Cappadocia: Just Go Already!

By Tas Anjarwalla

So, thousands of years ago two volcanoes erupted and created two layers of malleable rock in central Turkey. The rock slowly eroded and created cool formations. Hittites came and carved homes into the rock, then the Byzantines arrived and turned those primitive-ish holes into ballin’ churches and even underground cities. And there you have Cappadocia today. BAM. Totally accurate history lesson.

Oft-visited and oft-written about, Cappadocia is THE tourist hotspot outside of Istanbul. In just the little town of Göreme, walkable in 20 minutes, Tripadvisor has dozens of listings for everyone’s favorite hotels, restaurants and sights — and here I will give you mine. Although others have shared their impressions of Cappadocia and advice for getting around, there are always new places to explore and recent travel developments to take into consideration.

I’ve hit up Cappadocia twice, and my two trips were wildly different yet oddly similar — which is kind of what happens when you first visit a place with English teachers (myself included) who think they can survive on meals of gözleme and çorba, followed by a vacation to the same locale with parents who are luckily not paid like English teachers.

The region

The inaccurately named “Land of Beautiful Horses” (not because the horses aren’t beautiful – who knows, I never saw any except at some Hey Dude Ranch) is a region encompassing a few quiet towns (Göreme/Ürgüp/Avanos) that are chiefly in the province of Nevşehir. Göreme, which has better accommodation options for backpackers, proximity to main attractions and accessible hiking paths, is your best choice for coolest and cheapest adventure launch pad point.

Getting there

By plane: If you’re one of those bourgeois people that don’t enjoy sharing their seat on a 10-hr bus ride with a teyze and her two sick grandchildren and, like, a plane is just “so much more practical” or something, then by all means, take the plane, because clearly you have a weak immune system and no sense of adventure.

You can fly into either Kayseri (1 hr. from Göreme) or Nevşehir (about 20 min). Arranging a transfer from the airport to your hotel shouldn’t be more than 20 TL. Guarantee this by being super type A and booking online here or emailing your hotel with that link and demanding the price instead of the bogus 20 euro they might try to charge you instead.

By bus: For the rest of us lay people, well, the bus ain’t so bad. Sure it’s long, but book an overnight ride, pop a Dramamine and drift off on the shoulder of the smiling amca you are only sitting next to because the bus company couldn’t understand how to spell your name and marked you down as “Yabancı.” Just note, most companies don’t go directly to the tiny towns of Cappadocia; you’ll have to transfer at the main bus station in Nevşehir.

The bus “station” in Göreme (in quotes because, well, you’ll see) is in walking distance of almost any hotel, so they’ll probably offer to pick you up as if they are doing you some big favor.

Lodging

There are tons and tons of options for “authentic cave rooms” and “modern suites with heater” and “25 PERSON DORM, FREE [cereal] BREAKFAST!!!” so try not to be overwhelmed. The cave rooms are oftentimes damp and dimly lit, but how many times are you going to stay in a freaking cave, so you should just do it already. Prices all over Cappadocia are pretty competitive, so you can be picky.

Food

Cappadocia is brimming with standard Turkish fare, and the quality ranges from prepackaged Adana kebabı to award-winning mercimek çorbası (lentil soup). A local specialty is testi kebabı, which you probably won’t find for less than 17 TL. It’s a vaguely casserole-stew-like meat dish prepared in a sealed clay pot that you have to break open yourself. A helpful hint: Don’t go anywhere with the words “Orient,” “Turkish” or “Otantik” in the name.

Sights

You can see everything in Cappadocia in two days, even at a relaxed pace. Now, I’m not the type of person that recommends tours — because I’m a cool and with-it resident of Turkey who says things like “cool” and “with-it” — but the Green Tour is actually good (though pricey). It includes a trip to Selime Monastery (a fun labyrinth of cave rooms carved into a gigantic rock face), a hike through Ihlara Valley (a surprising tree-filled oasis amidst the region’s dry landscape) and a descent into Derinkuyu (a mildly terrifying underground city where people most likely perfected the art of making horror films). These are all things you should do, on a tour or not, and renting a car or moped is easy. Bicycling to all these locations is just ridiculous and the bike rental dudes will laugh at you for asking directions, so save yourself the embarrassment. Cycling around town and on the main road to nearby villages can be quite nice, though.

Don’t even bother with the Red Tour, you can visit the Göreme Open Air Museum, Uçhisar Castle and Imagination Valley on your own; do not let your hostel convince you otherwise. Just cozy up to a fellow tourist who’s rented some wheels.

Cappadocia has some beautiful hiking trails and horrible maps, meaning you will get beautifully lost in those valleys. On a truly serious note: Women traveling alone, and even in pairs, should be careful. One moment you are walking on a path with other tourists around, and the next you’ve taken a turn and are very, very alone.

If you’re lucky and are in Cappadocia during Kurban Bayramı (Eid al-Adha) you might even get to see an old woman killing a cow in her front yard! Instagram gold right there (seriously though, 31 likes, people online are messed up).

Ballooning

If you Google image search Cappadocia, (isn’t that how everyone starts travel research?), you know about the balloons. Watching those babies lift off at sunrise — whether in a basket or with feet firmly on the ground — is amazing/fabulous/awesome/breathtaking/adjectives. So, you know, try not to miss it. Hope I didn’t play it up too much.

There are two ways to take in the hot-air balloon madness, one is free, the other is so not.

1. If you’re set on paying more than 100 euro to get in a basket and ascend hundreds of meters above the ground to be cold and see the sun do something it does every day, well, you’re going to have an awesome time. I (meaning my parents) shelled out 120 euro a pop for the experience, but we didn’t have time to shop around and negotiate much. I have heard of people going for as cheap as 70 euro, so, like anything in Turkey, always bargain. If your Turkish is good enough or you’re particularly savvy at Google Translate, then consider scoping out Grupanya (Turkish Groupon) for some deals on ballooning. You can find packages for flights as cheap as 90 TL if you get them early enough.

2. If you’re poor, trek up to Sunset Point right before dawn. From there you can get a 360-view of all the balloons taking off with the sun rising in the distance.

Cappadocia has much to offer every type of traveler, and I’m not just talking about the marvelously warm handmade wooly socks. Whether you want to relax and take in some fresh air by four-wheeling across the Mars-esque desert or get your adrenaline pumping at Elis Hamam (nothing like being slapped around by a 80 kilo woman in just her underwear), Cappadocia will satisfy. You’ll be glad you finally made it after all that moaning and groaning about not having been.

To conclude: Say no to the winery. Trust me.

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Below is a handy little chart I made just for you guys that didn’t bother reading my article. It’s got some suggestions and approximate prices as of November 2013.