Private Full-Day Cappadocia Tour

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 the valley. You will see the reason why people call them “houses”, when you see them.

The first place on the tour is Uchisar Castle. Tour bus will stop underneath of castle to see all. Rocky peak of the high block-rock was once used as a fort. Fort was also used to keep people, animals, and weapons. The view from the peak is particularly breathtaking at sunset when the colors of the rocks and the perspective of the valley give it a magical touch. You will enjoy the day view of the castle.

The Last Place on the tour will be a visit to the onyx factory in Uchisar. Onyx is a volcanic stone that has various colors and contains different minerals in. As being a volcanic area, Cappadocia has some onyx deposits. In the factory, a master will give you information about the steps of onyx shaping and you will watch a shaping show.

You get information about the history, formation of Cappadocia while watching the fairy chimneys. Following the information, free time for a photograph.

An old Greek village will be the next place on the tour. Çavuşin is a village about 4 kilometers from Göreme. The old village is largely deserted because the area has been plagued by rock falls. At Çavuşin you can visit the Church of John the Baptist which probably dates from the 5th century with paintings from the 6th, 7th, and 8th centuries. The view of Rose Valley (Pink colored rocks) is excellent from this village.

After you visit the village, the next place will be Pasabagi. Formerly known as the "Monks' Valley" , Pasabagi has situated about 1km from the Goreme - Avanos road. Many fairy chimneys with multiple stems and caps some housing chapels and living areas can be found here, this style being unique to this area. A chapel dedicated to St. Simeon and a hermit's shelter is built into one such fairy chimney with three heads. You will be able to walk among the tallest fairy chimneys.

The next place is the Pottery atelier. The city of Avanos was on an ancient trading route between the Hittite capital of Hattusaş(1300 BC). Avanos was inhabited by Assyrian trade colonies during the second millennium BC and was later taken over by the Hittites at about 1950 BC. Flowing through Avanos is the longest river in Turkey, which in ancient times was called Halys. The Hittites called it Marassantiya. The modern word for this river is Kizilirmak, meaning Red River. Red clay, containing iron ore that colors the water, is found along the banks of the river. The clay has been used since the early ages for making pottery.

Visiting and explaining the open air museum.

You will have a chance to watch how original Turkish carpets and kilims are made by local women who have patiently and untiringly written their joys and sorrows in amazing codes and magic letters which are to be read line by line. And also you will be fully informed by an expert how to get silk and the history of Turkish carpets.

This valley is situated between Avanos, Zelve, and Urgup, and is called "pink valley" because of the color of its soil. This valley has never been inhabited and we see neither houses nor churches here. But fairy chimney shapes are very interesting, for it Devrent Valley is also known as “Imagination Valley”. You will feel free to climb the slopes to enjoy the fairy chimneys.

The "fairy chimneys" with caps, mainly found in the vicinity of Ürgüp, have a conical-shaped body and a boulder on top of it. The cone is constructed from tufa and volcanic ash, while the cap is of a harder, more resistant rock such as lahar or ignimbrite. The fairy chimneys which are symbols of Ürgüp are called holly spirit chimneys. There are mother, father, and son fairy chimneys that stay together.