Any visitor to Cappadocia is coming for two things. Balloons and the incredible landscapes. Right? Well, the balloons are wonderful, but in the end they are pretty much a money making gimic. The landscape however, is incredible. You can see much of the highlights right near Goreme itself, but to see some of the more amazing, far flung places, you will need to do a tour. Hence the reason for this Cappadocia Green Tour Review.
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Why choose the Cappadocia Green Tour?
There are basically three main tours that you can do in Cappadocia. Almost from the moment you arrive they are thrust in front of your face. At the airport. Your hotel. On billboards outside every tour agency in town, and probably even in the restaurants. The tours are advertised everywhere.
The tours are known as Red, Green and Blue. Each of them covers different parts of the local area, and you will see different things. Check out the image below for a good visual of what I am talking about.
Now, you are probably asking, “Why choose the Green Tour?”
When we first arrived in Goreme, we had no idea which tour to take either. Personally, I leaned toward the Red Tour, as it is probably best for first timers to Cappadocia, who want a good introduction to the area.
The thing about the red tour though, is that you DON’T NEED a tour to see it. Everything on the Red Tour can be seen on your own, simply by hoofing it around town yourself. For example, the Open Air Museum is only a 15 minute walk from the main street. Why pay 45 Euro for a tour to take you to a place you can visit yourself?
So, the reason I decided to do a Cappadocia Green Tour Review, is because this tour takes you to places in Cappadocia that you really cannot get to yourself, unless you have a car. Then, to really understand what you are looking at, a guide comes in really handy. Also, this tour takes all day, and I don’t think you could probably do it all in one day by yourself.
So, let’s get into my Cappadocia Green Tour Review.
Views of Goreme and Pigeon Valley
Your tour will usually start from where you book it. If you book from your hotel, then they will pick you up from there. That makes it nice and easy for everyone involved. You guide and driver will turn up in a mini bus or similar that is air conditioned and rather comfortable. Which is important as you will spend quite a few hours sitting in it across the course of the day.
Once everyone on the tour has been picked up, you will immediately head up to a nearby view point. Here, you can take a look down across Goreme, and your guide will give you a bit of a history lesson about the area.
Cappadocia Green Tour Review note – There are many companies that do the Green tour. At this point it is important to note that some tours will differ in small ways. For example – when it is busy some may do the tour in reverse to avoid crowds. Some may go to a different view point for the same reason. In the end though, you will see the same things and have the same experience.
Our Tour Guide stopped by the road just up past Uchisar Castle, at a lookout that had views right down Pigeon Valley toward Goreme. Here, he explained some of the histories of the area.
Pigeon Valley seems a little strange when you first hear it. I imagined a valley that had a lot of pigeons, or maybe someone saw a Pigeon there once and that was what it became known as.
In fact, while there are actually HUNDREDS of pigeons to be found at Pigeon Valley, many years ago they numbered in the thousands. This was because pigeons were bred and used as a source of both food, and as fertilizer for the infertile soil of the area. The local populace would dig pigeon holes into the sides of the rock for the pigeons to roost. In Pigeon Valley, these man made holes can be seen everywhere.
Pigeon Valley is around 6km long, and connects the towns of Goreme and Uchisar. It is also a very popular hiking trail that is easy to access from either end, with some great views and rock formations, as well as the incredible carved Pigeon holes that dot the cliff faces.
The Underground City
This is something that I didn’t realize even existed in Cappadocia until I arrived. It is also one of the main reasons that I wanted to write a Cappadocia Green Tour Review. The Underground City is incredible!
In fact, it is only one of MANY underground cities that have been discovered across Cappadocia. At present, there are around 40, but Archeologists estimate there could be hundreds more waiting to be discovered.
The two largest and most popular are at Derinkuyu and Kaymakli. Depending upon who you talk to, you will be told that one is bigger or deeper than the other. Personally, I don’t think that anyone really knows, or will ever know, which one is bigger. They are constantly discovering more and more levels, and the deeper they follow the tunnels, the more dangerous it gets.
At present though, both are open to the public, but most tours will tend to go to Kaymakli Underground City, and this Cappadocia Green Tour Review will concentrate on that city. Both are similar though, and you will get a very similar experience at both. In fact, they have found a tunnel (5km long) that connects the two cities, so in a way they are the same complex. Even if technically different cities/towns.
Cappadocia Green Tour Review note – This is a bit of a disclaimer, so please read it. If you are claustrophobic AT ALL, or have mobility issues, then this might not be for you. There are very low and closed in tunnels to get through, and small rooms to stand in. The lighting is good, but as a 6ft3 male, I struggled a little bit. Let your guide know if you have ANY problems whatsever.
Most of the good tours will not take you to Derinkuyu. The reason is that the access is a lot tougher. It is the deeper city of the two, even if you can’t get to all the levels as it is restricted for safety reasons. But, some of the entries and tunnels are SO small that you will be crawling on all fours. Not exactly easy for tour groups.
At Kaymakli, the hardest tunnel I encountered meant that I had to do a sort of duck waddle to get through. The shorter people in the group just had to bend down a little bit. So no big problem there.
So what are the Underground Cities?
These cities have been around since the 7th and 8th century BC, and were originally used by Christians seeking to escape persecution. They burrowed into the rock and built cities that they could live in completely out of sight of those attempting to hunt them down. Kaymakli itself was home to up to 5000 people, living on 8 different levels. Only 4 levels are currently open to visitors.
