Cappadocia 1 Week

Day 1 – Istanbul to Cappadocia
Take the morning, noon or evening flight to Cappadocia: Several Direct flights from Istanbul to Kayseri or Nevsehir everyday; Direct flights from Izmir to Kayseri in the mornings on Thursday and Friday & Direct flights from Izmir to Kayseri in the evenings on Monday and Wednesdays. Direct flights from Antalya to Nevsehir in the evening on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday
Arrival and meeting at the airport just outside the arrival’s gate with a sign bearing your name and transfer to Hotel and Overnight Cappadocia

If you arrive early, some interesting walks can be done in the afternoon, guided (extra) or on your own: Walking for about 2- to 5 km in one of the most attractive valleys of Cappadocia: Iceridere valley, Caglak valley near Ayvali, Red Valley, Rose valley, Gomeda Valley or Pigeon valley. Overnight Cappadocia.

Day 2 – Cappadocia (B.L)
Meeting at the hotel reception at 09:30 Am
In the morning, first meeting with the lunar landscape of Cappadocia: rock formations beyond belief in Devrent valley; a journey in the past with its troglodyte houses, visit to Pasabag “fairy chimneys” where the voice of wind mixes with the “songs of fairies” near Zelve . Lunch in Avanos, centre of terra cotta work of art since 3000 BC. and a demonstration in a traditional pottery workshop. Afternoon, visit the famous Goreme Open Air Museum and see the best examples of Byzantine art in Cappadocia in rock-cut churches with frescoes and paintings (10th to 13th century). Continue to Uchisar Rock-Castle to have a panoramic view of the valleys of Cappadocia. Overnight Cappadocia.

Day 3 – Cappadocia (B.L)
Hot Air Ballooning with sunrise (Extra Payment )
Meeting at the hotel reception at 09:30 Am
Tour to Kaymaklı Underground City, one of the most interesting underground settlements in Cappadocia. Drive to to Sahinefendi ( Sobesos )- Sobessos is newly discovered (01 May 2002) mosaic houses & Archaeological excavation site. Villages in the valleys, surrounded by the “table top” mountains, are spectacular. Continue with Keslik Monastery near Cemil, that hides it’s frescoes behind a very thin smoke layer which we can only see by torch light. Lunch break. Visit to Mustafapaşa (Sinasos), an old Greek town with its spectacular old Greek houses; very fine examples of late Greek settlements and architecture. Visit to Saruhan Caravanserai, a roadside inn where travellers could rest and recover from the day’s journey. Caravanserais supported the flow of commerce, information and people across a network of trade routes of Asia, North Africa and South-Eastern Europe on the legendary Silk Road and the Spice road. Continue with panorama of the Red Valley, with its fabulous volcanic rock formations, is in the heart of Cappadocia but away from the tourist crowd. Overnight Cappadocia

Day 4 – Cappadocia – Aladaglar Mountain Discovery (B)
Meeting at the Hotel Reception at 09:30 Am
Today we will take you to a different Alpine landscape. 1h 30 hour drive will take us to a beautiful mountain range near Cappadocia called Aladaglar Mountains which is very rich with flora and fauna and a real gem for trekkers in the middle of the country and real semi nomadic tribes are alive on the mountains depending season. We’ll have a chance to visit Cimbar Canyon and take a little hike in and depending on season and time of day we might be able to see wild Ibex, Caucasian Snowcock, Wall Creeper, Golden Eagle, Lammergeyer, Griffon Vulture and many other animals and birds. Afternoon we will spend around Emli Valley and Kaziklar gorge. Hikes for different levels can be arranged by your guide. (from easy to moderate and difficult level options). You might have option of visiting a local semi-nomadic camp in spring and autumn, in summer shepherd camps are available in different locations. Drive back to Cappadocia in late afternoon.

Day 5 – Cappadocia (B.L)
Meeting at the hotel reception at 09:30 Am
TURKISH VILLAGE LIFE & CULINARY TOUR Starting the day with a visit to local market ( available only on Monday, Friday and Saturdays ) or a morning walk to the fruit orchards of Ayvali Village. We will collect and taste fresh fruits from the trees (harvesting between June and October) or visit the cave storages for lemons and potatoes. The tour continues with a walk through the narrow streets of the village. Each door opens for an invitation as the villagers invite you for a cup of tea, a plate full of dessert or fruit from their house. According to the season, we join the villagers to learn and help make grape syrup, tomato sauce productions and pumpkin seed collecting. Visiting the local meeting point, Kahvehane,(coffeehouse) to learn more about their lifestyle and local games while drinking the Turkish coffee and tea.Visit the mosque in the village and learn more about the religious customs. For the lunch, we are invited to a real village house to join a Turkish family. We’ll collect the ingredients from their garden and we will participate in cooking a delicious Turkish meal. We are going to have lunch by sitting together with the family in a traditional Turkish fashion. After the lunch, a walk through a beautiful hidden valley near the village. Drive to see a cave wine house to see the process of making delicious and famous Cappadocia wine. Before going back to the hotel, there may be an optional stop to see an art and handicraft center of Cappadocia. Overnight Cappadocia.

Day 6 – Hattusas (Capital of Hittites) – Yazilikaya (B)
Meeting at the hotel reception at 08:30 Am
Drive to Hattusas, capital of the Hittite empire in the 2nd millennium BC. The ancient city is on the outskirts of present-day Bogazkale, just over 125 miles east of Ankara. The Hittites were the first true empire in the Anatolian area, and is mentioned in texts from other empires outside the area and in The Bible. Lunch and visit the temples and the castles. The two rows meet on the north wall where the most important images in the shrine of Yazilikaya are to be found: The God of Tempests Teshub and the Goddess of the Sun Hepatu. The largest relief in the main gallery however is the one representing King Tudhaliyas IV, thus giving as a date in the second half of the 13th century B.C. Transfer to your hotel in Cappadocia and overnight.

Day 7 – Cappadocia – Istanbul (B.L)
Meeting at the hotel reception at 09:30 Am
IHLARA CANYON HIKING: Drive to Ihlara, walking thru Ihlara Canyon, a “mirage” in the Steps of Anatolia up to Belisirma village, the ancient Peristrema: “Valley of the Sky” along the Melendiz River. Rock-cut churches, spread across a wild plantation, surprise you with their successfully painted representations from the Bible. Lunch in Belisirma, a local restaurant by the river. Stop by Selime, a village with cave houses at the end of the canyon and a “star wars” like landscape. Transfer to airport to take the evening flight to Istanbul or other destinations and leave Cappadocia.

B = Breakfast L= Lunch D = Dinner ( Lunch Excluded on private tours)

Per person fee is : 1020 EURO

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