As mentioned in my previous blog post about Cappadocia, this place is certainly unique. And even though it is a very popular tourist destination with plenty of organised tours, Cappadocia has plenty of hiking trails for an outdoor person like myself to explore. I was looking forward to exploring the Love Valley and the Rose Valley, both a must if you want to do some hiking in Cappadocia.
It was certainly the favourite part of my three day stay here.
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Hiking to the Rose Valley
It was a nice day and I was ready for some hiking in Cappadocia. As my first hike I was heading towards the Rose and Red Valley with the Sunset View Point as my end destination. It was an official car park area for tourists, so I was hoping someone could give me a lift back to Goreme afterwards.
There is not much signage while hiking in Cappadocia so I just followed my map. Walking past the Goreme Open Air Museum, along the windy and hilly street, I found the turn off to the left heading into the Rose and Red Valley. I was good to go.
Once I found myself in the bottom of the valley, I was alone. There was nobody around. The route looked a little bit overgrown and at times I was wondering whether I was lost. Did anyone know where I am? Besides water I didn’t have much else with me and the coffee shops that were supposed to serve refreshments along the route were deserted. The result of Covid maybe?
That said, the hike was quite stunning. The ‘little chimney’ rock formations around me were standing quite tall, amongst the green trees, and the painted windows added to the character. They seem so high up! I wonder how the monks used to live here?
Luckily, from time to time I noticed a small sign so I knew I was heading the right way. I even found a guy selling refreshments. The Turkish tea tasted great!
And so…
After four hours, lots of falling on my bum (the sandy path can be quite slippery) and with my outfit looking more white than black, I reached the Rose Valley. Looking back at the valley, the view was just breathtaking! What a great hike. I felt like an explorer, reaching the destination dirty, thirsty and a little big hungry.
Luckily I did all the hill training while walking in Istanbul.
P.S. I had to catch a cab from the Sunset View Point to get back to Goreme.
Info: The Red and Rose Valley get their names from the pink coloured rocks that change tones, depending on the time of the day.
Next, as part of my hiking in Cappadocia, is my hike to the Love Valley.
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Hiking to the Love Valley
Looking at the photos I am sure you can imagine how the name ‘Love Valley‘ came about. This hike was opposite of the Red and Rose Valley, to the north of the town of Goreme. The first half of the path was an easy walk on top of the valley, with some amazing views. I could see the town, the Rose Valley and one of the tallest mountains in Turkey, Mount Erciyes, at 3916m high. It is actually a volcanic mountain, next to the city Kayseri and is very popular for skiing. What a stunning view!
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After only 3.5 km I went down the hill, into the valley, and reached the start of the Love Valley. What an amazing spot! Let’s say ‘love was in the air’! The blue sky was the perfect background for those amazing and very unique rock formations. I certainly had some fun taking photos.
From my spot down in the valley I could see the people on the top, at the view point that is reachable by car (and tour buses), taking lots of photos. There was no path connection to there from the bottom of the path I was on, so I walked back the same way I came.
It was an easier hike than the one to Rose Valley, but nevertheless fun.
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The churches of Cappadocia
As mentioned previously, amongst the dramatic rock formation in Cappadocia, you will find plenty of rock-cut churches, caves and tunnels from the Byzantine and Islamic eras. And the Goreme Open Air museum protects the most intact churches with some amazing frescos. So I was keen to see them! However, the museum was a little bit underwhelming. I was expecting a bit more. Especially for a 150TL entry fee.
Besides the ‘Church of the Buckle‘ (Tokalı Kilise), which is absolutely breathtaking (and I somehow managed to sneak in twice not realising it was part of the Open Air Museum ticket) and the ‘Church with Sandals‘, the other ‘churches’ where basically just small caves in the rocks. I could see those for free during my hikes.
Not to mention that in the two most stunning churches, I wasn’t allowed to take photos. So, to show you what I saw I had to download a photo from the internet. And I usually don’t do that.
That said, as I have seen more mosques and ruins than actual churches in the last three weeks of traveling Turkey, it was a nice change. The fresco inside the two beautiful churches also reminded me a little bit of the monasteries of Bulgaria. That trip was already four years ago! (Read my blog here.)
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The end of Cappadocia
My overall trip to Cappadocia was really amazing. Should you go, I would highly recommend to plan some hiking in Cappadocia. Whether it is to the Love Valley, the Rose Valley or all of them, it is an amazing experience. You get to see soo much more of the unique and magical place in this remote part of Turkey, than just taking a tour bus to the view point (or a balloon ride). The hiking certainly made my trip to Cappadocia worth while.
But my legst needed a rest!
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