You can visit Kaymakli Underground City by yourself if you like. You can pay at the entrance and do a self guided tour following the marked tunnels. But, you will have NO IDEA what you are looking at. There are guides available to hire, but I believe that the best way to see these cities is with the tour. Hence the reason I am doing this Cappadocia Green Tour Review!
The ingenious construction of the Underground City will astound you. Even the entry way is incredible. The doors into the open air are disguised into the animal stables. This serves many purposes. The animals stand around in front of the openings, not allowing enemies to easily see them. Animals get restless around intruders, providing a warning system. The body heat of the animals at the front entry stops the cold getting into the tunnels.
You would not find all this out if not on the tour. You probably would not even have any idea that it even WAS a stable. And such is the case as you move through chambers and tunnels below. Kitchens, sleeping areas, churches, are all located in different areas and you guide will give you facts and histories of them all.
One other thing I found fascinating was the security systems in place from level to level. A large, rolling stone is set up to be pushed into place to block passages, trapping invaders in “death pits” where they can be swiftly dispatched from above. Genius!
Cappadocia Green Tour Review Tip – Wear comfortable and stretchy clothing. Not only will it be good for sitting in the bus, but all the bending and squatting while you negotiate tunnels will make tight jeans a little more uncomfortable.
Ihlara Valley Trekking and Lunch
Next up you will be heading to the Ihlara Valley for a short hike.
This valley is one of the most popular hiking locations in all of turkey. Sort of like a “mini” Grand Canyon (VERY mini) it is 100m deep and about 14 km long. But don’t worry, the hike doesn’t go the full distance.
Your tour bus will drop you in the parking lot at one end, and then pick you up at the other. Depending on what tour you end up on, you could start at one end or the other. With ours, we started with the hike and ended with lunch, which in my opinion was the better way to do it.
You descend into the valley down a long flight of stairs. At the bottom was a church, carved into the stone wall, with amazing fresco paintings covering the walls and ceilings. Much of the paintings are actually falling away, and large holes are appearing in the incredible artwork.
According to our guide, the people of Cappadocia would love to preserve all of the churches, caves and cities they are constantly finding throughout the area, but there are just so many and such little funds. When you move further into the hike, and indeed around Cappadocia itself, you will start to understand why.
The hike takes you along a course beside a stream running down the center of the valley. There is nothing hard about this hike, and you will walk for about an hour or so beside the river. The scenery is really nice, but that is not really why you are here.
Take notice of the rock walls of the valley. All along the walls are churches dug into the rock. Some are low down, while others are a lot higher up. Apparently not ALL of them are churches, but the actual homes of the monks that built them. Ihlara Valley was the very first place that I really began to understand the extraordinary amount of dwellings, churches and other such places that have been dug into the walls and bedrock of this part of the country.
Another thing to note when hiking the valley is the very large rocks that are along the trail. Some are as big as houses. These have all fallen from the cliff far above, and rolled down into the places they now sit. Apparently they are still falling! The latest one rolled into place just prior to the Pandemic in 2019.
Halfway along the hike you will pause at a small set of cafes and tables around the waters edge. Some tables are actually IN the water, which is perfect on a hot day. There is a toilet here, and the chance to buy a quick snack or sip on some hot tea.
The end of the hike though, is your lunch stop, so there is not need to fill up at the mid station.
Lunch is at a restaurant set right beside the river, and consists of an entre of Lentil Soup, salad, and your choice of mains. I had the beef Kofte, which was really nice. The cost is included in your tour ticket, but drinks are extra.
Selime Monastery
Next stop on your tour, and the final stop, is the incredible Selime Monastery, or Cathedral.
The incredible landscape around this location will take your breath away, with Fairy Chimneys lining the slopes of the hills to both sides. The Monastery itself is carved into the rock about 50 meters above the road level.
Your guide will take you mid way up the slope and give you an introduction into the history of this amazing 9th Century structure. He will then give you a few tips as to what you will find, and then set you loose to explore for yourself.
The only problem with this was the timing. We had half an hour, but I could have spent hours there! I found it extraordinary, and having the opportunity to explore it myself was amazing.
The complex includes a large kitchen, two large halls and a church. The halls are connected at the rear, through the rock, by a narrow tunnel. One of the halls has two levels, and you can freely climb to the second level to explore that as well.
Personally, I was like a little kid, running around wide eyed and amazed. I find it incredible how places like this were built, and what ingenuity the architects and engineers had.
Outside, the views are incredible as well. You are a long way up the slope, and when you stand and look back down, you realize how easily defensible a place like this must have been from invaders, especially when there would once have been a wall around it, and full tunnels for access.
Selime Monastery was the perfect end for the day, and along with the Underground City, was a highlight of my entire Turkish trip!
Cappadocia Green Tour Review Fact – Selime Monastery and the surrounding area was inspiration for George Lukas when he created the original Star Wars Movie. He basedTatooine on this location, however could never get a permit to film from the Government due to unrest in the area. So he recreated it in the studio instead!
Summary
I hope you have enjoyed my Cappadocia Green Tour Review. This is a great tour to do if you really want to see a bit more of Cappadocia. The Underground Cities are unmissable in my opinion, and the Green Tour is the best way to see them. The entire day is well organized, and well worth the cost. In fact, it’s probably UNDER priced!
I highly recommend it to any visitors to Cappadocia.
If you are interested in checking out the Green Tour, just follow THIS link, or any links I have placed in this article!
Interested in Turkey? Then check out these articles!
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