Tours
REGULAR CAPPADOCIA TOURS
Daily Cappadocia Tour I -Ihlara Valley
Ihlara Valley Tour starts at 09:30 am. The first stop is Goreme Panorama where you will have a complete view of Göreme valley and Göreme village: fairy chimneys, rock formations and cave houses. You will be also given the general information about Cappadocia at that first stop.
Next we will drive to Derinkuyu Underground City, one of the best preserved and deepest underground cities in Cappadocia. Derinkuyu is 55 meters deep and has 8 levels open to visitors. After spending about 1 hour in Derinkuyu Underground City, we will drive to Ihlara Valley which is a 16 km long canyon and both sides are lined with rock carved churches. We will have a 3 km hike and visit one of the cave churches in IhlaraValley.
At the end of the walk, lunch will be served at Belisirma Village at a river by restaurant.
After lunch we will visit Selime Monastery, carved out of the rock by Christian monks in the 13th century. The size of the church makes a visit here astonishing.
The last stop of the day is a picture stop over the Pigeon Valley.
The tour finishes at about 6:00pm. Including is transportation, professional guiding, lunch and entrance fees.
Please send us an e-mail (info@bukethotel.com) for further information and booking
Daily Cappadocia Tour II- Magical Cappadocia
The tour starts with a visit to Göreme Open Air Museum where you can see the world’s most important Byzantine cave churches. Goreme Open Air Museum is listed as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Our next stop will be Pashabagi also called the Monks Valley because Christian hermits chose to locate hermit cells and churches in these three-headed pinnacles.
The last stop before lunch will be Devrent Valley , also known as "Imagination Valley", this is the most surreal-looking landscape.
We will have lunch in Avanos in one of the cave restaurants. Avanos is the town of traditional pottery art, thus, we will visit one of the family work-shops in Avanos to have some information about the pottery and have a kick-wheel-pottery demonstration after lunch.
We will end the day at Uchisar Castle, which is the highest point of Cappadocia and the view from the top is just brilliant.
Magical Cappadocia tour starts at 09:30am and finishes at about 5:30 pm. Including is transportation, professional guiding, lunch and entrance fees.
Please send us an e-mail (info@bukethotel.com) for further information and booking
Daily Cappadocia Tour III- Kaymakli Underground City (half day)
The first stop is Goreme Panorama where you will have a complete view of Göreme village and surrounding valleys with fairy chimneys, rock formations and cave houses.
We will then drive to Kaymakli Underground City, one of the best preserved and most visited underground cities in Cappadocia and is approximately 36m deep in the ground. On the way back, we will stop at the Pigeon Valley which has a spectacular view of old abandoned cave homes and old Greek houses of Uchisar.
Half day Kaymakli Underground City tour can be arranged either in the morning or afternoon. Including is transportation, professional guiding and entrance fees.
PRIVATE CAPPADOCIA TOURS
Cappadocia is a picture drawn on the earth by nature, it is an extraordinary region, unmatched in the world, a fascinating beauty, an incredible harmony of shapes and colors. An ideal landscape for history and art lovers.Cappadocia has a lot to offer and our private tours provides you complete flexibility and luxury to discover that wonderland. The following private tours are only sample programmes to give you an idea of the main sites but please feel free to contact us for your own itinerary. We will tailor your tours as you like. These are full-day tour examples, but you may also plan a half-day private tour.
CAPPADOCIAN HIGHLIGHTS TOUR
The tour starts with a hike through the Rose Valley from Ortahisar to Cavusin Village where we visit St John the Baptist, the biggest church in Cappadocia. The Rose Valley is named after the pink tint visible at some of the weathered rocky sites and has spectacular rock formations.
Next we drive to Pasabag Valley which contains some of the most interesting mushroom-shaped fairy chimneys in Cappadocia with twin and triple rock caps. A chapel dedicated to St. Simeon and a hermit's shelter are built into one of the triple-headed fairy chimneys as well.
Lunch in a small and special restaurant.
