Cappadocia Patchwork

Cappadocia, located in almost the geographic center of Turkey, is often called the jewel of Central Anatolia.  Its otherworldly landscape is hard to describe.  Perhaps moonscape says it best.  From its conical rock outcrops to its churches, chapels, and homes carved into lava rocks to its underground cities, Cappadocia is like few other places on earth.  Its churches cut into the lava rock date back hundreds of years,.  Many are filled with Byzantine frescoes of old and new testament scenes.  Its underground cities, some eight floors deep, were built to protect the early Christian inhabitants from invaders.  Present-day Cappadocia is known for its apricots, cherries, and sugar beets, as well as its carpet weaving and decorative pottery tradition.  And, more recently, wine-making.

This three day Cappadocia Tour from Istanbul allows you to experience many of the wonders of this unique geological area and gives you time on your own to explore some of its many fascinating natural sights.

You will visit the Red Valley, famous for its rock-cut churches, and take short hikes through the Gulludere (Rose) and Ilhara Valleys to see some of the finest fairy chimneys in Cappadocia as well as rock-cut churches with intricate carvings in the stone and fragments of frescoes. You will wander through Cavusin village, the remains of one of the oldest settlements in the area and famous for its homes of Christian clergymen and the Church of St John the Baptist.  You will visit the underground cities of Kaymakli and Derinkoyu.  You will explore the Goreme Open Air Museum with its large concentration of rock-cut churches and monasteries.  You will drive through Pigeon Valley with its thousands of man-made dovecotes, most dating from ancient times.   A pottery demonstration in Avanos, famous for its red clay, and a drive through the Dervent and Pasabagi Valleys will provide further views of fairy chimneys and mushroom-shaped pinnacles.

Cappadocia Patchwork

Route:  Red Valley, Ihlara Valley, Selime Village, Kaymakli Underground City
Tour Type: Small Group Tour
Duration: 3 Days – 2 Nights

INCLUDED

• Inbound and outbound airport transfers from/to your hotel in Istanbul and Cappadocia
• Professional English speaking tour guide
• 2-night accommodation in a special class hotel with breakfast in a private room
• 2 breakfasts, 3 lunches
• Entrance fees to all the sites