General

Marvel at the surreal rock formations and fairy chimneys in the valleys of Devrent and Paşabağ, visit the rock-cut churches and monasteries and the amazing Byzantine frescoes at the Göreme Open Air Museum, a UNESCO World Heritage site,  try pottery-making in Avanos, stroll through the old Greek village of Çavuşin and climb up to the top of the fortress at Uçhisar.  This tour visits the main attractions of North Cappadocia.

Our first stop is Uchisar Castle, which is situated at the highest point in the region. From the top of the Uchisar Citadel you have a stunning panorama with Mount Erciyes in the distance. A perfect photo opportunity and time for your guide to give you information about volcanic activities and erosion in Cappadocia.

We then visit Goreme Open Air Museum. The world’s most important Byzantine cave churches are found in these once remote valleys where monks and nuns pursued monastic life from the 3rd century. Here you can see the best preserved Byzantine cave wall paintings and vivid frescoes from the Iconoclastic period through to the end of Seljuk rule.  Most of the churches in Goreme Open Air Museum date back to the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries. Our tour takes us through the churches of Tokalı ( Buckle ) Church, Chapel of St.Basil , Elmali (Apple) Church , Chapel of St Barbara, Yılanlı ( Snake) Church (of St.Onuphorius).

We drive on next to the old Greek village of Çavuşin. The old part of the village is largely deserted because of rockfall. You can visit the Church of John the Baptist, one of the oldest churches in Cappadocia still standing. You can enjoy an excellent view of the Rose Valley from this village.

We stop for lunch at a Cappadocian restaurant, where we enjoy an open buffet including typical Cappadocian hot and cold dishes and traditional desserts.

The little town of Avanos is the pottery centre of Cappadocia and is set on the banks of the Kizilirmak/Red River. This river is the longest in Turkey and gets its name from the red clay of its banks used since Hittite times (2000 BC) to make terracotta; the white clay ( caulin) coming from  the volcanic hills.  Watch the potters at work using kick wheels, the technique which has remained unchanged for generations

Your next stop will be Paşabağ, the Pasha’s Vineyard, also called the Monks Valley because Christian hermits chose to set up hermit cells and churches in these impressive three-headed fairy chimneys, symbolic of the Holy Trinity. This is also an ideal spot to see all the different stages in the formation of fairy chimneys.

Devrent Valley is also known as “Imagination Valley”, this is the most surreal-looking landscape which spreads over three valleys, housing several pointed fairy chimneys with large stems. According to your imagination, you will see rocks that look like animals (camel, lizard, pigeon), a bride and and Napoleon’s hat…

The “fairy chimneys” with caps, mainly found in the vicinity of Ürgüp, have a conical-shaped body and a boulder on top of it. The cone is constructed from tufa and volcanic ash, while the cap is of a harder, more resistant rock such as lahar or ignimbrite. The 3 fairy chimneys are symbols of Ürgüp, sometimes called the 3 beauties, others call the the Holy Family.