We continue to Avanos, once called Venessa and famous for its pottery. Pottery has been produced here for many centuries and some of the techniques used date back to Hittite times. Avanos is a mass of family-run potteries, most of them only too pleased to let visitors have a go on the potter’s wheel and explain the history of the various ceramics on offer.
Then we carry on to the Goreme Open Air Museum where you can see the world’s most important Byzantine cave churches. There are over 10 cave churches in the Göreme Open Air Museum. Along with a convent, dwelling places, and a religious school, they form a large monastic complex carved out of a roughly ring-shaped rock formation in Cappadocia’s otherworldy landscape.
The final stop will be Uchisar Castle which is a rock-cut citadel used during the Roman, Byzantine and Seljuk periods. Uchisar Castle is the highest point of Cappadocia and the view from the top is just brilliant.
Cappadocian Highlights tour starts at 09:30am and finishes at about 6:30 pm. Including is transportation, professional guiding, lunch and entrance fees.
It is possible to add a hike from Goreme to Uchisar to the end of the tour at no additional cost.
The itinerary is flexible and any modifications that you wish to make are welcomed.
CULTURE & HISTORY TOUR
The tour starts with a visit to the Family Fairy Chimneys where three mushroom-shaped fairy chimneys next to each other are called the mother, father and child.
Next we visit Mustafapasa (Sinassos) which is one of the nicest villages in Cappadocia. In the last century it was the centre of Cappadocia and rich Greek businessmen from Istanbul built splendid mansions here. The whole village consists of such mansions, all of them built from square blocks of tufa. There are wonderful wall paintings and dainty relief works inside the mansions. The village was mostly inhabited by Greeks until the population exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1924. Mustafapasa also has churches from the 19th century.
En route we visit Keslik Monastery, which is one of the biggest monastic areas in Cappadocia with several churches carved into the rocks, and definitely the biggest refectory of all.
Then we drive to Soganli Valley which can be considered an Open Air Museum with varous rock-cut churches and unique frescoes in a wild natural setting near a typical Cappadocian village. Spectacular "table top" mountains surround the village. After having lunch in a restored village house we enjoy a hike through the valley.
We continue to the Kaymakli Underground City, one of the best preserved and most interesting underground cities in Cappadocia and the first to be opened to visitors in 1964. Kaymakli Underground City has eight levels, four of them open to visitors, and is about 36 meters deep. A stable, church, kitchen, living rooms, storage areas and more are all visible at Kaymakli Underground City.
Finish the day with a picture stop at the Pigeon Valley.
Culture and History tour starts at 09:30am and finishes at about 6:30 pm. Including is transportation, professional guiding, lunch and entrance fees.
The itinerary is flexible and any modifications that you wish to make are welcomed.
IHLARA CANYON TOUR
The tour starts with a stop at the Goreme Panaroma viewpoint for a spectacular look out over Goreme village and the Rose Valley as well as Mount Erciyes.
Then we drive to Ihlara Valley which is a 14-km-long canyon with a depth of approximately 100m formed by the Melendiz River thousands of years ago.. What is unique about this valley is the ancient history of its inhabitants. The whole canyon is honeycombed with rock-cut underground dwellings and churches from the Byzantine period. We hike for 7 km along the Melendiz River visiting hidden churches along the way.
We lunch in Belisirma at a local restaurant by the river
Next we drive to Selime Monastery which is the biggest rock-cut monastery in Cappadocia. The sheer size of the church makes a visit here astonishing.
Our final stop is in Guzelyurt village which is one of the former Greek settlements and is home to Cappadocia’s first Orthodox church as well as a small underground city.
The drive back takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Ihlara Canyon tour starts at 09:30am and finishes at about 6:30 pm. Including is transportation, professional guiding, lunch and entrance fees.
HIKING TOURS IN CAPPADOCIA
Cappadocia is a real paradise for hikers with its valleys, cave churches, dwellings and spectacular rock formations. Hiking through the valleys of Cappadocia gives you an opportunity to absorb real Cappadocia and take unusual pictures.
We arrange both regular and private hiking tours in Cappadocia, please see the sample itineraries below and do not hesitate to contact us for your own itinerary.
