When I travel I appreciate unique landscapes, and Cappadocia certainly offers that. I’ve never seen anything quite like the scenery here. A lot of tourists stay a night or two but I think that such a fleeting visit doesn’t do this place justice. I did the trip solo. I met a few other solo travellers here doing the same thing so don’t let travelling solo put you off coming. The Turkish people are generally very welcoming. I felt perfectly safe even walking at night.
Here’s what I most enjoyed during my five night stay…
Five highlights of my Cappadocia trip:
1. Horse riding through the sword valley, rose valley and red valley.
Cappadocia is known as the land of beautiful horses. There is no better way to fully appreciate and to travel this landscape than by horse. The horse effortlessly traverses the slopes, allowing the rider to relish the scenery getting up close and roaming through the valley. I booked with Lucky Ranches which turned out to be a great choice- the owner is friendly, kind and most importantly treats his horses well. It’s clear he loves them and what he does.
We entered the sword valley riding up and down the hills, overlooking the sword like stone columns, and then entered the Rose and red valley which deepened in hue as the sun began to set for the day.
The only downside was towards the end of the ride when hoardes of noisy quad biking tours penetrated the peaceful atmosphere. “We have complained to the Government but they haven’t done anything about it.” It is clear some zoning needs to take place, to keep the peace of the valley, and to let the thrill seekers have their fun elsewhere without spoiling the land of beautiful horses.
2. Hiking through the love valley. I will leave it to your imagination as to why it is called the love valley but looking at the photos might give you a slight clue! Ahem. Hiking up here alone was perfect as I could go at my own pace and I barely saw another tourist in sight. Take plenty of water on your walk as the heat can be intense.
3. Taking a hot air balloon ride. I’ve always wanted to take a hot air balloon but was waiting for the perfect opportunity and it presented itself here! Appreciate a birds eye view of the valley, it’s features and surroundings and get a full sweeping perspective of Cappadocia by taking a hot air balloon. You won’t be alone- hundreds of other balloons will also be floating in the air. The colourful skies create a dreamlike haze.
4. Taking a bus to Uchisar. Having done everything I wanted to do in Göreme the main tourist centre, I caught a bus for 3 lira up the hill to the next village. The main attraction here is the castle carved from rock. This is the highest point on the valley. Entry is 8 lira and the views are spectacular. I also spent an hour drinking Turkish tea and relaxing at one of the cafes en route to the castle.
5. Relaxing at the viewpoints. The main viewpoints are filled at sunrise and sunset with people to watch the skies turn pink. If you want to escape the crowds there’s plenty of other high places you can sit and watch the sunrise or sunset. Watching the sunrise over the valley as the balloons ascend into the sky and float over the village is beautiful to watch.
I also enjoyed sitting in some of the viewpoint cafes where you can have shisha, Turkish coffee or tea and enjoy the scenery in comfort.
If I had more time I would have explored more of the surrounding villages and areas by local bus. I suggest you take the local bus rather than the tours so that you can focus on what you want to see and go at your own pace and gain more of an insight into local culture. The man on the bus couldn’t speak English but he looked after me making sure I knew when to get off and that I had a seat, and he looked relieved that I found the bus back! There are two main tours the red and green tours but I didn’t do either as doing it that way isn’t really my cup of tea.
Overall there are plenty of reasons to visit this stunning and unique landscape.
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