Floating over the fairy chimneys, honeycombed hills, and underground villages of Cappadocia, Turkey, it’s easy to believe you’re about to spot a hobbit, pixie or other fanciful creature scurrying between rock and cave. This landscape straight out of Grimms’ Fairy Tales really lends itself to flights of fancy (and hot air balloon flights), but, as is so often the case, the truth of this region is far more fascinating than fiction.
Three to four million years ago a series of volcanic eruptions shook the stark Anatolian plains in central Turkey. Thick volcanic ash solidified into a soft porous rock called tuff which, over time, was eroded by wind and water. The end result? The geological oddity and chimerical topography that is known as Cappadocia.
Thanks to the soft stone left behind so many millions of years ago, people have long used the region as an escape, carving hiding places out of the soft rock and seeking shelter underground. The region was once the heartland of the Hittite Empire and later a safe haven for some of Christianity’s earliest philosophers, all of whom sought to hide from their persecutors here. Indeed, the village of Göreme, which today serves as the region’s main tourist centre and is one of the few Cappadocian settlements still inhabited, was named by Christians as they hid in the area during the Arab invasion. Its meaning? ‘You cannot see here’.
What you can see as you float above it all on one of the hot air balloon rides so popular in the region, is a fascinating cavern-like architecture, complete with fairy turrets and hidey-hole windows, concealing entire subterranean villages, including fortresses and more than 600 underground churches. Once you come back down to earth, head below ground to view these rock-cut churches at the Göreme Open Air Museum, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Dating back to Medieval times, the churches boast beautiful painted frescoes which still retain a remarkable amount of colour and detail. Finally, do as the locals do, and bed down for the night in one of Cappadocia’s cave hotels.
Not a fan of floating high above ground with little more than a wicker basket and a whoosh of hot air between you and the hard, cold earth? Cappadocia is also a large grape producer with a number of wine-tasting shops boasting international award-winning wines.
Whatever you choose to do in Cappadocia, your visit will not disappoint. It is every bit as fantastical as the photos promise. It’s also fairly easy to get to: there are plenty of overnight buses from İstanbul to Cappadocia, while Turkish Airlines operates several direct flights from Istanbul Atatürk Airport (IST) to Kayseri Erkilet Airport, located in Kayseri just one hour’s drive from Göreme.
If you have a really special photograph you would like to share with A Luxury Travel Blog‘s readers, please contact us.
Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED magazine. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Daily Telegraph.
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7 Comments
You are right it is a surreal landscape that could easily be the setting for a Tolkien like story.
I expect that the “tuff” has varying degrees of depth but I would expect that after all these years of erosion caused by water there must be at least a few interesting caving opportunities beneath the surface. I would imagine that this is a landscape as fascinating below ground as it is above.
Count me in for hot-air balloon. I’m a big fan of floating high above the ground in a wicker basket. And I can’t think of a better way to view this incredible landscape than quietly drifting along above it.
But I think I’d have to land promptly for the wine-tasting. I’m an even bigger fan of wine than I am hot-air ballooning.
Now if you could combine the two activities that really would be my dream day …
I hadn’t seen “Photograph of the week” for a while and I was beginning to fear that it had been retired. That would have been a pity as it is one of my favourite A Luxury Travel Blog features.
As you say the truth behind many of these stories is often much stranger than any fiction you could make up. The creation of this landscape is quite amazing.
Ah well, that’s another place to add to my very long bucket list.
I can see why hot air balloons rides would be popular, especially in the nice weather with clear skies. I wouldn’t normally be up for something like that, but actually I think I’d face the fear of heights in a rocky wicker basket to float above that terrain, it really is so unique and beautiful.
Checking out the Göreme Open Air Museum would be amazing, I love the sound of exploring all the old churches and walking through all that history. It’s hard to imagine churches underground though, let alone 600 of them. I had no idea there were cave hotels here either. I wonder what they’re like to stay in, and what the temperature is like at this time of year?
Considering how scary and destructive volcanoes are, it’s quite ironic they can create something so stunning in their wake! How difficult would it be to trek across this kind of landscape? I imagine it’s relatively safe if you’re careful but I’m not how big the area is. It’s incredibly photogenic, too. I bet Instagrammers like getting selfies around here, better yet in a hot air balloon!
Three to four million years ago a series of volcanic eruptions shook the stark Anatolian plains in central Turkey. Thick volcanic ash solidified into a soft porous rock called tuff which, over time, was eroded by wind and water. The end result? The geological oddity and chimerical topography that is known as Cappadocia.
Thanks to the soft stone left behind so many millions of years ago, people have long used the region as an escape, carving hiding places out of the soft rock and seeking shelter underground. The region was once the heartland of the Hittite Empire and later a safe haven for some of Christianity’s earliest philosophers, all of whom sought to hide from their persecutors here. Indeed, the village of Göreme, which today serves as the region’s main tourist centre and is one of the few Cappadocian settlements still inhabited, was named by Christians as they hid in the area during the Arab invasion. Its meaning? ‘You cannot see here’.