Colors of Cappadocia (Full Day Hike)
We will start our hike with Kizilçukur (Red Valley), possibly the most beautiful valley in Cappadocia, with its magical rock formations and brilliant red colours. There are some cave-dwellings and frescoed churches in the valley which will be visited along the way. Then we will arrive inCavusin Village, one of the first Christian settlements and visit the old church dedicated to St. John which is located in the old part of the town. After having a picnic lunch we will continue to Pasabag (also called Monks Valley) to see the most famous fairy chimneys of Cappadocia. Next we will walk to Zelve to visit Zelve Open Air Museum which is one of the old rock-cut monasteries. We will drive back to the hotel after the hike.
Colors of Cappadocia Hiking Tour starts at 09:00 and finishes at 5:30pm. Including is the entrance tickets,guiding in English, lunch and transportation.
5 hours moderate hike (Minimum 2 people is required to arrange the trip)
The Honey and Pigeon Valley (Full Day Hike)
We will start our hike with the Honey Valley ( also called Love Valley) with one of the most picturesque fairy chimneys in Cappadocia. Walking through the gardens of the villagers in the base of the valley will amaze you. The hike in the honey valley will last about 3 hours, at the end of the hike we will arrive in Uchisar and have our lunch there. After lunch we will climb up to Uchisar Castle, which is the highest point of Cappadocia and has an amazing view of Cappadocia valleys. Then we will hike through Pigeon valley to Goreme Village. The Pigeon Valley is one of the most famous valleys of Cappadocia and its name comes from the pigeon-cotes carved on its walls.We will drive back to the hotel after the hike.
The tour starts at 09:00 in the morning and finishes at 5:00pm. Including the entrance tickets, guiding in English,lunch and transportation.
5 hours moderate hike (Minimum 2 people is required to arrange the trip)
Hidden Treasure of Cappadocia(Half Day Hiking in Cat Valley)
Cat Valley is one of the most beautiful valleys in Cappadocia with its dovecotes and spectacular rock formations but it is not known as much as the other Cappadocia valleys.
This hiking tour aims to let you discover that hidden treasure of Cappadocia. The hike is very pleasure and can be rated as easy. We will hike about 2,5-3 hours through the fairy chimneys and willow trees. We will drive back to the hotel after the hike.
Upon request, a walk through the traditional village of Cat and a visit to one of the village houses can be arranged.
The rate of half day Cat Valley hike is including the guiding in English and transportation. The hike can be arranged either in the morning or in the afternoon.
Minimum 2 people is required to arrange the trip
Uzengi Valley (Half Day Morning Hike)
We will start to hike from Ortahisar. Next we will enter Pancarlik Valley to see the numerous cones and fairy chimneys decorating our path and also visit the Kepez and Sarica churches, famous for their architectural significance.Then through small valleys and plateaus we will go down to the valley of Uzengi bordered with a high cliff of white tuff where are thousands of pigeon houses. We will drive back to the hotel after the hike.
The tour starts at 09:00 in the morning and finishes at 12:00pm. Including the entrance tickets, guiding in English, lunch and transportation.
3 hours easy hike (Minimum 2 people is required to arrange the trip)
VILLAGE LIFE AND CULTURE TOUR CAPPADOCIA
This tour is designed to let you experience Cappadocian village life at first hand, and meet some of the villagers whose generosity and kindness never fail to suprise, and who still show a hospitality that’s long forgotten elsewhere. You’ll also get a chance to try your hand at cooking with the local women using traditional recipes.
Itinerary
After breakfast at the hotel, we will drive to the local market to see and taste the fresh fruit, vegetables, and nuts, and do the shopping for our cooking class. Then we will drive to the beautiful village of Ibrahimpasa, a small but very interesting place with beautiful scenery overlooking a valley flanked with old houses with great decorative stonework. We will start off with a short walk through the village where, depending on the season, we may see women making flat bread, taking the seeds out of pumpkins, or making pekmez (grape syrup). We will also get to talk to the villagers and ask them questions. After having a cup of Turkish tea or coffee at the village teahouse, we will start our cooking lesson with the local women. The food prepared will be our lunch! After lunch we will go to see one of the local farms. Finally we will visit Goreme Open Air Museum with its wonderful frescoed churches.
