Cappadocia Green Tour

Would you like to learn more about the amazing and mysterious underground cities of Cappadocia? Would you like to enjoy the unique landscapes of Cappadocia while hiking in Ihlara Valley and Canyon? If the answer is yes, then this tour is for you! Cappadocia Green Tour is an exciting tour of the southern part of Cappadocia. You hike for miles outdoors through beautiful valleys.

Ihlara Canyon is one of the largest canyons in the world! On the territory of this gorge, history and nature are in complete harmony. You’ll be amazed as you walk past the rock-cut churches that still delight the eyes with images from the Bible. Ihlara Valley is famous for hundreds of ancient churches. This is a very beautiful and unusual place. The mysterious and incredible underground city of Derinkuyu will surprise you with dwellings with stables, cellars, storerooms, refectories, churches, wineries and even schools.

Please note that we have ‘no hidden costs’

Tour days: Daily

Tour duration: From 09:00 to 18:00

Cappadocia Hotels Transfer: Pick up from your hotel

Cappadocia Green Tour begins with a breathtaking panorama of Goreme Valley, a fairy tale village with fairy chimneys, fantastic rock formations and incredible cave houses.

You will visit the largest mysterious underground city, Derinkuyu, which is about 85m deep. You walk the streets of the underground city, see barns, churches, schools, monasteries and other interesting buildings. Next, drive to the deepest and longest canyon in Cappadocia – the Ihlara Valley. This unusual and beautiful gorge will surprise you with fabulous rock houses and churches where monks lived 17 centuries ago.

Tired from a fascinating walk, drive to the village of Belisirma. Enjoy tasty and hearty Cappadocian cuisine at a traditional Turkish restaurant on the banks of the creek. Further along the route, high up on the cliff, is the incredible ancient Selime Monastery, also carved into the rock from tuff many centuries ago. And at the end of your wonderful journey, visit the fabulous Pigeon Valley , whose ancient pigeon lofts cover an area of ​​4 kilometers. You have the opportunity to feed these pigeons.

Panorama of Goreme: Your exciting excursion Green Tour in Cappadocia starts from Goreme viewpoint. This site offers a beautiful view of Göreme itself, the Gorkuendere valley and its surroundings. A qualified Russian-speaking guide will tell you the history of these incredible ancient places. You will have the opportunity to take beautiful souvenir photos and buy Turkish souvenirs for your family and friends.

Derinkuyu Underground City: Then drive to the mysterious underground city of Derinkuyu – this is the oldest monument of human civilization. This incredible city is about 85 meters deep and has about 12 floors (so far only 8 floors are open for visits). It is believed that around 20,000 people could live in it. In this mysterious city of Derinkuyu there was absolutely everything for a comfortable stay – living rooms, kitchens, dining rooms, wineries, temples, schools, chapels, bakeries, rooms for pressing oil, all kinds of workshops, armories and even stables and an underground cemetery.

About two hundred underground cities are known in Cappadocia. Derinkuyu Underground City is the largest underground city in Cappadocia.

Ihlara Valley: Next, drive to the deepest and longest canyon in Cappadocia – Ihlara Valley . This rocky gorge stretches for 15 kilometers and has a depth of 150 meters in some places. Ihlara Valley is a very beautiful natural place. This unusually beautiful gorge is famous for the fact that Byzantine monks settled here 17 centuries ago. Hardworking monks have carved their dwellings and churches into the canyon’s stone walls. In ancient times, the population of the canyon reached 60 thousand people. Many cave churches have beautifully preserved wall frescoes.

In the Ihlara Valley, during the Cappadocia Green Tour, you can visit some of these stunning and mysterious rock churches and hike about 3 kilometers along the Melendiz River.

Belisisma Village: After a fascinating trek through the wonderful Ihlara Valley, a hearty national lunch awaits you in the beautiful village of Belisirma, located in the canyon itself. Enjoy a delicious lunch at a traditional Turkish restaurant right by the creek.

Selime Monastery: After resting and gaining strength, you will get to the highest rocky monastery in Cappadocia – Selime, located high on the rock. The founding of this incredible monastery dates back to the 8th century – the Byzantine period of Cappadakia. It is a real rock complex with several churches, utility rooms, monks’ cells, cattle sheds and other specially organized places.

The premises of this unusual Selime monastery are connected by curious passages and grottoes along which you can wander. By the way, the film “Star Wars” was filmed in this monastery.

Some frescoes dating from the X-XI centuries have been preserved in the Selime Monastery. The frescoes are poorly preserved. Fires were being burned at Selime Monastery at that time, hence the walls are black with old soot. Still, the darkened arches and columns look pretty impressive. Thanks to this soot, you will feel the medieval charm of these premises. Like most of Cappadocia’s landmarks, the Selime Monastery is carved out of soft tuff.

Pigeon Valley: The next stop on your exciting Cappadocia Green Tour is to visit Pigeon Valley or Dovecote Valley. The total length of this unusual valley is 4 kilometers. It is so called because there are many dovecotes that are located right in the rocks. Since ancient times, pigeons have been bred to collect their droppings and use this droppings to fertilize gardens and fields.

In the Pigeon Valley you can take many photos of the fabulous panorama of the valley with the dovecotes. You have the opportunity to feed the pigeons yourself (the feed is also sold here). You can also buy unforgettable souvenirs for your family and friends here.