What you can see as you float above it all on one of the hot air balloon rides so popular in the region, is a fascinating cavern-like architecture, complete with fairy turrets and hidey-hole windows, concealing entire subterranean villages, including fortresses and more than 600 underground churches. Once you come back down to earth, head below ground to view these rock-cut churches at the Göreme Open Air Museum, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Dating back to Medieval times, the churches boast beautiful painted frescoes which still retain a remarkable amount of colour and detail. Finally, do as the locals do, and bed down for the night in one of Cappadocia’s cave hotels.
Not a fan of floating high above ground with little more than a wicker basket and a whoosh of hot air between you and the hard, cold earth? Cappadocia is also a large grape producer with a number of wine-tasting shops boasting international award-winning wines.
Whatever you choose to do in Cappadocia, your visit will not disappoint. It is every bit as fantastical as the photos promise. It’s also fairly easy to get to: there are plenty of overnight buses from İstanbul to Cappadocia, while Turkish Airlines operates several direct flights from Istanbul Atatürk Airport (IST) to Kayseri Erkilet Airport, located in Kayseri just one hour’s drive from Göreme.
If you have a really special photograph you would like to share with A Luxury Travel Blog‘s readers, please contact us.
Three to four million years ago a series of volcanic eruptions shook the stark Anatolian plains in central Turkey. Thick volcanic ash solidified into a soft porous rock called tuff which, over time, was eroded by wind and water. The end result? The geological oddity and chimerical topography that is known as Cappadocia.
Thanks to the soft stone left behind so many millions of years ago, people have long used the region as an escape, carving hiding places out of the soft rock and seeking shelter underground. The region was once the heartland of the Hittite Empire and later a safe haven for some of Christianity’s earliest philosophers, all of whom sought to hide from their persecutors here. Indeed, the village of Göreme, which today serves as the region’s main tourist centre and is one of the few Cappadocian settlements still inhabited, was named by Christians as they hid in the area during the Arab invasion. Its meaning? ‘You cannot see here’.
What you can see as you float above it all on one of the hot air balloon rides so popular in the region, is a fascinating cavern-like architecture, complete with fairy turrets and hidey-hole windows, concealing entire subterranean villages, including fortresses and more than 600 underground churches. Once you come back down to earth, head below ground to view these rock-cut churches at the Göreme Open Air Museum, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Dating back to Medieval times, the churches boast beautiful painted frescoes which still retain a remarkable amount of colour and detail. Finally, do as the locals do, and bed down for the night in one of Cappadocia’s cave hotels.
Not a fan of floating high above ground with little more than a wicker basket and a whoosh of hot air between you and the hard, cold earth? Cappadocia is also a large grape producer with a number of wine-tasting shops boasting international award-winning wines.
Whatever you choose to do in Cappadocia, your visit will not disappoint. It is every bit as fantastical as the photos promise. It’s also fairly easy to get to: there are plenty of overnight buses from İstanbul to Cappadocia, while Turkish Airlines operates several direct flights from Istanbul Atatürk Airport (IST) to Kayseri Erkilet Airport, located in Kayseri just one hour’s drive from Göreme.
If you have a really special photograph you would like to share with A Luxury Travel Blog‘s readers, please contact us.
You are right it is a surreal landscape that could easily be the setting for a Tolkien like story.
I expect that the “tuff” has varying degrees of depth but I would expect that after all these years of erosion caused by water there must be at least a few interesting caving opportunities beneath the surface. I would imagine that this is a landscape as fascinating below ground as it is above.
Count me in for hot-air balloon. I’m a big fan of floating high above the ground in a wicker basket. And I can’t think of a better way to view this incredible landscape than quietly drifting along above it.
But I think I’d have to land promptly for the wine-tasting. I’m an even bigger fan of wine than I am hot-air ballooning.
Now if you could combine the two activities that really would be my dream day …
I hadn’t seen “Photograph of the week” for a while and I was beginning to fear that it had been retired. That would have been a pity as it is one of my favourite A Luxury Travel Blog features.
As you say the truth behind many of these stories is often much stranger than any fiction you could make up. The creation of this landscape is quite amazing.
Ah well, that’s another place to add to my very long bucket list.
I can see why hot air balloons rides would be popular, especially in the nice weather with clear skies. I wouldn’t normally be up for something like that, but actually I think I’d face the fear of heights in a rocky wicker basket to float above that terrain, it really is so unique and beautiful.
Checking out the Göreme Open Air Museum would be amazing, I love the sound of exploring all the old churches and walking through all that history. It’s hard to imagine churches underground though, let alone 600 of them. I had no idea there were cave hotels here either. I wonder what they’re like to stay in, and what the temperature is like at this time of year?
Considering how scary and destructive volcanoes are, it’s quite ironic they can create something so stunning in their wake! How difficult would it be to trek across this kind of landscape? I imagine it’s relatively safe if you’re careful but I’m not how big the area is. It’s incredibly photogenic, too. I bet Instagrammers like getting selfies around here, better yet in a hot air balloon!