The author received a discount for using Excursion Mania travel services mentioned in this post. All activities were experienced firsthand. All opinions stated are my own.

Getting There

While the flight from Istanbul is a mere hour, I found the prices high, booking at the last minute. So, instead of flying I took a bus for about $30. From Istanbul, the bus is 12 hours. It’s direct, but, unfortunately, the seats are NOT comfortable and with stops about every hour and a half, I don’t Sleep well. (I used the FlixBus app to book my travel through Turkiye, and they partner with Kamil Koc. All my bus rides had good drivers, and a steward, as well as the driver, who was very helpful.)

The bus arrives to Cappadocia on time at 7am. The bus stop is a small strip in the middle of a main avenue in Goreme.

Pro Tip: Cappadocia is a region that encompasses five cities so it can be confusing to figure out where to stay. Goreme is an excellent base, especially if you’re traveling without a car.

Where To Stay

I’ve booked the Pashahan Hotel. It’s about 7 minutes’ walk from the bus stop. Unfortunately, my room won’t be ready until 2pm, so I busy myself with breakfast, keeping awake, and then lunch.

I return to the hotel after check-in and grab a quick nap before starting the first of the five activities I have planned while in Cappadocia. My room is perfect. The air conditioning works well, the size is comfortable, and the host thoroughly explains the rules and workings of the room and the property.

The hotel is about 5 minutes away from “downtown” Goreme. This means, you’re extremely close to everything, and, at night, there is no noise. It’s off the main street, and I slept very well. 

Exploring Goreme

The town is small enough you could walk around it in a couple of hours…at least in the August heat. I’m sure you can take it faster in cooler months. There seem to be a lot of stray dogs around, so I fed them when I got the chance.

While this is a touristy town, there are some nice coffee shops and I was surprised by the excellent food at Gurme Kebab Restaurant. You must eat at least one Testi Kebabi – it’s the pottery cooked stew that arrives over a fire, and they cut open the pottery to serve you. It’s delicious!

If you walk up the hill you’ll see some beautiful views, and be able to go to the sunset lookout point. It costs around $1 to get a ticket, and you won’t be disappointed by the view.

I felt extremely safe in Cappadocia day and night. I didn’t stay out late, or go to any bars, but I never felt in any danger the entire time I was there.

How Long To Stay

Depending on how much time you have, and what you want to do, I’d easily recommend a week here to have time to take advantage of the amazing activities and to drive around and see the amazing surroundings. I stayed four nights, which was enough to see and do a lot, but I would have happily stayed longer.

I also learned that windy conditions ground the balloons, so, having a few days here gives you some backup time, in case you happen to be there on a bad-weather day.

As a solo traveler, however, you’ll meet many travelers who are only there a few days. It’s not a place I’d plan to meet longer-term travelers.

5 Activities To Try In Cappadocia

There are so many wonderful places to see, and outdoor activities in Cappadocia, besides a balloon ride! Here are the ones I did, and my thoughts about each.

Sunset Quad Tour

I’m a bit trepidatious about my first activity. Especially on so little sleep after that overnight bus trip. After my nap, I still wonder whether a quad tour is a good choice for me. Yes, I enjoy stepping outside my comfort zone. But, right now, I’d rather cling to it. I decide to give it a go, even with the bundle of nerves threatening to upset my stomach.

I’m picked up from my hotel on time at about 5pm and brought to the tour’s start point. As soon as I see the vehicles, I’m momentarily terrified. I imagine steep sand hills, the buggy rolling over, and me dying. I distract myself from my fears by taking photos of the beautiful landscape.

I meet our guide. If I heard correctly, his name is Moral. I buy a bandana from him for about $1 since I didn’t realize I needed to cover my mouth to avoid breathing in sand and dirt.

Moral then gives me a hair net and a helmet. Most people in my group are riding with someone, and Moral says I can go with him. I sit at the back of the buggy’s seat, and he takes the handles and drives us. I’m clenching the grill behind me like an “oh shit” bar in a New York taxi, holding on for dear life! Thankfully, Moral went at a slower pace than he normally does so that I was more at ease.

