I’ve always wanted to tour Turkey, and the two top destinations on my list were the magnificent Istanbul and the fantasy landscape that is Cappadocia. So I made my dream come true. I went online and found a great site called GoodmanTours.com and booked my tour.
I left Germany and caught my flight to Istanbul to check in to my hotel. The hustle and bustle of this inter-continental city made my heart glow. I spent a few days touring the city, from the Hagia Sophia, The Blue Mosque, the bazaars and more. Then the day came to make my way to Cappadocia from Istanbul. I left my hotel early in the morning ready to catch a domestic flight at Istanbul airport to begin to enjoy a private day tour to Cappadocia from Istanbul.
Upon arrival at Kayseri or Nevsehir, I was driven to the Cappadocia region, where I met with my tour guide.
The Devrent and Pasabag valley was a fantastic place to start exploring the lunar landscape of Cappadocia and see the spectacular fairy chimneys with double and triple rock caps.
These mushroom-shaped formations have a unique style. The Pasabag is also well known as Monks valley because of the chapel of St. Simeon that is built into one of the three-headed fairy chimneys.
I took a break for a tasty lunch at a traditional local restaurant before proceeding to Kaymakli.
Here I explored the most comprehensive and one of the largest underground cities in Cappadocia and has been opened since 1964 to visitors, but only four of its eight levels.
I wandered through the narrow corridors of Kaymakli underground city, discovering the many rooms and storages that are carved from the soft volcanic stone. It is also interesting to see the rolling stone doors, deep wells and ventilation shafts.
After Kaymakli, we drove to Goreme, where there is a worldwide famous open-air museum where I visited several rock-cut churches. These churches have incredible paintings on the walls and ceiling dating back to the 10th century. Also, I got to visit Uchisar Rock Castle.
At the end of
the tour, I had enough time to enjoy dinner before returning to the airport for
my flight to Istanbul. Upon arrival to Istanbul, I was dropped off to my hotel
to sit and reminisce over my in-prompt-to solo trip where I made memories for a
lifetime … if you had a hankering for travel, enjoy a private day tour to Cappadocia from Istanbul.
