Walking routes through the valleys

The place that explains Cappadocia best is not a rock beside the road but the narrow path running between two vineyards. Vines on one side, a soft wall of tuff on the other, and somewhere above you a dovecote carved into the cliff looking down with empty eyes. The valleys are where this region welcomes people on foot. Below you will find six routes, how long each takes, what the ground is like and which hour suits them.

Before you choose

Check three things. First, duration: a valley can take half a day, a canyon the whole of one. Second, ground: tuff is easy when dry and slippery when wet, and many paths stay muddy for a day after rain. Third, the way back: most valley walks start at one point and end at another, so you need a vehicle waiting. On guided tours that is taken care of; if you walk alone, plan your return before you set off.

Six routes

1. Pigeon Valley, Göreme to Uçhisar

On our guided route it is about 7 km and takes four hours. The path first passes the carved dovecote fronts on the slopes, small chambers that once supplied manure, on which the vineyards depended. Then it climbs through terraced vines, and the last stretch rises to the foot of Uçhisar Castle on stone steps. There are short but steep climbs, so it is a moderate walk. In summer go in the morning; in spring and autumn the afternoon is better. Pigeon Valley to Uçhisar walks this route as a half-day outing.

2. Kızılçukur and the Rose Valley

Between Göreme and Çavuşin, the rock here turns from red to pink in the low light, and the Rose Valley is said to take its name from that colour. The walk is short and mostly flat earth, which is why it is timed for sunset. If you want a hilltop away from the crowded viewpoints, the sunset picnic at Kızılçukur ends, after a half-hour walk, with bread, cheese and tea on a kilim.

3. Love Valley

This short valley on the Göreme side is known for tall, slender fairy chimneys. The walk is short, the ground mostly level, and children manage it well. The chimneys look tallest in the long shadows of the afternoon.

4. Zelve

Three valleys meet at this old settlement, which you explore through rooms, a church and a mill cut into the rock. The ground is uneven, with some steps and low passages. A visit takes more than an hour, and since the interiors stay cool, midday suits it. Zelve is one of the stops on the Valleys and Frescoes day.

5. Ihlara Valley

The canyon is roughly 14 km long, and no one walks all of it. You go down steps to the valley floor and follow the stream for a few kilometres. Rock-cut churches line the slopes and trees shade the water; the walk along the stream is flat, and the effort is only in the steps down and back up. On The Roots Tour we give the middle of the day to this canyon, after Derinkuyu.

6. Soğanlı

South of Göreme, far enough that crowds rarely reach it, this valley has frescoed rocks and a floor that splits into two arms. The walk takes half a day and the drive about an hour. The valley is usually quiet, and even at midday the cool interiors of the slope churches are waiting for you. On the four-day slow route, one day is given to it.

Spreading the routes over days

You do not need to walk all six, and doing so in one week would not be wise. A split like this works:

• Easy day: a short walk in Love Valley in the morning, the cool rooms of Zelve in the afternoon, tea in the evening. Total walking stays under two hours.
• Medium day: Pigeon Valley to Uçhisar in the morning, lunch at a table, a rest, then a kilim at Kızılçukur towards evening.
• Long day: Derinkuyu and Ihlara. The drive is long, so add nothing else.

If you walk two days in a row, keep the second one short. On tuff, the knees of day two pay for the decisions of day one.

What to look at while you walk

Spend the first five minutes simply slowing down. In the rock wall beside the path you can make out bands of colour, each laid down as ash in a different volcanic episode. On the vineyard track the fine dust makes a sound under your shoes, the smell of grapes thickens in late summer, a dog barks somewhere far off and a tractor works a field. None of it shows up in photographs, yet it is the real content of the walk. Putting the camera away now and then and just looking makes the route feel twice as long.

Matching routes to the season

• Spring: Pigeon Valley and the Rose Valley; the vineyards are green and afternoons are mild. After rain, give the path a day to dry.
• Summer: the tree shade of Ihlara in the morning, Kızılçukur in the evening. Do not plan to walk at midday.
• Autumn: Soğanlı and Pigeon Valley: harvest time, golden light and an easy warmth.
• Winter: Zelve and short walks. The light fades early and morning paths can freeze.

Trail manners

• Water: a litre and a half each, two in summer.
• Shoes: ankle-high with a grippy sole. Some flat-soled trainers slip on tuff.
• Light: early morning or evening in summer; afternoons in spring and autumn.
• Rain: paths turn slick after a shower, so wait a day or walk with a guide.
• Rocks: do not climb the chimneys or enter rooms where the ceiling has begun to fail. The stone is soft, and what breaks does not grow back.
• Waymarks: many paths have no clear marking, and it is easy to lose the way between vineyards. Download an offline map or walk with a guide.

Walking a valley is less about arriving somewhere than arriving in the valley itself. Keep the route short, leave room for a tea break and arrange the way back in advance. The path will do the rest.