Private Cappadocia

This tour, organized by our sister company Sayılan Turizm, Ahmet Sayılan is designed to capture the best that Cappadocia and the surrounding region has to offer. We recommend three nights and four days or if you would like it can be four nights five days with the last night you can stay in Konya, the Mevlana dervishes city. The longer you stay the more you discover.

Rising from the plains of Anatolia, Cappadocia is an ancient, fairy-tale landscape famous for its honeycombed underground cities and towering, distinctive “fairy chimneys,” tall, cone-shaped rock formations clustered in Monks Valley, Göreme and elsewhere. Other sites include Bronze Age homes carved into valley walls by troglodytes (cave dwellers) and later used as refuges by early Christians. The 100m-deep Ihlara Canyon houses numerous rock-face churches, and possibly its most famous for the early morning hot air balloon rides which create a spectacular scene overhead.

Your Cappadocia tour begins with a front-door pickup at your hotel with our professional guide. Settle back for a scenic and comfortable ride in your private min-van through the Turkish countryside and see the best that Turkey has to offer.

Day 1
We pick up and leave Dalyan at 6.30am, whilst on our route to Cappadocia we will stop for a traditional Turkish breakfast, consisting of Jams, honey, fresh breads, olives, eggs, and fresh locally grown produce. Once we are well fed we will make our way to our first stop at Konya the home of the whirling dervish. Here we will have a beautiful lunch and visit the Mevlana Museum.

After a little time here, we will make our way along the silk road with plenty of stops along the way for photo opportunities arriving at the Boutique Caves hotel. www.sofahotel.com at around 6.00pm. Here we have dinner and settle in for our stay. Sofa Hotel is a beautifully restored historic mansion designed for guests who wish to experience a different way of living. Each room is different with a cosy atmosphere. They are all equipped with modern comforts and central heating, these exceptional cave houses are renovated and decorated in their own distinct style, strictly respecting the local character of Cappadocia.

Day 2
After breakfast at the hotel we head to Rose valley, The valley gets its name from the pinkish coloured rocks that vary in tones throughout different times of the day. We will walk for approx. 2 hours taking in the stunning and magnificent landscapes.

We will then head to the Goreme open air Museum, it has been a member of the UNESCO world heritage site since 1984. It contains the finest of the rock cut churches, with beautiful frescoes (wall paintings) whose colours still retain all their original freshness. It also presents unique examples of rock architecture and fresco technique.

We will then head to Uchisar to have lunch, here you will see some of the most panoramic views of Uchisar`s castle, after which we will visit Pasabag, the valley contains some of the most striking fairy chimneys in Cappadocia with twin and even triple rock caps.

After a wonderful day we will then head back to the hotel where we will have dinner and enjoy a traditional Turkish night.

Day 3
After breakfast at the hotel, we start our day at 9.00am heading to Soganli Valley, which is a valley and village off the beaten track , the village is a really traditional with people living (mostly) as they have done for centuries. Our next stop is Mustafa Pasa, which was inhabited by Greeks of Ottoman citizenship, the village was inhabited by Greek Orthodox families until the beginning of the 20th century. The houses dating back to the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries display fine examples of stonework. Here we will visit the Keslik Monastery which dates back between the 7th and 13th Century and is built into the rock formations. This area was one of the first Christian Settlements in Cappadocia

We will then have lunch before we visit Derin Kuyu where the first settlements of Christians used to hide. It is an ancient multi-level underground city, extending to a depth of approximately 60 metres (200 ft). It is large enough to have sheltered as many as 20,000 people together with their livestock and food stores. It is the largest excavated underground city in Turkey and is one of several underground complexes found throughout Cappadocia. We will also visit the Selime Monastery which is another wonderful stone carved cathedral before returning to our hotel for dinner.

Day 4
After breakfast and checking out of the hotel we head back on the silk road to visit one of the ancient Karavan Sarray, where merchants used to rest overnight with their camels whilst traveling along the silk road. We will then stop to have a beautiful lunch on the lake in Isparta before heading back to Dalyan.

The tour offers the best of Cappadocia and includes all accommodation, breakfast, lunches and entrance fees, a private air-conditioned minivan and professional guide. Evening Dinner and drinks are extra.

Cappadocia is known for its balloon rides and If a balloon ride is on your bucket list, this is one place in the world you cannot miss: the lunar landscape of Cappadocia, Turkey. Just hop in your basket and join the hosts of brightly hued balloons that float above the region’s volcanic spires and honeycombed hills. This can be arranged and payable locally, all balloon rides take place at sunrise.

If you would like to take the opportunity of the extra day we will stop at Konya, where you will be able to see the world famous Melvana whirling Dervishes and stay overnight before heading back to Dalyan.

This is a breath-taking discovery of Turkish history and culture that will truly enchant and mesmerize you.