Hike through the otherworldly landscapes of Cappadocia. Discover hidden churches and stunning rock formations in this beautiful part of Turkey.
Most tourists still only come to Cappadocia for a day trip from the Turkish coast to take a balloon ride (see my first blog on Cappadocia).
Is it worth travelling to this part of Turkey just for hiking?
Nature has created rock formations in Cappadocia that look like a film set for an extra-galactic expedition:
Light grey pointed caps, hats made of basalt, chimneys in which, according to legend, fairies used to dwell. Optionally and depending on the position of the sun, these bizarre rock formations, which were created from tuff, glow in white, pink or ochre.
Their shape dates back to volcanic eruptions 20 million years ago. The two nearby volcanoes Hasan Dağı 3268 m in the east and Erciyes 3916 m in the west hurled huge amounts of so-called tuff ash onto the area in their centre ages ago. In the course of the earth's history, the ash has solidified into tuff. Over thousands of years, wind and weather have shaped this soft rock into a landscape that, according to an old legend, served as a playground for the gods.
Today, Cappadocia becomes our playground - we go hiking.
Love, Dove, White, Rose or Red Valley. With the promising choice of names, we don't even know how to decide.
In the end, our choice is: all of them. But maybe not all of them in one day.
Since precise maps are scarce in Cappadocia, I record the tours with GPS data so that no one will get lost in the future.
Hiking in Cappadocia is less about top performance or maximum metres in altitude than about discovering a different world. The paths wind like a labyrinth through narrow gorges, over steel ladders and bizarre rock formations. I've told myself a thousand times that I won't take any more photos, but as soon as we turn the next corner, such an incredible view opens up again that I can't help but pull out my camera. .
Over the next few days, we do a hike every day and yet, at the end of our trip, we don't feel like we've had our fill.
Every day is different: pigeon houses, hidden churches, little cafés with heavenly refreshing orange and pomegranate juice (which we are now addicted to), climbing passages with steel chains, steps carved into the rock, underground houses, rock formations that look like airy meringues and sunset viewpoints that make you feel like you've landed on another star.
I will tell you about 4 hikes with GPS data in the next blogs:
INFO:
General information and some photos and films for a first impression are available on:
ARRIVAL
From Kayseri airport (ASR) it takes one hour by bus to Göreme, which is the best starting point for all adventures.
Want maximum flexibility? Then a rental car is a good idea, these can be rented relatively cheaply directly at the airport (research for example at billiger-mietwagen.de). Caution: Many hotels are in small alleys and have no parking space. It's best to ask beforehand.
BEST TIME
April to May and September to October are the best times for an active holiday in Cappadocia.
Spring is beautifully green and there are lots of flowers, but the humidity can make it hazy.
In autumn, nature is parched and brown, but the air is clear and the weather tends to be more stable.
LITERATURE
The travel guides I found are out of date. The most recent one is from 2016. There are no printed hiking guides (at least I couldn't find any).
MAPS
So far there is no detailed walking map (at least I couldn't find one) of Cappadocia.
There is not really good map material yet I have saved some tours with GPS data on my blog
If this is too wild for you, you can also book a hiking guide.
HIKING GUIDE
Ali is a Turkish original with Berlin roots, or the other way around. His family comes from Cappadocia and he came back 30 years ago. Since then he has been showing visitors his country with a great sense of humour and in perfect German.
Ali Kaya +90 532 614 4132 (WhatsApp), aliguide@yahoo.com
Bilal also speaks perfect German, can be booked for hiking and sightseeing.
Bilal Coskun +90 533 719 99 42 (WhatsApp), coskunbilal@gmail.com
EQUIPMENT
Hiking shoes with a good tread, rain and sun protection, and - for cooler days - warm clothes are recommended. Göreme is situated at 1104 m. We had sub-zero temperatures and snow at the beginning in March.
Click on the first picture to see the beautiful Henna Hotel
ACCOMMODATION:
The Henna Hotel is so Influencer-worthy that we hardly dared to book there. Balloons fly over a perfectly appointed terrace with fresh fruit and silver teapots that look like Aladdin's magic lamp. A 400-year-old tea room in velvety green and with stained glass windows resembles my idea of 1001 Nights luxury.
The rooms are beautiful, the staff super helpful, the breakfast a rich blast and although the hotel was always booked up, the roof terrace was never crowded. Priceless? Not even that: double rooms with breakfast start at 45€ in low season. https://www.hennahotel.com/en At Hotel Utopia in Ürgüp you can sleep in original cave rooms. These look super great, but are not necessarily something if you don't like narrow rooms and want to sleep with an open window at night. The hotel has a great hammam and delicious breakfast is served on the roof terrace. The only drawback is that the balloons rarely pass by here. https://www.utopiacave.com EATING: Our absolute favourite restaurant with mega scenery and rooftop bar is Seten in Göreme. We found the meze particularly delicious - especially the muhammara made of peppers, tomatoes with pomegranate and walnuts. https://www.setenrestaurant.com