Cappadocia is a region full of secrets and adventures that will turn your holiday with friends into memories that will change you forever. Exciting activities that you can do together include travelling in a hot air balloon to spot surprising rock formations, and heading down into the depths of the earth to discover entire cities beneath the ground.
- Balloon ride
- Discover the underground cities of Derinkuyu and Kaymakli
- Eat a testi kebab
- Ihlara Valley
- Dream up shapes in Imagination Valley
- See the whirling dervishes
- Buy pottery in Avanos
- Göreme Open Air Museum
Balloon ride
This is the most famous activity in Cappadocia. Everyone can picture dozens of hot air balloons floating through incredible valleys full of hoodoos and extraordinary rock formations. And what could be better than sharing this unique experience with your friends?
Most flights leave at dawn because the weather conditions are better at this time of day, and you will have a smoother ride. However, flights also depart at sunset when the weather is fine so that travellers can enjoy this special time of day.
Baskets can fit 10 to 12 people so you will be able to do a balloon ride with all your friends. Remember to take a warm layer with you because temperatures are lower at high altitudes.
Make sure to visit the various viewpoints in the area before or after your trip so you can enjoy the magnificent sight of balloons floating across Cappadocia.
Discover the underground cities of Derinkuyu and Kaymakli
After floating across the skies of Cappadocia, there is nothing better than discovering the remarkable treasures the region hides beneath the ground. These two underground cities are World Heritage Sites and are fascinating examples of what human beings are capable of doing to survive.
They were built during the period of the Hittites and Phrygians, and were used as shelters by the first Christians who fled religious persecution by the Roman Empire.
Derinkuyu is the largest to have been discovered to date; it has 20 levels and gave shelter to around 20,000 people.
It has ventilation shafts and wells, food stores, stables for animals on the upper floors, kitchens, and even chapels where the remains of Greek inscriptions have been conserved.
The cities were used up until 1923, when the Greeks were expelled from Turkey, but fell into obscurity until the 1960s when they were once again unearthed.
Eat a testi kebab
A testi kebab in Cappadocia is nothing like the kebabs you order in Europe’s typical Turkish kebab shops. The testi kebab originally comes from the Yozgat region but it is now completely integrated into the cuisine of Cappadocia.
It is typically prepared by cooking lamb and onions in an artisan pot for two hours; if the pot was made in Avanos so much the better, because it adds an extra flavour.
Some restaurants also make the dish with garlic, tomatoes, and even potatoes, peppers, and aubergines.
The testi kebab is cooked very slowly over the heat for several hours so tell your restaurant in advance if you plan to order it. The pot is normally sealed at the top with a piece of clay, although in some places they use a potato full of holes. What is particularly fun about the ritual is that the pot is smashed when the dish is ready, so you can then enjoy the delicious, tender meat inside.
Ihlara Valley
This is the perfect place to go for a walk with friends and discover the valley’s famous churches that have been carved into the rock. The Ihlara Valley is a 14-km canyon that is 100 m deep; the Melendiz River runs along the bottom and visitors enjoy spectacular views as they hike along the riverbank.
The area has been abandoned but at one time up to 80,000 people lived in the valley. Today, you can visit former homes and several of the 60 churches that were carved into the rock, many of which contain incredible Byzantine frescoes.
There are four entrances into the valley ‒ the most popular is 4 km from its start and has a 350-step stairway that descends down to the banks of the Melendiz River. The views from this entrance are breathtaking.
Dream up shapes in Imagination Valley
This part of Cappadocia is actually called Devrent Valley, but everyone calls it Imagination Valley because it is home to bizarre rock formations that look like wild animals and human figures.
It is one of the best places in Cappadocia to go trekking with friends, and a fun game to play along your way is to imagine what each hoodoo (rock spires typical to the region) looks like.
Many visitors are convinced they have seen rocks that look like bears, lions, camels, and tigers.
See the whirling dervishes
Dervish dancing is a sight that you mustn’t leave Turkey without seeing. These dancing rituals are called semas; they originated from Sufism and the belief that you can get closer to God by achieving a trance-like state through whirling.
In Mevlevi tradition, dancers open their arms with the palm of their right hand facing the sky and their left palm facing the ground to show that all that God gives comes to humankind. Music is essential to the ritual, and it is a hypnotic sight.
In Cappadocia, you can see a performance at the Caravanserai ‘Sarihan’ or the Cave Theatre ‘Dervish House’.
Buy pottery in Avanos
Avanos is the home of artists in Cappadocia region. This picturesque city is famous for standing on the banks of the Red River, the longest river in Turkey, and for its ancient tradition of pottery. The city is also famous for weaving rugs, and you will find beautiful rugs here in every size and colour.
Make time to visit a pottery workshop on your trip to Avanos with friends so you can watch ceramicists work with clay from the Red River. They combine it with sand in a method that is typical to the city before shaping it into bowls, cups, and pots of all kinds, and then decorating the pieces in a traditional local style.
It is also well worth visiting a rug shop where you can choose the motifs you like best and pick up a unique souvenir.
Avanos holds a traditional market on Fridays, and this is the best place to find wonderful hand-crafted goods to take home with you.
Göreme Open Air Museum
This is the largest open-air museum in the world and is a fascinating attraction to visit. The museum consists of a complex of monasteries excavated out of the rock and you can visit eleven refectories and churches, with holy chapels and their seating dating from the 10th, 11th, and 12th centuries.
These open-air churches hewn from the rock are home to some of the most important and impressive Byzantine frescoes in Cappadocia, and many still retain their original colours.
One of the most famous churches is the Monastery of the Nuns, a block of rock that contains a refectory, kitchen, living quarters, a chapel, and a church with its dome and three apses. It is believed that a group of nuns took shelter here and the order then lived in this holy monastery for centuries.
Other famous churches include the chapel of St Barbara, the Snake Church, the Sandal Church, and the Apple Church. Most have a cross-shaped floor plan, and their painted domes contain frescoes depicting scenes from the life of Christ and the lives of the saints.