A couple in our group gets stuck in the sand along the way, so Moral and I have to backtrack to help them. To do so, Moral drives up part of the hill to the side of the road we’re on in order to turn the vehicle around.  I’m positive this is where the buggy is going to roll over and kill me. As it turns out, these scary moments make the rest of the journey seem less scary! Soon, I ask Moral if I can take over the driving, and I go faster than he did! I absolutely loved it once I let myself enjoy it.

If the thrill of driving one of these vehicles for the first time isn’t enough, the experience is topped off by one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen. A colorful array of pillows to watch the sun’s downward trajectory above a surreal landscape tantalizes my eyes. I snap photos in between the awe I feel witnessing this moment and am so grateful for it. Don’t miss this activity in Cappadocia.

Pro Tips: You can share the buggy with a friend. And I highly recommend getting a bandana for your head and your mouth so you don’t get dust in your nose and all over your hair.

Balloon Watching Tour

While I did have the guts to ride the quad vehicle, I’m not feeling courageous enough to go in a balloon over Cappadocia. But watching the balloons is an unbelievable experience. This is “THE” experience I’ve wanted to witness for years. I’m tired of experiencing it through Instagram photos, I want to see this for myself!

The landscape in Cappadocia is already other worldly. It’s not just the sunset I saw, it’s the entire region. The sites will tantalize your senses, and surprise you with geological formations you’ve never seen.

The sunrise in August is early, and abrupt. In order to get to the balloon take-off point on time, I have to wake up around 4am to meet my bus at 4:50am outside my hotel. I didn’t know this would be an experience of a lifetime. We arrive at our first location where balloons are being inflated. The contrast of the dark sky with the flames illuminating the colorful balloons is breathtaking. There are hints of shapes illuminated by the flames. Tourists arrive and are led to their balloon, eager for take-off. I watch with rapt fascination as the balloons expand, from lying on the ground, to standing up, to taking off!

When the balloons are all airborne, we drive to a second location where they float over another mystical landscape. I feel like I’m watching lanterns float on air on some other planet. Each balloon periodically illuminates the fire to float back up. Dawn turns into daylight so fast that I understand the need to wake up so early. It’s worth every minute. The experience is truly magical.

Pro Tips: Make sure you have plenty of battery and memory/space on your phone or camera – it’s a non-stop exhilarating filming experience. You can watch the balloons float by from your hotel terrace, and you should. However, you can’t see the balloons being inflated from there, and you’ll want to see the balloons over some of the other landscapes. For the price, it’s worth taking this tour!

There are two main day tours that allow you to see its diversity; the red and the green tour.

The red tour kicks off with a visit to Uchisar castle. It’s one of the chimney cave homes that someone lives in. For 40 lira (about $1), I go inside and explore the rooms and the views. There’s something delightfully simple about the layout, and it’s surprisingly cool inside despite the heat outside. I delight in walking from one room to the next. I may not want to live in a chimney cave, but I’d sure sleep in one. The view from the back is just gorgeous. After grabbing some photos, I head back to our tour bus.

Next, we visit a carpet factory. I found it fascinating to learn about all the different materials that can be used to make them, such as silk and bamboo, and why they vary in price so much. I watch a woman weaving a carpet based on a picture she’s using as a guide. Apparently, there are fewer and fewer people who know how to make them, which explains the rising price for hand-made carpets. Our visit ends with some apple tea and a display of carpets for sale. I don’t buy one, but if I ever wanted to, I’d absolutely consider returning to Türkiye to get it!

We move on to an outdoor museum. It has religious artwork that’s so old it’s hard to believe it’s still intact. That’s partly due to the no photo policy to preserve it. The museum is more like a small village of connected houses. Some of the buildings are churches, while others are kitchens. So while the outside is fascinating, it’s a treat to walk into each building and see what lies inside.

From here we go to a ceramics workshop. My jaw hits the floor as soon as we enter. There’s a woman painting a vase with such intricate details I feel glued to the floor wanting to see each paint Stroke. We wander from room to room, and I’m amazed at how beautiful the work is. Eventually, we enter an auditorium where a master potter spins clay into a vase. He’s easy on the eyes, so when they ask for a volunteer to make a vase, my hand shoots up with no forethought. Mr. handsome-pottery-maker helps me create something much better than my usual mess, and it actually might not topple over.

