Cappadocia Red Tour

The first stop in the tour program is Valley of Pasabag Monks, located between Avanos and Goreme, where early Christian monks used to seek safety and retreat.

Monks Valley

The name was derived from some cones carved in tuff stones which stand apart. Currently, there is a vineyard and a number of tuff cones standing right next to the road. Some of these cones split into smaller cones in their upper sections, in which stylites and hermits once hid. The hermitage of Simeon monks was also here. A chapel dedicated to St. Simeon (Simon), and a hermit's shelter is built into one of the fairy chimneys with three heads. The entrance of the cell is decorated with antithetical crosses. Saint Simeon was living in seclusion near Aleppo in the 5th century, when rumors that he made miracles started to spread. Disturbed by all the attention, he began to live at the top of a 2m high column, and later moved to one 15m in height. From there he only descended occasionally to get food and drink brought by his disciples. The hermits of Cappadocia distanced themselves from the world by cutting into fairy chimneys rather than living on top of columns. Pasabag, Cappadocia They hollowed out the chimneys from bottom to top creating rooms at 10-15m high.

Pasabag valley contains some of the most striking fairy chimneys in Cappadocia with twin and even triple rock caps.

Devrent Valley, which is also known as Imaginary Valley and also as Pink Valley does not have cave churches like the other valleys of Cappadocia. There are no Roman castles or Roman tombs in Devrent Valley, either. Actually it was never inhabited. So what makes it so famous? The lunar landscape! Devrent Valley (also spelled as Dervent Valley) reveals many different rock formations and is only a 10 minute drive from Goreme. The small fairy chimneys in the valley form a lunar landscape, or moonscape, by their strange look. The valley also has many animal shaped rocks. It looks like a sculpture zoo made by nature. Some of the most important, or the easiest seen animal shapes are camel, snake, seals, and dolphin. If you let your imagination run free you will find many others. It is like looking at clouds and seeing a dragon. There is even a rock pillar which looks like Virgin Mary, holding Jesus Christ.

The Goreme Open-Air Museum resembles a vast monastic complex composed of scores of refectory monasteries placed side-by-side, each with its own fantastic church. It is obviously the first sight to be visited by any traveler in Cappadocia, standing as it does in the very center of the region with easy access from all directions. It is only 15 minutes walk (1.5km, 1 mile) from Goreme village center. It contains the finest of the rock-cut churches, with beautiful frescoes (wall paintings) whose colors still retain all their original freshness. It also presents unique examples of rock hewn architecture and fresco technique. The Goreme Open Air Museum has been a member of UNESCO World Heritage List since 1984, and was one of the first two UNESCO sites in Turkey. The area covered by this Open Air Museum forms a coherent geographical entity and represents historical unity. There are eleven refectories within the Museum, with rock-cut churches tables and benches. Each is associated with a church. Most of the churches in Goreme Open Air Museum belong to the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries.

Your next stop will be Esentepe viewpoint above Cappadocia, where you can find a variety of restaurants and cafes with stunning views of the Goreme Valley. This is an ideal spot to take refreshment, reflect on the amazing sights, and take in the views.

After visiting Esentepe viewpoint, you will travel to Uchisar Castle, the highest point above the valley, with arguably the most beautiful views of the fairy chimneys and panoramic views of the landscape.

Many rooms hollowed out into the rock are connected to each other with stairs, tunnels and passages. At the entrances of the rooms, there are millstone doors, just like the ones in the underground settlements, used to control access to these places. Due to the erosion in places of this multi-leveled castle, it is unfortunately not possible to reach all the rooms. Most of the rooms, located on the north side of the castle are in use as pigeon houses (dovecuts) today. Farmers used these cave pigeon houses to collect the droppings of pigeons which is an excellent natural fertilizer for the orchards and vineyards.

As the tour comes to a close, you will head down to Cavusin, one of the oldest settlements in the region, where people still live in rock-cut houses among the many historical sites of monasteries and churches.

Lunch at the restaurant. Open Buffet. Menu consists variety of options for starters, salads, grilled meat, grilled chicken, rise, spaghetti & desserts

Finally, you will visit Urgup wine cellar, where you can sample and purchase original and authentic wine. This makes a perfect end to a perfect day.

You will be picked up from your hotel or apartment at around 09:30 and the tour will last 7 to 8 hours after which you will be returned to your point of original pick up