The cost of Village Life and Culture Tour is a professional tour guide/ interpreter, transportation, lunch and the entrance fee to the Goreme Open Air Museum and the Dark Church.
HOT AIR BALLOON FLIGHTS
Hot air ballooning is one of the most unique and popular attractions in Cappadocia. Experience the magic of a balloon flight and let the world below drift away. Feel the exhilaration of morning-fresh country air.
Imagine floating as gently as a cloud above the glorious vistas of beautiful valleys in Cappadocia!
There is no better way to see the Cappadocia than by a gentle, free-floating balloon flight over the unique rock formations.
We offer 2 different Balloon Flights over Cappadocia and the details are as follows:
SHORT ( 1 HOUR ) BALOON FLIGHTS
You will be picked up from your hotels early in the morning, before sunrise and driven to the take-off site which is carefully chosen depending on the wind direction on that particular day. While you are watching the inflation of the balloon, we will offer you a light breakfast (tea-coffee-cookies) and give you a basic information about the flight. Then you will take-off smoothly to your life time experience. Every flight is afantastic adventure as we float intimately amongst the fairy chimneys and soar over the magnificent Cappadocian landscape.
Upon landing, we will have a celebration with champagne and get your first flight certificates
The short balloon tours offer minimum 1 hour flight in the air and is including transfers from/to your hotel, a lightbreakfast, champagne celebration, passanger insurance and flight certificates. The flight capacity is 16-20 people.
You will be back to your hotel at about 08:30 am after the short balloon flight.
DELUXE (1,5 HOURS) BALLOON FLIGHTS
The deluxe balloon flight is a great option for those seeking for a more comfortable, intimate setting for their experience of a lifetime as smaller baskets are used for the deluxe flights and there is less people (8-10 people) on the flight.
The deluxe balloon flights offer minimum 1,5 hours flight in the air including transfers from/to your hotel, a lightbreakfast, champagne celebration, passanger insurance and flight certificates. We offer 20 Euro discount for cash payment.
You will be back to your hotel at around 09:30 am after the deluxe balloon flight.
We also offer private VIP balloon flights for those who wants to celebrate a special occasion such as Wedding, Bithday, Aniversary and etc. Please contact us for further details on the private balloon flights.
HORSE - BACK RIDING
Experience the incredible and unusual beauty of Cappadocia region from the back of a horse!
You can ride off on horseback through the valleys and the fabulous landscape of Cappadocia. Horse-back riding allows you to cover a great distance on small tracks well away from the traffic and crowds. Whilst on horse back you will have the opportunity to see local people in thier traditional environment and working on their farms.
You do not need to be an advance rider to join our tours, our horse riding tour is available for ambitious beginners to the most advanced horse riders.
We offer 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours and full day horse riding tours around amazing valleys of Cappadocia. The tours can be arranged either in the morning or afternoon. You will be picked up from your hotel for the ride and driven back to your hotel after the ride.
THE WHIRLING DERVISH CEREMONY
The Sema (Whirling Dervish) ritual began with the inspiration of Mevlâna Celâlettin Rumi (1207-1273) and was influenced by Turkish customs and culture.
It is scientifically recognized that the fundamental condition of our existence is to revolve. There is no being or object which does not revolve, because all beings are comprised of revolving electrons, protons, and neutrons in atoms. Everything revolves, and the human being lives by means of the revolution of these particles, by the revolution of the blood in his body, and by the revolution of the stages of his life, by his coming from the earth and his returning to it.
An important characteristic of this seven-centuries-old ritual is that it unites the three fundamental components of human nature: the mind(as knowledge and thought), the heart (through the expression of feelings, poetry and music) and the body (by activating life, by the turning). These three elements are thoroughly joined both in theory and in practice as perhaps in no other ritual or system of thought.
The Sema ceremony represents the human being's spiritual journey, an ascent by means of intelligence and love to Perfection (Kemal). Turning towards the truth, he grows through love, transcends the ego, meets the truth, and arrives at Perfection. Then he returns from this spiritual journey as one who has reached maturity and completion, able to love and serve the whole of creation and all creatures without discriminating in regard to belief, class, or race.
