NORTH TOUR
You will be picked up from your hotel and depart for your full day tour. The first stop on your tour will be a visit to the Devrent Valley which reveals many different rock formations and small fairy chimneys that form a lunar landscape, or moonscape, by their strange look. You will also see animal-like rock formations that look like a sculpture zoo created by nature. We will walk through this amazing valley. Your tour will continue on to Pasabagi (Monk’s Valley) which contains some of the most striking fairy chimneys in Cappadocia with twin and even triple rock caps. This style is unique, even for Cappadocia, and these fairy chimneys are named ‘mushroom-shaped fairy chimneys’. After visiting Pasabagi, we will drive to Avanos which is known for its world-renowned pottery, a craft dating back to the Hittite period. The red clay which is worked by local craftsmen comes from the residue of the Kizilirmak river, the longest river in Turkey. A stop for lunch is next on the agenda, which will be followed by a visit to the Zelve Open Air Museum where you will visit the churches, chapels and monasteries carved into the fairy chimneys from the 10th to 13th centuries A.D. with frescos painted on the walls. You will be given ample time to take photos in the neighboring valleys before transferring you to your hotel.
SOUTH TOUR
Our first destination is going to be Red Valley (Kızılçukur Valley). With its different rock and fairy chimney structure, it is one of the most beautiful and well known valley in Cappadocia. This valley features rock formations and fairy chimneys which are believed to be different from any other valley in Cappadocia. Our next stop is Ortahisar Castle, also known as the most spectacular fairy chimney of Cappadocia, is located in Ortahisar town of Nevşehir. The castle, where the first settlement of the town started, became the center of Ortahisar in time with the settlements built around it. Some researchers believe that it was built on the foundations of a building from the Hittite era. Çavuşin Village will be our next stop of this tour. The village is known for its impressive architecture as the houses are carved into rocks creating a spectacular backdrop. These houses, which are very suitable for protection from hot weather, have survived to the present day in a robust manner. In Çavuşin, local people still live in the rock-cut dwellings and stone houses. Çavuşin also has variety of historical sites such as ruins from the Christian monks and some churches.
Then we will visit Özkonak Underground City which is a quaint underground settlement located near the village of Özkonak. The site is pleasant to visit because it is clean, well-developed, and usually empty of tourists. Özkonak Underground City includes a water well, ventilation system, wine presses, and rolling stone doors. One of Cappadocia' largest stone doors is located here. One unique feature of the Özkonak Underground City are small holes, about 5 cm wide, above the passage ways. These could have been used for communication purposes, or to attack intruders with boiling oil or spheres.Finally we will visit Pigeon Valley, pigeons will meet you on the top of the valley. Pigeons have always been important for Cappadocian people. Their eggs and droppings were used for different purposes. For this reason, local people carved houses for them to the slopes of valley.
