RED TOUR/ NORTH CAPPADOCIA TOUR (Daily Departure)
Our driver and guide picks you up from the hotel at 9.15 a.m. 09.30 tour starts.
Uchisar Castle
First place in the tour is Uchisar Castle. Tour bus will stop underneath of castle to see all. Rocky peak of the high blokc-rock was once used as a fort. Fort was also used to keep people, animals and weapons. The view from the peak is particularly breathtaking at sunset, when the colours of the rocks and the perspective of the valley give it a magical touch..You will enjoy with the day view of the castle.
Goreme Open Air Museum
After castle you will go to the most visited place in Cappadocia, Open Air Museum. There are several churches dated back to between 10th – 12th century A.D. The churches were all carved by the local christians and painted with natural dyes. Frescoes in the churches are all about the life of Jesus Christ, Mother Mary, and Saints. You will enjoy 1,5 hour with the rich explanations of our guide.
Cavusin Village
An old Greek village will be next place in the tour. Çavuşin is a village about 4 kilometers from Göreme. The old village is largely deserted because the area has been plagued by rock falls. At Çavuşin you can visit the Church of John the Baptist which probably dates from the 5th century with paintings from the 6th, 7th and 8th centuries. The view of Rose Valley (Pink colored rocks) excellent from this village.
Pasabag (Monks’ Valley)
After you visit the village, next place will be Pasabagi. Formerly known as the "Monks' Valley" , Pasabagi is situated about 1km from the Goreme - Avanos road. Many fairy chimneys with multiple stems and caps some housing chapels and living areas can be found here, this style is unique to this area. A chapel dedicated to St. Simeon and a hermit's shelter is built into one such fairy chimney with three heads. You will able to walk among the tallest fairy chimneys.
Lunch
1 hour for the lunch in a very cool, upgrade restaurant. You can choose your traditional Turkish foods, desserts and fruits from open buffet which has many choices according to your taste.
Avanos Pottery Factory
Next place is Pottery atelier. The city of Avanos was on an ancient trading route between the Hittite capital of Hattusaş(1300 BC). Avanos was inhabited by Assyrian trade colonies during the second millennium BC and was later taken over by the Hittites at about 1950 BC. Flowing through Avanos is the longest river in Turkey, which in ancient times was called Halys. The Hittites called it Marassantiya. The modern word for this river is Kizilirmak, meaning Red River. Red clay, containing iron ore that colors the water, is found along the banks of the river. The clay has been used since the early ages for making pottery.
Devrent Valley
This valley is situated between Avanos, Zelve, and Urgup, and is called "pink valley" because of the color of its soil. This valley has never been inhabited and we see neither houses nor churches here. But fairy chimney shapes are very interesting, for it Devrent Valley is also known as “Imagination Valley”. You will feel free to climb the slopes to enjoy the fairy chimneys.
Urgup Fairy Chimneys
The "fairy chimneys" with caps, mainly found in the vicinity of Ürgüp, have a conical-shaped body and a boulder on top of it. The cone is constructed from tufa and volcanic ash, while the cap is of a harder, more resistant rock such as lahar or ignimbrite. The fairy chimneys which are symbols of Ürgüp are called holy spirit chimneys. There is the mother, father and son fairy chimneys stay together.
Cooperative Carpet Factory
You will have a chance to watch how original Turkish carpets and kilims are made by local women who have patiently and untiringly written their joys and sorrows in amazing codes and magic letters which are to be read line by line. And also you will be fully informed by an expert how to get silk and history of Turkish carpets.
The tour ends with the transfer back to hotels around 05.00 p.m.