Cappadocia and Taurus Trek
Guided - 8 Nights/9 Days
Discover the highlights of ancient Istanbul then travel to Cappadocia to walk a surreal landscape of incredible rock formations that range from rock cones, capped pinnacles, fretted ravines and fairy chimneys.
The area is honeycombed with cave dwellings, rock-cut churches, monasteries and underground cities dug at the beginning of Christianity. Our hike in the Taurus Mountains leads us across picturesque plateaus to remote villages where we experience the warm hospitality of the local nomadic tribes.
Itinerary and Highlights
- Day 1 Arrive Istanbul. Meet your leader at 6pm
- Day 2 Tour Istanbul visiting the Blue Mosque, St Sophia and the Cistern Basilica. Travel by overnight train to Ankara.
- Day 3 Drive to Cappadocia, stopping to visit a 13C Seljuk caravanserai. Continue to the village of Ilhara on the slopes of Mt Hasan and walk along the Melendiz River. Explore fascinating Byzantine caves to explore along the way decorated with exquisite biblical frescoes.
- Day 4 From Askvadi (Love Valley), our walk follows an old river bed with fruit gardens, vineyards and fairy chimneys that are particularly slender and precarious. Walk in the Pigeon Valley, known for numerous “pigeon houses’’ built in the 18thC then follow the Göreme Valley to a village where natural rock formations and human constructions blend harmoniously.
- Day 5 View the most famous fairy chimneys of Cappadocia which alternate with cave-dwellings and frescoed churches on a walk in Kizilçukur (Red Valley). Visit local handcraft centres and a carpet workshop. In the evening optional folk dance show with the possibility of a Whirling Dervish performance
- Day 6 Leave Cappadocia and visit Derinkuyu (deep well), one of the largest underground cities that descends 8 floors (57m). Drive to the Taurus Mountains.
We hike this interesting landscape of deep gorges, canyons and interesting rock formations to reach our campsite in the Emli Valley amongst the nomadic people who pitch their tents in the ‘yayla’ (highland pasture) each summer. - Day 7 Day trekking through pine forest and up to Eznevit Plateau where native nomads graze their livestock in the alpine meadows. Descend to Sokullupinar Plateau for another night’s camping in the outdoors.
- Day 8 Meet the local nomads of the Arpalik Plateau. Descend into Cimbar Valley to Demirkazik village (4 hours). Drive to Ankara and overnight train to Istanbul.
- Day 9 Arrangements end on arrival Istanbul.
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