Walking in Cappadocia

This is a great trip and we had a lovely group. I travelled from the end of April to early May. The weather was great. Although rain and storms were forecasted while I was there, we had beautiful sunshine with some picturesque white clouds (look great on my pictures) and it was quite hot so make sure you take your sunscreen and a sunhat. Mornings were a bit chillier but not too cold and the weather warmed up quickly during the day. If you are considering the ballooning, take some warmer clothes too. The walks were lovely and all quite different. We saw some interesting rock formations on the way, not to mention the stunning landscapes. Some of the walks are flat while others are quite steep and slippery so good walking boots and walking poles come handy. Don't underestimate a moderate trip. Water from a big water container was provided on the bus as well as in the hotel. Make sure you have your own bottle so you can keep refilling it. If you have a hiking hydration bladder bag, that is the best to take. We also stopped at little local cafes during our walks. My favourite was the freshly squeezed orange and pomegranate juice (mixed). Make sure you try that! Our leader was a character, entertaining, knowledgeable and helpful. The locals are friendly. The hotel was 3 star, a bit tired but for only 10 minutes walk from the town so it was convenient, we could easily walk there for some souvenir shopping in our free time. All meals were included on my tour and the portions were generous... Lucky we did all that walking!! If you are considering doing this trip, I recommend budgeting in the balloon ride. It is such an amazing experience. I am afraid of heights and I was a bit worried but it is so relaxing up there with such a wonderful view that I even forgot about feeling scared.

A very enjoyable holiday with not to harduous walks. You soon get used to the early morning calls provided by the call to morning prayer and low flying hot air balloons.

Truly awesome place. Challenging in places but a great way to push yourself and achieve. Great guide, so knowledgeable. We had lessons in Language, Religion, Geology, Politics, History and Turkey. Nobody passed the 'exams'! Lots of fun and laughter.

We really enjoyed the trip with excellent local guide Alcan. Great scenery well balanced walks and good variety of restaurants the balloon flight is a must all in all 5 stars. Well organised trip from start to end .Nice simple hotel ideal as a base . Good transport with excellent driver . Nothing to much trouble for our guide or driver 👍

A great week of interesting walks through the various valleys of Cappadocia. Unique scenery and rock formations - a place not to be missed.

This was a very good trip. The landscapes of Cappadocia are truly otherworldly and like nothing I’ve ever seen. Our guide, Aykut, was very good. We had a group of 16 and while some found the walks more challenging than others, everyone seemed happy. Good pacing both on the walks and in the structure of each day. Some notes: - I am not the most surefooted walker but I was fine without hiking poles. There are some steep descents at the beginning of a few valleys but nothing very challenging after that. Some valleys are muddy so consider bringing a mud brush. - The food, though all fine, was not what I had hoped for. The lunches alternate between picnics/barbecues (which I preferred) and stops at enormous lunch buffets designed for big tour groups. There was more variety at the latter but the ambiance was not the local, authentic Turkish experience I had hoped for. Dinners alternate between restaurants and the hotel. The food consists almost invariably of cheese, bell peppers, sausage or kebabs, eggplant, mushrooms, lentil soup, and beans. While I appreciated the abundance of vegetables, everything was repetitive and a bit bland. - I didn’t take out any cash and regretted it. You need cash for some bathrooms and juice stands (try the orange and pomegranate mix). You don’t need cash for drinks at meals; they accepted cards at restaurants and in all the stores we went to. - The balloon ride was a highlight because of the views but the prices do seem to go up frequently. We were charged 300 euros, which is more than Exodus had indicated. There are 24 people crammed into a single balloon in compartments of 4 each. If you happen to arrive after the other people in your compartment, you may end up in the back with an obstructed view. The “champagne” afterward turned out to be some kind of sugary thing that looked like it would glow in the dark. - The valleys do tend to blur together a bit after day 2. If you skip a day I would recommend the one with Pancarlik Valley, Mastafapasa and Gomeda Valley. That day started with a 2-mile walk on very flat main road. - I would have felt safer if we had been given the guide’s phone number for emergencies. There is no cell service at some spots in the occasional valley but it seemed pretty good overall. - The hotel, while spacious and very clean, is obviously still working out a few kinks. Our wet towels were folded up instead of being left hanging to dry (or perhaps we were given new but not dry towels) and the breakfast buffet was seriously depleted by the time we got there if another group staying had been there earlier. The coffee was borderline undrinkable. The hotel is owned by the local company Exodus contracts (Sobek Travel) so I’m not sure how much motivation they have to improve. - And, though this is obviously beyond Exodus' control, my final note is that, to judge from the experience of our group, Turkish Airlines flights are rarely on time. Leave a lot of time for connecting flights. I was supposed to have six hours in Istanbul and it turned out to be more like an hour.

All in all, an enjoyable trip with a very friendly group. Really interesting place to visit from a historical and geological point of view. As expected, the scenery is amazing.

We arrived in Cavusin after 2 flights, with Turkish airways, that were on time, comfortable and with good food.Our hotel 'Green Hotel', was just opposite a 'fairy chimney' of incredible beauty. Our room wasn' t the better one that the Hotel had but it was nevertheless comfortable with ensuite shower.The people there did their utmost to welcome us and the new chef's food was glorious. Our guide Omer was a lovely fellow,with a good sense of humor, good English and with plenty of knowledge of the local history. The walks were varied and interesting, not tiring at all and we were lucky to have wonderfully warm days with blue skies. For me the best of the walks were through the red valley and Ihlara valley ,my wife also liked the first one very much :the Akvadi and up to Uchisar: spectacular views at the top !But we both were thrilled with our first Hot Air balloon flight, in perfect weather with a perfectionist Pilot that landed the basket onto the waiting trailer!!! Amazing.

Probably a day too long - walks were not varied enough to support so many days. Guide was good. Evening food was fine, altho the menu was almost always the same. Picnic lunch one day was a nice variation. Green Hotel was not really up to 3 star standard, rooms were good size but were rather basic. Breakfasts at the hotel were very basic and not 3 star standard. Hotel staff were attentive and tried to help when asked for assistance. Bus was good and comfortable.

A great trip in the most extraordinary landscape. Challenging but doable for the not so young or fit ! Very comfortable family run hotel in a quiet village.