Cappadocia is the high volcanic plateau of central Anatolia, where wind and water have carved soft tuff into cones, columns and canyons. People have lived inside this rock for thousands of years, and the region is easiest to enjoy at your own pace, with a car and a base in one of the cave hotels.
A landscape made by volcanoes
Eruptions of Erciyes, Hasan and other volcanoes covered the area in thick layers of ash, which hardened into tuff. Erosion has since shaped the famous fairy chimneys, many of them capped with a harder layer of basalt. Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia have been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1985.
Rock-cut churches of Göreme
The Göreme Open-Air Museum gathers dozens of churches and chapels carved into the rock by Byzantine monastic communities, several of them decorated with vivid frescoes. Nearby, the castles of Uçhisar and Ortahisar are natural rock towers honeycombed with rooms, with wide views over the valleys.
Underground cities
Beneath the villages lie entire underground settlements with stables, kitchens, wine presses, chapels and ventilation shafts, sealed with rolling stone doors. Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı are the best known and are only a short drive from Göreme.
Valleys, balloons and pottery
Walking trails run through the Rose, Red, Love, Pigeon and Zemi valleys, and the Ihlara Valley to the southwest follows a river through a deep gorge lined with churches. At sunrise, weather permitting, hot air balloons rise over the valleys. In Avanos, on the Kızılırmak river, potters still work the local red clay.
Tips for a self-drive visit
Distances are short and roads are easy, so plan at least two or three nights and use Göreme, Uçhisar or Ürgüp as a base. Book balloon flights and cave hotels early in high season. Tell us what you would like to do and we will fit Cappadocia into your route.
