Updated on April 08, 2022
Welcome to Cappadocia
Cappadocia is not a city, but a region. The most attractive things here are the ingenious cave house, the desolate and magnificent karst landform, and the exciting hot air balloon trip.
Most visitors choose to stay in two small towns, one is Göreme and the other is Ürgüp. The cave hotel in Goreme is very distinctive. In Cappadocia, stalagmites rising up into the sky are very common, the intelligent local people in ancient times used these natural pillars to build houses. In Goreme, people have almost hollowed out all the stone pillars, then laid the floor on the ground, installed heating and electric lights, and built complete toilet facilities, and finally formed one after another with unique cave hotels.
The Brief History
As early as 1800 BC, Cappadocia was inhabited. The Hittites were the first inhabitants, followed by the Persians and the Romans. The Romans built the capital for the area at that time, which is today's Kayseri. Later in the Roman Empire and Byzantium, Cappadocia became a refuge for Christians who received religious persecution. It was these people who popularized Christianity in the Kappa area in the 4-11th century, and enabled people today to see a large number of monasteries, underground cities, and churches built in caves. Even though the territory of the later ruler, the Ottoman Empire, covered the Kappa region, Christianity was fortunately tolerated, and their doctrines and relics were preserved.
Speaking of Cappadocia’s history as a popular tourist destination, it can be traced back to the last century. People have discovered this wonderful place that resembles an alien planet very late. The 18th-century French traveler Paul Lucas described the people here living in a cone-shaped cave like a pyramid. Everyone was dubious about his description. In 1907, the French Jesuit Pere Guillaume de Jerphanion rode through Cappadocia. Chia was so amazed: "We were all stunned by the scenery in front of us. In the brilliant light, the hills and sand valleys constitute the most wonderful scenery." Later, he spent his life studying the churches of Cappadocia, and published many research papers in the 1930s and 1940s, and Cappadocia gradually became known to the world. In the 1980s, Cappadocia truly ushered in its first tourist peak. Today, the wonderful terrain and long history have always supported this land, attracting countless tourists to visit.
Highlights in Cappadocia
1
Hot Air Balloon Ride Trip
This is one of the most popular hot air balloon destinations in the world. The peak season for hot air balloon travel is from the beginning of April to the end of November each year. When the hot air balloon rises slowly with the sun, and the first ray of sunlight in the morning falls on the fairy chimney rocks of various shapes, you will feel that everything is worth it.
Photography: Sunrise, Landscape
2
Goreme Town
The whole town is the tourist base camp in the Kapa area. There are many characteristic cave hotels in the town. Choose a high terrace to stay, and you can see the peculiar landform not far away-the "fairy chimney". The mountain next to the town is a great place to photograph the sunset, and it takes about 20 minutes to hike up the mountain from the center of the town.
Photography: Sunset
3
Goreme Open Air Museum
The Goreme Open Air Museum condenses the natural and human history of Cappadocia and gathers more than 30 cave churches, and it has been rated as a world cultural heritage. Main sites in the museum: Aziz Basil Sapeli), Elmali Kilise,Azize Barbara Sapeli, Karanlik Kilise and Azize Katarina Sapeli.
Opening Hours: 08:30-19:00 (April 1 - October 31)
4
Red and Rose Valley Tours
Rose Valley is located in a national park in the north of Goreme. Its name vividly depicts the image of this valley from a distance. The main attractions here are the stone pillar church and the cross church, and the scenery along the way is very beautiful.
5
Ihlara Canyon
The Ihlara Valley was one of the favorite retreats for monks in the Byzantine period, leaving behind many painted cave churches. If you travel here in the middle of summer, the valley is full of vegetation, the sound of birds is tactful, and there are many churches to visit along the way. The valley is 12 kilometers long, with more than 5,000 stone cave remains and 105 cave churches.
6
Love Valley
Love Valley is located in a national park in the Cappadocia region. In addition to the beautiful scenery and the best hiking routes in Asia, there are also a large number of volcanic ash structures that look like male genitalia, so it is euphemistically called the Valley of Love. These structures are towering into the clouds, and their shapes are lifelike, attracting many tourists from the world.
Practical Cappadocia Travel Tips
The Best Time to Visit Cappadocia
Spring and autumn (April-May, September-October) are the most pleasant time to visit Cappadocia. The average temperature is between 15-25°C and the sky is clear, good for photography.
Wild flowers bloom in the valley in spring, and fallen leaves in autumn. If you travel in summer, although the temperature is higher (the highest will not exceed 30 ℃), but you can enjoy an outdoor concert in the outdoor rock concert hall, it is also very pleasant.
Of course, the winter in Cappadocia also has a special beauty. If you want to avoid the peak tourist season, it is a good choice to go around the New Year. At this time, the wonderful valleys in the Kapa area have been covered by snow, making it even more desolate.
Which company is best to take a hot air balloon?
There are currently 25 hot air balloon companies in Cappadocia area, and 10 larger companies are listed here. The ranking is based on safety (accident rate), standardization (number of people approved and actual number of people) and capacity, regardless of fame.
1. Butterfly
Established time: 2010;
Number of hot air balloons: 6;
Number of pilots: 8;
Highlights: Strictly control the number of people, within 16 people
Basket type: 8-16 people/basket (60 minutes), 2-8 people/basket (90 minutes)
2. Royal
Established time: 2010;
Number of hot air balloons: 9;
Number of pilots: 8;
Highlights: The choice of many celebrities to Kappa
Basket type: 8-20 people/basket (60 minutes), 2-8 people/basket (90 minutes)
3. Air Kapadokya
Established time: 2012;
Number of hot air balloons: 10;
Number of pilots: 11;
Highlights: Chief pilot Nuri has a record of nearly 18 years of safe flying in hot air balloons
Basket type: 16-24 people/basket
4. Comfort
Established time: 2013;
Predecessor: Maccan Balloon,
It belongs to the same company as Istanbul and Universal, and was acquired by Butterfly in 2018;
Basket type: 8-20 people/basket
5. ürgüp
Established time: 2008
Number of hot air balloons: 7
Number of pilots: 6
Basket type: 12-20 people/basket
6. Voyager
Established time: 2008;
Number of hot air balloons: 12;
Basket type: 12-28 people/basket
7. Türkiye
Established time: 2005
Number of pilots: 4
Basket type: 20 people/basket
Now belong to: United Group
8. Istanbul
Now belong to: United Group
Basket type: 16-28 people/basket
9. Universal
Established time: 2013
Number of hot air balloons: 5;
Number of pilots: 4;
Basket type: 12-24 people/basket;
Current Ownership: United Group, the same company as Istanbul
10.Deluxe (Göreme)
Established time: 1997
Number of hot air balloons: 11;
Number of pilots: 16
Basket type: 12-20 people
Now belong to: United Group
