Goreme Off The Beaten Path

We rented a scooter from Gortur agency located at Goreme bus station and were completely satisfied.
The scooter was pretty new and in good conditions, the price was fair and we could get a full day of fun not only on tarmac roads but also following gravel paths. And we got beautiful views of Cappadocia.

For a way to rest those tired legs and feet, but, to get a sore bottom instead! ...............then go for a Horse ride through Zemi Valley, Rose Valley & Cavusin in a half day tour.
The Tour starts and finishes in Goreme, and your hotel will provide a shuttle to the Stables.

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As I was too early for Breakfast, I went for a walk around Goreme. So much peace & quiet, it was beautiful!
Here, in Town, I found lots of places where the Horses that work the fields in day time are stabled at their Owner's Home at night. Nearly all had gone at that early hour, but I did manage to find one Horse with his feed, not just a pile of grass & Manure as evidence!

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Well, not the worms, get to see some things that others miss out on!
Several things I saw early morning was a Horse and Cart, with a husband and wife on it going to work in the fields. After Breakfast, I walked the way they were headed, and found the Cart. On a bit of investigation, I found the Horse, loose, enjoying a big pile of grass. The couple were nearby hoeing their garden amongst the Fruit trees.
Nobody could speak English, but a smile all round was acceptable in this quiet little area amongst the Fairy Chimneys.

Ask in the tourist office for a map of the area with suggested walks and trails. There are several nice loops on packed dirt, sand and rock, that maintain a constant elevation and pass through the scenic valleys.
If I had more time I would take an advantage of this opportunity!

You may watch my 1 min 31 sec VIDEO-Clip Goreme Part IV with Turkish music.

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This is the best panoramic viewpoint from which to see the complete view of Goreme valley and Goreme village: fairy chimneys, rock formations and cave houses. Goreme means "can’t see", but this is the one place where you can "see" it all! The village is full of fairy chimneys, some of which have been converted into homes by cutting caves out of the soft volcanic rock.
Unfortunately we didn’t make a stop here and saw Esentepe only out of a bus’ window…

You may watch my high resolution photo of Goreme Valley on the Google Earth according to the following coordinates 38° 38' 20.39" N 34° 50' 13.21" E or on my Google Earth Panoramio Esentepe.

You may watch my 1 min 31 sec VIDEO-Clip Goreme Part IV with Turkish music out of my Youtube channel.

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The fascinating lunar landscape around Goreme make for great hiking locations.

Accessed through well-beaten tracks running off the Goreme Open Air Museum-Goreme road is Swords Valley (Kiliclar Vadisi), a magnificent collection of out-of-this world rock formations, ancient rock cut dwellings now abandoned, and if you have the energy to climb up a few strategic look outs, breathtaking vistas of the Cappadocian landscape. Not even the damp, cold weather (around 2-5 degrees centigrade) could prevent a couple from having a mid-morning picnic!

The abandoned cave dwellings are the most interesting attractions here. You can still figure out how these rocks have been carved inside to make room for living spaces. It is still possible to imagine how people here lived in the past! The area could have been perfect location for the Flintstones' hometown - Bedrock City.

Swords Valley is one of the most accessible hiking sites from Goreme. To go there, take the spur road to your left (on the way to the Goreme Open Air Museum) at the junction where the "Swords Valley" sign stands. From there, the whole place is virtually all yours to explore. Word of caution, though: some rocks could be very slippery when wet, so use suitable hiking shoes with good traction.

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As the name implies (Guvercinlik in Turkish), this area is filled with dovecotes - colorful dovecotes. Unfortunately, the cold, damp weather prevented me from going down the valley and enjoying the dovecotes up close. The rocks here have a soft pinkish color with brownish undertone - good for a few shutter snaps. Also interesting are the carved edifices on the rock face, including one that looked like a church (see picture 2).

The trail leading to the valley could be accessed from the Goreme-Uchisar road. The trail starts from a lookout across a shop selling onyx souvenirs, where a signpost has been erected for hikers' benefit.

ortahisar is another village that is worth visiting.
like uchisar it has a rock castle on top of town, but the castle in ortahisar has started to crumble and you are not allowed to go all the way to the top anymore.
it's still worth a visit though and there are many nice view points in and around the village.

the ihlara valley is a little away from goreme but very interesting.
it's greener than most other valleys in the region as it has a river running through it and the rocks are mostly made of basalt and therfor harder and darker than most other rock formations in cappadocia.

ihlara valley also has a couple of interesting rock churces that are worth visiting.

to get there you will need to go to the village selime and then hike from there.
it can be a little complicated with public transport, so hiring a car or a motorbike might be a good idea there.