DAY 1: ANKARA – CAPPADOCIA
PANORAMIC SALT LAKE – IHLARA VALLEY – DERINKUYU UNDERGROUND CITY – PASABAG – DEVELI VALLEY – THREE BEAUTIES FAIRY CHIMNEYS – POTTERY & CERAMIC WORKSHOP – ÜRGÜP – AVANOS – DOVE VALLEY
05:30 After gathering with our guests who will join us from the Ulusoy Facilities across from Ankara Armada, we head towards Cappadocia, known as the "Land of Beautiful Horses" by the Persians, relying on the natural beauties of the Kayseri triangle with the 3917 m high Erciyes Mountain and the 3268 m high Hasan Mountain. After a free breakfast on the road, we view the Salt Lake panoramically. Our first stop in Cappadocia will be Ihlara Valley, which was formed by the Melendiz River and contains dovecotes and rock churches, stretching 14 km. During our walk in Ihlara Valley, we will also see Ağaçaltı Church and Yılanlı Church. Our second stop will be the Derinkuyu Underground City, an engineering marvel where thousands escaped from enemy invasions and could live for months. You will be amazed while exploring this interesting city built underground. Right after the underground city, we proceed towards Uçhisar. We take photos of Dove Valley and Uçhisar Castle before arriving at a rock-carved restaurant for lunch. Here, we have the opportunity to taste Cappadocia's famous lentil stew with pastirma and testi kebab. After our meal at this authentic place, we head to Avanos, famous for pottery. In Avanos, we will see the Kızılırmak River and learn about the pottery made from Kızılırmak's clay. Next, we will take a photo break at Paşabağ (Monks Valley), where you can see the finest examples of multi-headed fairy chimneys. After wandering among the fairy chimneys and taking photos at Paşabağ, we visit Develi Valley (Dervent Valley), which includes interesting fairy chimney formations and derives its name from the chimney shaped like a camel. Following a panoramic tour in Ürgüp, we will see Asmalı Konağı from outside and have the opportunity to taste the delicious wines of Cappadocia in the Wine Cellars. At the end of the day, we will see the Hat-wearing Fairy Chimneys and the Three Beauties Fairy Chimneys, which are symbols of Cappadocia. After our tours, we will check into our hotel. Dinner and accommodation will be at our hotel. Guests wishing to participate in a Turkish night will meet in the lobby (additional charge, detailed information about the night will be provided by our guide on the bus).
Breakfast: The breakfast on the first day is not included and will be taken freely at the rest area.
Lunch: Will be served as a set menu at Uranos Restaurant.
Dinner: Dinner will be taken at the hotel and is included in the tour price.
Accommodation: Nevşehir Regional Hotels
DAY 2: CAPPADOCIA – ANKARA
BALLOON TOUR – GÖREME OPEN AIR MUSEUM – STONE WORKSHOP – ROCK CHURCHES – HACI BEKTAS VELI TOMB AND MUSEUM – CHILEHANE
For guests wishing to participate in the balloon or ATV tour, we meet in the lobby early in the morning and transfer them to the departure points. (Additional charge) General information will be provided by our guide.
Dear guests, after having our open buffet breakfast at the hotel, we check out with our luggage. First, we visit the Onyx Stone Workshop to learn about the features and processing of Onyx, a subclass of Quartz. After the Onyx Stone Workshop, we visit the Göreme Open Air Museum in the Göreme Valley, formerly known as Korama. The rock churches (Apple, Snake, and Sandal Churches), dining hall, kitchen, cellar, and the Tokalı Church, which is illustrated from the beginning to the end of the Bible, are among the places we will see in the museum. After visiting the Göreme Open Air Museum, we head to Hacıbektaş, where the tomb of Hacı Bektaş-i Veli, who was born in Horasan and embraced every section with his universal views from the 13th century, is located. In the Hacı Bektaş-i Veli Museum, we will visit; Hacı Bektaş-i Veli Tomb, Balım Sultan Tomb, Güvenç Abdal Tomb, Kırklar Square, Pir House, Third Courtyard, Cellar House, Square House, Square House Mosque, Kitchen House, Second Courtyard (Dergâh Courtyard), and lastly Çilehane before starting our return journey. In the evening, we will drop you off at the points we picked you up.
Breakfast: Will be taken as an open buffet at the hotel and is included in the tour price.
Lunch: Will be at Han Restaurant.
Dinner: Will be taken extra at our rest area.
Accommodation: ATTENTION THERE IS NO HOTEL ACCOMMODATION THIS NIGHT.
TURKISH NIGHT:
The entertainment taking place in authentic venues carved into the rock, unique to Cappadocia, showcases folk dances from every region of our country. The night also features various music performances, animations, and entertainment, where unlimited local alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and suitable appetizers are served.
BALLOON TOUR:
Depending on the weather and seasonal conditions, our tour will last between 60 – 75 minutes and will end with the transfer back to your hotel. Around 5 am, our vehicles will pick you up from your hotel and bring you to the launch area. While the balloons prepare for takeoff on the ground, guests will have a light open buffet breakfast. After a short preparation, the balloons will start to take off close to sunrise. The flight lasts approximately 1 hour. During the flight, we will rise to an altitude of about 1000 feet, giving guests the opportunity to watch the sunrise. We will also enter the valleys to see the fairy chimneys and valley views, offering photo opportunities and video recording. At the end of the flight, a champagne celebration will be held for the guests. You will also receive a flight certificate as a memento. The entire hot air balloon adventure lasts about 3 hours, and guests will be returned to their hotels or travel points around 8 am.
ATV TOUR:
Depending on the weather and seasonal conditions, our tour will last between 45 – 60 minutes and will end with the transfer to your hotel. Around 5 am, our vehicles will pick you up from your hotel and take you to the launch area. After a light breakfast here, we will board the ATV vehicles to enter the valleys that cannot be accessed by buses and create opportunities for taking photos of breathtaking views. The valleys we will enter intensely during the ATV tour will include stunning valleys such as Love Valley and Monks Valley.