We went to the Cappadocia region of Turkey on the recommendation of friends and we loved it. It is located in the center of Turkey and is famous for its rock formations, man-made cave systems, and more recently, hot air balloons! We have seen a lot of places now, but this one was quite unique.
Göreme
In the heart of the Cappadocia region is the small village of Göreme where we stayed. It is known for its Fairy Chimneys which are rock formations shaped like tall conical pillars. Many rock pillars in the area were hollowed out during the Middle-Ages to make homes and now a lot of those have been converted into hotels.
The view from Lover’s Hill & Sunrise Point looking out over the village.
From the same lookout point, but looking the other direction towards the Göreme Open Air Museum.
Some of the many rock formations in the area. Some carved out caves were churches with frescoed walls.
We enjoyed some lovely and unique views from some restaurants.
Some of the food was quite unique as well, like this balloon bread.
We also tried Testi Kebab (Pottery Kebab) where they cook meat inside a clay pot sealed with bread dough on the top. They then crack it open at your table.
We also loved the Kibbeh meatballs and tried their national drink called Raki. It is a double stilled spirit with a strong licorice flavour. They traditionally mix it with water and when you do, it changes from clear to cloudy white which they call “Lion’s Milk”.
The view from the top balcony of our hotel.
The hotel was a “cave” hotel meaning that the room was mostly carved out of natural rock (with the exception of some of the front facing and supporting arches which were stone block). It was quite spacious and a cool experience.
Hot Air Balloon
One fantastic way of experiencing this area is by a hot air balloon ride. There are over 100 balloons in the air which adds to the spectacle. When we had first started researching this, the pricing was expensive, but still reasonable. However, when we started booking this part of the trip, the prices had jumped significantly to where a one hour balloon ride for the four of us would have cost more than most of our airline flights. So, we had decided that we would not be going on a balloon ride unless we could find a last minute deal upon arriving.
On our first afternoon there, we walked around the village to see if we could find a better deal. At first, we found some tour agencies in the village which were quoting similar prices to what we found online. However, as we got further into the village, we started to find the actual operators and found a reputable company that had spaces available for the next day that were about 40% less than other quotes. It was still expensive but after a family discussion we decided to trade out a future booking we were considering in leu of doing this one. We were all glad in our decision as this felt like a once in a life-time experience and we all loved it!
Almost all the balloons launch early in the morning when the wind is calmest and you get to experience the sunrise from the air.
We did get quite high for some lovely views, but also quite low. I didn’t realize how much skill and control the pilots could have and they would descend into the valleys, often getting within feet of some of the rock structures and trees.
Kaymakli Underground City
We did a day tour which started at Kaymakli Underground City. This is one of the larger underground cities in this area, which has close to 200 underground cities. At its height, they believed Kaymakli could house up to 3,500 people. The original habitants were from the 8th – 7th centuries BC but only at a small scale (one level and only a few caves). However, during the Byzantine area, the Eastern Greek Christians in the area greatly expanded the cities to provide a place of refuge from Arab raids. These “cities” were not used permanently as the people would live mostly above ground. However, when raiders came, they would flee to these massive underground tunnel systems where their food stores were kept and they could easily defend themselves. They were used by Christians for this purpose also during Mongolian raids as well as during the Ottoman period. They believe this city had seven floors though they haven’t fully excavated everything due to some collapsed sections. Four of the levels are open partially to tours.
A model of what part of the underground city looked like. It looked to me like what I imagined an ant hill would look like underground.
The first floor were primarily stables for animals. Our tour guide explaining the city.
Lots of small tunnels and short ceilings!
One of the essential parts of the system was their use of these tall ventilation shafts that went down all seven layers. Another was the round door stones that could be rolled into place at the end of many tunnels. This allowed the defenders to block passages from attackers.
Selime Monastery
Next we headed to the Selime Monastery. This is a larger rock formation that was dug out to make a Christian Monastery complex containing kitchens, chapels, a church or cathedral and living quarters.
The kitchen area with a vaulted ceiling and smoke hole.
The complex was abandoned as a Christian complex during the Arab times and was used by travelers and shepherds after that. Much of what was there was damaged and most frescos removed. However, there are a few parts left that give you an idea of the artistry that was put into this complex.
Pictures of the parents and then the kids to and from different rocks formations.
The view of Mount Hasan from one of the windows in the monastery and from our drive into the area. We also got a picture of Mount Erciyes from our plane window as we were flying in. Most of the rock in this area is volcanic rock, with these mountains being the largest inactive volcanos in the area.
Ihlara Valley
From there we went to the Ihlara Valley which is a canyon that stretches for about 15km from Selime village (where the monetary is at) to Ihlara village. It was mostly a nature walk along the river, but the canyon and the two villages is where a lot of the Christians lived and farmed when they weren’t sheltering in the underground cities. There was ample evidence of residences cut out of the canyon walls.
And interesting tea/coffee shop on the river.
Uçhisar
As we have found on other tours, they often stop at some specialty stores along the way. This was no exception and on our way back to Göreme we stopped at a jewelry store but also at a nut, spice and Turkish Delight store in the town of Uçhisar right next to Gerome. We got to sample a lot of things, but our favourites were the toasted apricot seeds (similar to pumpkin seeds), Blueberry Turkish Delight and the Christmas Turkish Delight. The Christmas one was made up of 41 different spices! We bought a box 
We ended our tour at a panoramic lookout of the valley between Uçhisar and Göreme.