Our final two stops of the day are the most intriguing; an imagination park and the fairy chimneys! The park is full of naturally made structures that look like a camel, Bart Simpson, and other interesting shapes. The experience is a bit like when you see clouds in the sky that take on recognizable shapes, except they’re in stone.

The fairy chimneys used to be underwater and, as they erode, over time, they develop the chimney shape. The neck of each structure is the weakest, and eventually can’t support the head of the chimney, and falls off. At that point, the chimney is considered dead. 🙁 Nonetheless, they are beautiful and contribute to Cappadocia’s other-worldly feel.

I love how different this is from the red tour. If you aren’t traveling with a car, this is a nice way to get more of an impression of how diverse this region of Türkiye is.

Together with our guide, Ayça, we start with a visit to Pigeon Valley, a cluster of pigeon homes. These were man-made in an effort to be able to collect pigeon droppings to fertilize the dry soil. Nowadays, this technique is no longer used, but the homes remain and are another aspect of Cappadocia’s unique landscape.

One of my favorite stops on this tour is a tea garden. To get there, we have to walk around a kilometer through nature. I suddenly realize I’ve been craving some time among trees, and greatly appreciate this walk. When we arrive to the tea area, I’m completely surprised! Almost all the tables are placed IN the middle of a stream. We have to remove our shoes and carefully walk over to one, while ducks swim around us, and waiters ask if we’d like something to drink. In the middle of the hot weather, this is a perfect oasis, and I would have loved more time here.

 The main highlight of this tour, of course, is Kaymakli, the underground city. I’d heard of it but wasn’t clear what it was. We’re told not to go if we have claustrophobia. This is because it’s several levels underground, and you have to go through some very small tunnels to visit it. For once, it’s a GOOD thing to be so petite! (There also isn’t a lot of fresh air, and there is a bit of dust, so if you have asthma, you may want to bring something to cover your nose and mouth.)  I learned that the underground city, one of several in the area, was built to escape religious prosecution. People lived above ground, but when they learned that a raid was coming, hid in these underground caves until it was safe to go back to their homes. The history, and the caves are both worth getting to know when you’re in Cappadocia.

The green tour includes a stop at a leather factory and a jewelry factory. I volunteer to be in the fashion show at the leather factory which was lots of fun. There’s only one volunteer, so if that’s your thing, raise your hand! And, the zultanite stone was new to me. I have no idea how to tell whether any items are authentic, so recommend doing some research before making a purchase, as, even with discounts, the prices for these items are not cheap.

I decided to do something I normally don’t – a professional photo shoot in a red dress! This activity includes the red dress, and someone to help you get in and out of it. I was picked up early morning, once again by my two-person film crew and the dress.

We drove in one of those fun, old cars, and stopped at a location I hadn’t seen on my balloon tour, to watch the balloons being inflated. I felt divine dressing up for the experience and letting someone else worry about the photos and videos. (Pro Tip: Shoes are not included, and sandals don’t look great with that fancy dress, lol!)

We move on to another location as the sun rises. Once again, it’s new to me. I get to see balloons floating over the unbelievable landscape while waving at them. We make use of the quirky props, and the horses nearby, for part of the photo shoot.

All-in-all, it was a great experience! I think some of the photos were better than others but ended up with several great ones to remember my Cappadocia experience. Pro Tip: Hair and makeup service is not included.

We move on to another location as the sun rises. Once again, it’s new to me. I get to see balloons floating over the unbelievable landscape while waving at them. We make use of the quirky props, and the horses nearby, for part of the photo shoot.

All-in-all, it was a great experience! I think some of the photos were better than others but ended up with several great ones to remember my Cappadocia experience.

Huge thanks to Excursion Mania for these wonderful experiences in Cappadocia. I found them wonderful to work with, highly responsive, and the tour operators they used were on time, communicated well and were equally hard-working. I worked with Bartu and Mete, and highly recommend them.