Starting with the story:
Situated in Turkey, in the region of Central Anatolia, Cappadocia is a magnificent region whose main attraction is its peculiar rock formations result of volcanic phenomena and subsequent erosion. It has a vast historical and cultural heritage, from underground cities to homes and churches carved in the rocks, a set of elements that did not go unnoticed and UNESCO in 1985 declared the Goreme National Park World Heritage Site.
Situated in Turkey, in the region of Central Anatolia, Cappadocia is a magnificent region whose main attraction is its peculiar rock formations result of volcanic phenomena and subsequent erosion. It has a vast historical and cultural heritage, from underground cities to homes and churches carved in the rocks, a set of elements that did not go unnoticed and UNESCO in 1985 declared the Goreme National Park World Heritage Site.
Civilization in this inhospitable area began thousands of years ago when people like the Hittites settled here. Later
other people coming from other parts of the globe passed through here
and left their cultural mark, the result was a fusion of cultures and
very different religions. But in fact, are the geological formations the main cause that made this area so famous for this worldwide. Its
"lunar" landscapes are full of rocky calcareous and capricious
formations whose shapes soft composition meant that the man could dig
and work building their houses. This type of housing is known as "troglodite" and despite being
characteristic in the region is not unique as many may think.
Due to its geographical location, Cappadocia was part of trade routes which made it an attractive target for the intruders. To protect themeselves from atacks the local people built huge underground cities that would be their refuge for thousands of years. It is estimated that older cities have more than 3000 years and some can and should be visited as is the case of Derinkuyu, Kaymakli, Ozkonak and Mazi.Durante the Byzantine period, some of these buildings have been converted into churches and decorated with frescos on walls and ceilings.
What to do:
Cappadocia offers a bit of everything and there are activities for everyone. The ideal is to stay long enough to not have to do those package tours including many activities that will surely leave you very tired and at the end you dont enjoy anything. The most famous leisure activity in the region is the hot air balloon ride where, if the weather conditions permit, will lead you to fly over the most famous spots in the area as the "Love Valley" among others.
Then there are some travel agencies that offer "day tours" that include various activities such as underground cities, hiking in the most famous valleys as Pigeons Valley, Red and Rose Valley, among others. The most famous packages are the Red Tour, Green Tour and Blue Tour.
Then there are many other activities such as horseback riding, quad bike, hiking and more. Check here for more activities.
When to go:
The best time is in the summer or spring, because winter can bring negative temperatures to the region (when I was there in January were -14 degrees), but the winter can be truly charming as evidenced by these pictures:
Due to its geographical location, Cappadocia was part of trade routes which made it an attractive target for the intruders. To protect themeselves from atacks the local people built huge underground cities that would be their refuge for thousands of years. It is estimated that older cities have more than 3000 years and some can and should be visited as is the case of Derinkuyu, Kaymakli, Ozkonak and Mazi.Durante the Byzantine period, some of these buildings have been converted into churches and decorated with frescos on walls and ceilings.
What to do:
Cappadocia offers a bit of everything and there are activities for everyone. The ideal is to stay long enough to not have to do those package tours including many activities that will surely leave you very tired and at the end you dont enjoy anything. The most famous leisure activity in the region is the hot air balloon ride where, if the weather conditions permit, will lead you to fly over the most famous spots in the area as the "Love Valley" among others.
Then there are some travel agencies that offer "day tours" that include various activities such as underground cities, hiking in the most famous valleys as Pigeons Valley, Red and Rose Valley, among others. The most famous packages are the Red Tour, Green Tour and Blue Tour.
Then there are many other activities such as horseback riding, quad bike, hiking and more. Check here for more activities.
When to go:
The best time is in the summer or spring, because winter can bring negative temperatures to the region (when I was there in January were -14 degrees), but the winter can be truly charming as evidenced by these pictures:
How to go:
There are daily flights from Istanbul with Turkish Airlines and Pegasus Airlines to the two airports in the region: Nevsehir and Kayseri. You should book a transfer to your final destination (the small Goreme town gathers everything you need) because the airport is far from Goreme and can be quite difficult to arrange transportation not to mention that communication in these parts is quite difficult.
Turkish Airlines is a great airline but the prices can sometimes be a bit high, the option may be flying with Pegasus Airlines wich offers very low prices but on the other hand is a terrible airline. Other options include night bus (but take in mind the 12 hours journey) or train to the capital Ankara and then taking the bus to Cappadocia.
There are daily flights from Istanbul with Turkish Airlines and Pegasus Airlines to the two airports in the region: Nevsehir and Kayseri. You should book a transfer to your final destination (the small Goreme town gathers everything you need) because the airport is far from Goreme and can be quite difficult to arrange transportation not to mention that communication in these parts is quite difficult.
Turkish Airlines is a great airline but the prices can sometimes be a bit high, the option may be flying with Pegasus Airlines wich offers very low prices but on the other hand is a terrible airline. Other options include night bus (but take in mind the 12 hours journey) or train to the capital Ankara and then taking the bus to Cappadocia.
hotels:
No trip to the region would be complete if you didn´t sleep in a famous "Cave Hotel", a hotel carved in the rocks just like the troglodytes did! Try to choose a genuine hotel because some are modern buildings which looses its charm.
Here are some suggestions.
No trip to the region would be complete if you didn´t sleep in a famous "Cave Hotel", a hotel carved in the rocks just like the troglodytes did! Try to choose a genuine hotel because some are modern buildings which looses its charm.
Here are some suggestions.
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