Cappadocia Road Bike Touring

We meet you at Kayseri Airport and transfer to a lovely boutique cave hotel in Urgup, where you’ll stay for an extra day before the tour starts.

Overnight Boutique Cave Hotel, Ürgüp

Total 67km / 1100m climb / 1100m descent
We begin the ride by rounding Bozdağ table top mountain and Devrent valley to our left, before finally arriving at the great Kızılırmak. Turkey’s longest river is clean, fast flowing and a gorgeous emerald green here, where we cross at the little visited village of Sarıhıdır. From here, our ride takes us up into the hills to the historical town of Özkonak where we can visit the underground city and have our picnic lunch in a tea cafe there. After lunch we take a fast and long downhill to arrive in Avanos- a small but thriving town, famous for its pottery and winemaking- a fantastic place to relax and check out the local handicrafts. From there we continue onwards, visiting the “fairy chimneys” at Zelve and Paşabağ- one of the areas must-see geographic sights! We continue to Çavuşin, where we have a chance to visit rock cut churches and ancient cave dwellings. Then an easy ride takes us to the base of Love Valley, named after its particularly phallic stone towers, and on to Göreme- the vibrant backpacker-loved village right in the centre of Cappadocia’s heart.

Overnight Boutique Cave Hotel, Göreme

Total 104km / 1550m climb / 1350m descent
This morning you might like to see the dawn from a Hot Air Balloon flight- respected as a “must do” in Cappadocia, and an awesome way to see the roads that you rode yesterday from a completely different perspective. This optional tour is an unmissable experience, and you’ll be back in time for breakfast! From Göreme we climb out of the valley, enjoying tremendous panorama’s, to arrive in Uchisar- an iconic Cappadocian village with stunning hilltop rock cut castle from where we can enjoy superb views of the whole area. Passing Ortahisar and the centre of Ürgüp we begin a long, gentle climb into a green valley, passing the picturesque village of Akköy on the way. We drop down onto a wide-open agricultural plateau, and with great views of Erciyes mountain have a short, fast stretch along the highway (hard shoulder available- riding is safe). Heading back into the hills at Yeşilhisar we have lunch in a local restaurant, before heading into the canyon landscapes of Soganli, and the final challenging big climb up and over to Şahinefendi. The last part of the ride is gentle and scenic, and a really pleasant end to the day! We overnight in a local homestay- with wonderful organic food and true local hospitality.

Overnight Cemil Cave House, Cemil

Total 62km / 700m climb / 600m descent
Today’s ride is relatively flat, offering a perfect scenic contrast between vast wide open plains and the awesome “Grand” canyon of Ihlara. We begin with a transfer via Derinkuyu (possible visit to the underground city) and continue out into wild, open uplands to our start point of Nar Golu crater lake. Now well out of the usual tourist realm we find ourselves in a place where shepherds guard huge herds of sheep and goats and people live in much the same way as they have done for generations. Continuing via Gulagac, we soon arrive at the many old houses of Demirci where we stop for drinks. From here our ride is mainly downhill through fantastic arid rocky scenery- arriving at Selime where we enjoy a restaurant lunch on the riverside. Now, our route climbs out of the Ihlara Canyon, and passes by Ihlara town for a super view of the deep upper canyon. After a good climb we arrive at the historic town of Guzelyurt and stay in one of the region’s most splendid hotels. Our host in Guzelyurt is a collection of restored and beautifully furnished Ottoman “konaks”- collections of wealthy town houses built from cut stone with arched ceilings and plenty of regal charm. All in all a hugely rewarding ride!

Overnight Karamanli Konaklari, Guzelyurt

Total 81km / 1150m climb / 1400m descent

From Güzelyurt (1430m) our route climbs steadily to the village of Sivrihisar (1780m) with increasingly epic views over the wide open expanses below. We carry on into wild, largely untravelled countryside, dropping down in the remote rural village of Çiftlik. From here we have a big climb (425m in 6.7km) amongst towering mountainous peaks and wonderful scenery to cross the Melendes Mountains. This is our most challenging climb to date but the gradient is gentle and the effort sustained. After recovering for little at the top we enjoy an epic 900m descent back to the flat plains of Niğde, and have lunch in a really good local restaurant in Altunhisar. The afternoon’s ride is much flatter and on larger roads, stopping off for a well earned break at the green gardens of Pınarbaşı (60km) before cruising into the provincial capital of Niğde (Nee-Deh) . Traffic isn’t too bad but the driver can wait at the edge of the city and transfer you in if you don’t fancy braving the streets! Nigde is an interesting town- untouristic and conservative but with a certain character of its own. We stay in the city centre at the best hotel in town and enjoy a drink or two on the hotel terrace.

Overnight Grand Hotel Niğde

Total 90km / 600m climb / 1500m descent
Today we make an early start and transfer out of Niğde to Gümüşler, where we visit the impressive rock cut monastery complex. This monastery is an unknown treasure, with some of Cappadocia’s best examples of Byzantine art- superb, high colour frescoes dating from the 11th Century. We continue driving and begin riding at the summit of a ridge of hills that separate Nigde from the Aladağlar proper. The impending downhill is highly enjoyable, starting off with a gorgeous road that follows a lush green stream valley. Our first views of the Crimson Mountains (Aladağlar) seen here are spine tingling in grandeur and beauty, and the majority of the ride will now be spent in the shadow of these towering limestone peaks. We soon arrive at Çamardı- a picturesque farming town right on the edge of the mountains, and carry on to skirt the edge of the massif besides apple orchards and wonderful scenery in every direction. We enjoy a hearty picnic lunch on the Kavaklitepe Pass at 1760m and from there the rest of the ride is mostly downhill. We set off through remote, upland hills where we’ll see shepherds guarding huge flocks of sheep. Finally, we begin a long descent past the Kovali Dam, rejoining the Anatolian Plateau at about 1000m. Here we overnight close to the edge of the famous Sultan Marshes (Sultansazlığı), one of Turkey’s foremost birdwatching highlights (where a guided birdwatching tour tomorrow morning should be possible.

Overnight Sultan Pansion Bird Paradise, Sultansazlığı

Total 86km / 1750m climb / 1400m descent
After a short transfer, we begin riding on a level road that crosses the plains nearby to the Sultan Sazligi marshes, getting ever closer to the towering volcanic peak of Mt. Erciyes. After a good restaurant lunch in the market town of Develi we begin the biggest climb of the tour- up to a 2200m pass gives and offering incredible views of the 3916m (12848 feet) dormant volcano. Note- if you prefer, you can ride in the support vehicle up this big hill! The last section of the tour circles Mt. Erciyes, passing through wonderful mountain scenery, and eventually dropping us back down onto the plains near Kayseri in the village of Kiziloren. Here, your support vehicle will be waiting to take you across Kayseri, where (subject to availabilty) we stay at a charming, not-for-profit hotel that's run by a women's cooperative.

Overnight Sunolus Vineyard Hotel, Kayseri

Today, we drive you 30 minutes to Kayseri Airport, where the tour ends.
Tour ends at Kayseri Airport.