Cappadocia Adventure Bikepacking

Your guide and driver will welcome you at the airport and drive you to your hotel in Göreme. The afternoon is free, but you will have time after setting up your bikes to explore the village, as well as for relaxing and settling in. The otherworldly landscape and incredible historical heritage of Göreme need no introduction, and in the evening your guide will take you out for a tour briefing and dinner at one of our favourite restaurants.

After an early breakfast, we drive you to a remote starting point near to Aksaray – in Cappadocia’s lesser-known southwest corner. Skirting a shimmering expanse of blue-green water, the morning’s ride enjoys wonderful panoramas over wheat fields to the often-snow-capped Hasan Dağı volcano in the distance. Through the villages of Gökçe and Çatalsu, you pass ancient settlements of ramshackle houses scattered haphazardly alongside superbly grand Ottoman houses – and even an abandoned troglodyte monastery too. In the larger centre of Selime there are good lunch options and a chance to explore an incredible rock-cut monastery there. After lunch, the route heads into the 15 km-long Ihlara Canyon – where sheer-sided cliffs 150 m high dwarf the fast-flowing stream that makes its way between. In Belisırma there’s a great place for refreshments – in a small café with wooden platforms perched right in the stream. After a steep climb out of the canyon, you arrive in the centre of Ihlara village, and overnight in a comfortable and authentic family run hotel.

From Ihlara, a gentle climb through the foothills of the Melendiz mountains takes us without too much effort to the village of Kitreli – where it’s nice to enjoy a glass of Turkish tea in the shady gardens of a traditional café there. Through the farming villages of Çardak and Ovalbağ, you begin a gradual (but increasingly challenging) climb to a reach a pass at 1750m and incredible views over the sweeping plains below. From Sivrihisar, an offroad section descend on fast, dirt tracks into Güzelyurt’s “monastery valley” – a well-preserved historical settlement with lots to see including a 19th century church / mosque known as “Small Hagia Sofia”, several underground cities (bring a torch!) and many rock-cut churches. Our hotel in Güzelyurt is a traditional Anatolian “konak” (or courtyard hotel), where stone rooms with arched-ceiling and authentic cooking make for an unforgettable experience.

Beginning with a smooth and rewarding climb up the quiet asphalt road back to Sivrihisar, the route descends through the old, deserted part of the village to “Red Church”, one of the oldest Cappadocian stone-built Orthodox churches dating from the 5th or 6th century. From here, you head out across the “yayla” (a green summer pasture) where you might well encounter shepherds and their flocks. There’s a chance to spot isolated “fairy chimneys” on the descent to Nar Village – a friendly farming community near the lake of the same name – “Nar Gölü”. A stiff climb up through the old village brings us out right on the rim of the volcanic crater – where the sulphurous waters are an ever-changing chameleon of greens, yellows and blues below. The final destination of today’s ride is Sofular – a beautiful valley where extensive old houses and cave dwellings can lead to no end of explorative fun! You’ll meet your driver at the “underground city” of Sofular and drive via Derinkuyu (where there is another, larger underground city that you can also visit on request) to Soğanlı – where you can visit some of the rock-cut churches for which the rocky valley is famous. One last short leg and our relaxing, cycle-free cultural afternoon comes to an end at the charming village of Cemil, where you’ll overnight at a cave house homestay.

Riding towards the south, you can visit the rock-cut monastery at Keşlik and the madrassa at Taşkınpaşa, before tackling a steep and challenging dirt road climb out of the valley. Now on an enjoyable, relatively level course, you skirt the slopes of Hodul mountain, meandering through traditional well-kept gardens of vineyards, fruit trees and vegetables, eventually arriving in the impressive valley of Akköy – where the arches of old stone houses decorate the hillside and a detour into the village centre is sure to command a warm welcome. One last and often fast freewheeling asphalt section via Ürgüp to Mustafapaşa makes for a great end to the day!

From Mustafapaşa, you soon head onto dirt tracks and arrive in Gomeda valley - a splendid, steep-sided and often lush, green valley dotted with rocks, caves and many historical cave churches. The route follows a singletrack trail for around 8 km, criss-crossing the stream across rickety and sometimes makeshift wooden bridges. You check out some of the finest multi-storey rock-cut pigeon lofts plus a “natural wonder” water spring at Üzengi, and after a break, begin a challenging climb to arrive in the rock-cut village of Ortahisar, where we stop for lunch. Without too much blood, sweat and tears the trail ends in İbrahimpaşa - a wonderfully untouched and authentic village that has (so far) escaped the temptations of tourism development. Our hotel is an authentic, family ran place, where you overnight in age old cave rooms that have been hollowed out over generations.

Today you’ll be riding mostly on singletracks, which, although mostly smooth and flowing, are often narrow and sometimes very steep. From İbrahimpaşa, a good climb amid stunning horizons becomes ever more panoramic at Karlıtepe - commandingly above the Göreme valley below. From here, a classic descent on the steep and narrow flow trails connecting the terraced gardens is a real highlight. Soon, the rutted and swirling slickrocks of Görkündere, and later on the easy, free-flowing, hard-packed sand of Swords Valley (Kılıçlar) offer our first real taste of Göreme’s world class trail biking paradise. A scenic ridge climb gives way to a steep downhill into Meskendir valley, where a fast-flowing trail descends through tunnels, canyons and steeply terraced gardens to a beautiful valley café where we can stop for drinks. There’s a chance to tackle the steep terraces of Rose Valley, stopping to draw breath and admire the phenomenal 12th-century “Kolonlu Kilise” (Church of Columns). A grassy plateau brings you into Red Valley, where you can stop at the peaceful off-grid eco café there. In the afternoon, there are more flow trails to enjoy, continuing to the historic small village of Çavuşin. If time allows, you can cross the valley plain to Love Valley, and enjoy an easy circuit amongst the “fairy chimneys” there, before heading back to Göreme, where the ride ends.

Transfer to Kayseri or Nevşehir Airport (or other local destination) for onward travel

After breakfast we will transfer you back to the airport for your onward travel back home.

Tour ends here.