 kilometre/9.3 mile walk is expected to take around five hours with a total ascent and descent of around 350 metres/1,148 feet.
After breakfast this morning, we'll drive to the Gomeda Valley where today's walk begins. As well as the landscape, this region is also renowned for its wine as the fine volcanic soil is very fertile. Viticulture has been here since the Hittites, but it was the exiled Christians who really developed the vineyards, and, for a while, wine was exported under the label of mineral water. Alcohol is prohibited in Islam, and so much of the wine is now grown for export and for the non-Muslims in Turkey. Our trail takes us through the fascinating old Greek village of Mustafapasa whose ruins we can explore. After lunch here we'll continue on our hike leading to Ortahisar village. Today's 14 kilometre/8.7 mile walk is expected to take around five to six hours with a total ascent and descent of around 400 metres/1,312 feet.
The final walk of our tour is from the hotel on a circular route that takes us through the Zemi Valley to Kiliclar (swords) Valley and finally the Meskindir Valley back to Goreme. The Zemi Valley is around 7 kilometres/4.4 miles long and the path makes its way gradually downhill passing apple and grape orchards. Today's 12 kilometre/7.5 mile walk is expected to take around five hours with a total ascent and descent of around 250 metres/820 feet.
There are no activities planned today, so you're free to depart from Goreme at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day, luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel. If you'd like an airport transfer today, you'll need to depart from Kayseri Airport (ASR) which is around a one-hour and fifteen minute drive from the hotel.
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Tour Operator
Explore Worldwide
A prominent adventure travel company with over four decades of experience, this business that offers a comprehensive array of unique and thrilling experiences worldwide. Catering to various interests, they provide small group journeys, walking and cycling trips, solo holidays, and family adventures.
In Business Since 1981
Reviews
Ray - Traveled, May 2025
A very good walking tour, Plenty to see and do, A Trip I have wanted to do for a long time.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/03/2025
EMF - Traveled, May 2025
A lovely trip through a beautiful part of Turkey. The walking was relatively easy (not sure why this trip is rated as "moderate"), the accommodation was very nice, and the guide was quite knowledgeable and helpful. The itinerary could use some tweaking, e.g. the time we spent at some of the museums; it would have been nice to have more at some and less at others. I'm very glad the wine tasting was earlier in the week, but the outdoor museum at the end of the week seemed superfluous after walking through the region.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 06/03/2025
Eupalinos of Megara - Traveled, May 2025
This was a very good trip and most enjoyable. The scenery was weird and wonderful and the rock-cut dwellings and churches were always interesting. The walking was of modest pace and duration but, in view of the very hot weather and strong sun, this was fine. One needed to be quite sure-footed on some of the steeper descents and I suspect that these would not suit everyone. I would maybe have liked a bit more variety in the walks, most of which were along valley floors. The hotel was excellent and did a great breakfast every morning. Our tour leader and guide, Aykut, did a very good job, as did our somewhat taciturn driver. The one included dinner was very disappointing; there seemed to be nothing local or characterful about the restaurant and the food was poor. Our brief visits to the underground city and the Goreme open-air museum seemed unpleasantly busy and touristy after the relative solitude of the walking. Perhaps some alternative sites, a little off the beaten track, could be found instead? The tour group was large (15) but full of interesting people and everyone got along well.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/26/2025
Mike - Traveled, May 2025
The trip is a great introduction to a region of Turkey many of us are unfamiliar with. The scenery I would say is unique. The tour leader Aykut was very good adapting the itinerary to ensure we had the best experience. He imparted his comprehensive knowledge of the area and its history. Although expensive (300 EUR) I would recommend doing a balloon ride if not done before. Also the whirling dervishes option. Both were quite magical experiences in their own ways. Highly recommended.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/26/2025
Valerie - Traveled, May 2025
Well led tour of a fascinating landscape . Daily walks were just the right length and always so many interesting sights to see. Accommodation was very comfortable, and situated within easy access to the town for evening meals out. The swimming pool at the hotel was an added bonus at the end of each day. Definitely recommend this walking tour.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/25/2025
Anonymous - Traveled, April 2025
A fabulous week walking in a stunning landscape - it really has to be seen. The itinerary is well planned to take us through different valleys and trails, winding around jaw-dropping geological formations, caves, and cave-churches. Our hotel was great, very spacious and with lovely pool and gardens. The location is superb, slightly away from the bustle of Goreme but only a short walk to shops and restaurants. Our guide had superb knowledge of the area and led us with great care and adaptability for changing circumstances during the week. Best of all - the balloons! Take a balloon trip if you can and don’t miss the stunning dawn balloonscape!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/19/2025
Sue - Traveled, April 2025
Aycuk was a superb leader. He was very organised and gave clear and detailed instructions about the walk, the terrain, meeting times etc so everything ran smoothly. He was very knowledgeable and gave us the right amount of information about Cappadocia and what we were seeing etc. He was happy to answer any questions and give more details when asked. He was attentive and checked we were all ok and even suggested alternative ways to shorten or adapt walks and arranged transport. He had a sense of humour and went above and beyond what was expected of a tour leader. I would certainly recommend the trip and his leadership.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/17/2025
Anonymous - Traveled, April 2025
I loved my time in Cappadocia. The hotel was great, our guide Aykut was brilliant, the walks a little bit but not too challenging and our group lots of fun. We had two lovely drivers who couldn’t do enough for us. Thoroughly enjoyed all the “sightseeing” activities as we got a break from walking but we learnt more about the history of Türkiye and its people. Being in Cappadocia for a week enabled us to get to know the area so well and see so much more of its wonderful geography and culture.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/03/2025
Anonymous - Traveled, April 2025
Loved walking in this fabulous environment and our guide Aykut was terrific. Our weather went from seriously freezing at the start with snow, rain and wind, to scorching hot at the end. He completely rejigged the hiking itinerary so we did everything on the list but in a different order to fit in with changing conditions. Hotel lovely and in a great position for balloon watching and a short walk from the noisy town, but sadly lacking in any sort of common room for congregating in groups. Staff super helpful especially for organising balloon flights, and did their best to try and solve a plumbing issue in our beautiful room.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/04/2025
Nicola - Traveled, April 2025
This was my first time with Explore and it turned out really well. I liked the single base for a week of walking which was more relaxed than moving on every couple of days. The walks themselves were fabulous - amazing scenery and good lengths for me (7-8 miles a day with a good lunch break). The weather in April was very varied - 4 seasons in a week, from snow and cold to sunburn! There were opportunities to skip walks or even just morning / afternoon parts and the driver was super helpful in connecting people up with the group on these occasions. Excellent local guide (Aykut).
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/01/2025
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