Cappadocia, Turkey. Balloons Galore!

Next stop, Cappadocia located southwest of the major city Kayseri. From here one-way transfers costs to Goreme approximately 25 Lira = A$13.50

I’ve booked Turkish Airlines for my passengers on countless occasions. However it’s the first time I’ve flown with them and they live up to their reputation; both in customer service delivery and professionalism.

The most important towns and destinations in Cappadocia are Urgup, Goreme, Ihlara Valley, Selime, Guzelyurt, Uchisar, Avanos and Zelve. Among the underground cities worth seeing are Derinkuyu, Kaymakli, Gaziemir and Ozkanak. The best historic mansions and cave houses for tourist stays are in Urgup, Goreme, Guzelyurt and Uchisar.

In Goreme I suggest booking a ‘Cave Hotel’ for the experience. At this time of the year there’s some fantastic deals available.

Arriving late but not too tired for what’s known as a ‘testi kebab’ (or so I’m told). Consisted of beef, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, spices and onions cooked in the earthenware jug and then given a big ‘tap’ to release the most delectable aromas you could wish for.

Wake up to a lot of hissing only to find the sky full of balloons.

Here we are at the Goreme Open Air Museum as part of the Red Tour. I would highly recommend it if you are short on time.

Goreme Open Air Museum

At Avanos for a pottery demonstration.

And yes, I am the willing one and feel as though I’ve returned to Kindergarten.

The Zelve Open-Air Museum, which once housed one of the largest communities in the region is an amazing cave town, honeycombed with dwellings, religious and secular chambers. Zelve is situated about 10 km out from Goreme on the Avanos road.

Zelve

Devrent Valley is situated past the Avanos-Urgup road and is one of the most attractive places of Cappadocia where different formations of fairy chimneys can be viewed. The most interesting feature is the rock formation which people consider to be a camel.