Cappadocia is a beautiful region in central Turkey famous for its fairytale scenery, cave dwellings, remarkable rock formations, and, of course, the hundreds of hot air balloons that soar in the sky during sunrise each morning. There is also so much awesome hiking in Cappadocia, that it will take you at least a week to explore all of the diverse hiking trails in the region. I spent ten days in Cappadocia adventuring on all of the hiking trails, exploring the ancient valleys and of course, being mesmerized by the hot air balloons. I’ve created this list of all the top things to do in Cappadocia to help you explore this beautiful region.
In this Cappadocia Castrum Travel Guide blog post, I will detail each of the individual places I visited. If you are particularly interested in one of the locations on this list and want more details about how to get there, what to expect, and to see all of the photos from that specific Cappadocia attraction just click on the link to that blog post and you will be able to see the individual article I wrote about that location.
The Cappadocia hot air balloons are fast becoming one of the most common travel bucket list items in the world. It’s not hard to see why as you seamlessly float above the historic cave dwellings of Goreme Town with over 100 other balloons at sunrise in what can only be likened to a fairytale scene.
Each year more than half a million people enjoy hot air ballooning in Cappadocia, which is an incredible number and makes this region the number one hot air balloon destination in the world. You NEED to book your balloon flight in advance as they can often be sold out or have a backlog of flights if there are prior days of bad weather.
RED VALLEY HIKE & SUNSET VIEWPOINT
When it comes to hiking in Cappadocia, it is hard to go past Red Valley. The Sharp sandstone ridges glow a deep, vibrant red as the sun burns into the unique landscape in the last moments of the sunset each night. If you only have a couple of nights in Cappadocia, this one is up high on the list for sunset spots. There is a great trail loop including Meskindir and Rose Valley or you can drive straight to the sunset viewpoint to chill at the cafe or hike to the top of the flag viewpoint. Whether you hike or not, this is one of the must-visit places in Cappadocia.
The hike is joined with Rose Valley in most cases and leads you through an ancient church inside one of the caves, past yellow sandstone rock formations and incredible cave dwellings. The trail is diverse and only moderate in difficulty making it a perfect adventure and of the top things to do in Cappadocia.
SUNSET ATV TOUR
The most popular ‘short’ tour in Cappadocia. As you travel on a sturdy ATV (quad) bike, you will be greeted with spectacular rock-cut valleys that will leave you in awe. This activity is a good option for sightseeing as this will give the opportunity to wander the dunes, valleys, trails, and hills of Cappadocia. The tour finishes right at sunset out in the valley of rock formations for an amazing sunset view.