In the symbolism of the Sema ritual, the semazen's camel's hair hat (sikke) represents the tombstone of the ego; his wide, white skirt represents the ego's shroud. By removing his black cloak, he is spiritually reborn to the truth. At the beginning of the Sema, by holding his arms crosswise, the semazen appears to represent the number one, thus testifying to God's unity. While whirling, his arms are open: his right arm is directed to the sky, ready to receive God's beneficence; his left hand, upon which his eyes are fastened, is turned toward the earth. The semazen conveys God's spiritual gift to those who are witnessing the Sema. Revolving from right to left around the heart, the semazen embraces all humanity with love. The human being has been created with love in order to love. Mevlâna Celâlettin Rumi says, "All loves are a bridge to Divine love. Yet, those who have not had a taste of it do not know!"
The ceremony takes place in Saruhan Caravanserai which is one of the ancient hotels built on the silk road, the important trade road between Europe and China, by Seljuks. The building itself is dated back to 1249.
Whirling Dervish Ceremony starts at 21:30, the pick up from the hotel is at 21:00. The whole ceremony takes about 1 hour so you will be back to your hotel at about 22:45 after the ceremony.
TRADITIONAL TURKISH NIGHT SHOW
The Turkish Night Show is organised not only to let you experience Turkish culture and traditions, but also to have a real entertaining show to help you relax, after your day tours through Cappadocia. We will pick you up from your hotel in Goreme or other towns of Cappadocia at 20:00 in winter and 20:30 in summer and drive you to one of the cave restaurants of Cappadocia, where your show will be perfromed.
The show begins with a short, 10 minute version of the Whirling Dervishes Ceremony. This will give you an idea about how the Whirling Dervishes perform. For the real, religious ceremony we suggest Whirling Dervishes Ceremony in the 13th century caravanserai. During the whole night, there will be live music performed by a traditional custom outfit wearing band. After the dervishes, folk dancers come in their local dresses and the dances start.
The dancers, including a bride and groom, come on the dance floor and perform in the traditional way of how a girl gets married in Turkey.The bride is dressed in a beautiful red dress and dances in the middle and the groom comes up and puts on different shows for her. He first shows how handsome he is, and than how strong he is and finally how rich he is. After rejecting all these shows one by one, the bride accepts to get married with him when the groom tells her, that his heart beats for her. While they are starting their wedding dance, all the guests are invited to dance with them.
After various folk dances from different parts of Turkey, the highlight of the night comes: the Belly Dancer! She performs her breath-taking dance and then goes around all the tables to take one man/woman from each. Everyone has a great time while they are learning the secrets of belly-dancing, with some basic moves. In the case of any spouses being present, make sure there are no sharp objects around, before the belly dancer begins her training!
After some other dances and shows like fire dancing, Caucasian dance with knives and the drum show, the night ends around 23:30 and we drive you back to your hotel for a deep sleep.
During the night the waiters will serve unlimited soft and alcoholic drinks with appetisers. The main course will be lamb with rice, the traditional wedding meal of Turkey.
The rate of the Turkish Night Show is including unlimited alcoholic and non-alcoholic local beverages, dinner and desserts and roundtrip transfers between your hotel and the restaurant.
You cant miss this traditional entertainment!
TURKISH BATH (HAMAN)
The tradition of the Turkish Bath extends far back, to a time before Turks had reached Anatolia. When the Turks arrived in Anatolia, they brought with them one bathing tradition, and were confronted with another, that of Romans and Byzantines, with certain local variants. The traditions merged, and with the addition of the Moslem concern for cleanliness and its concomitant respect for the uses of water, there arose an entirely new concept, that of the Turkish Bath. In time it became an institution, with its system of ineradicable customs..
One of the truly unmissable experiences of a trip to Turkey is a visit to a hamam. So what happens in a Hamam? Let us explain you this enjoyable process.. Traditional Turkish baths have separate sections for women and men, or have different visiting times or days for women and men. Women attend to women and men attend to men unless a mixed group rents the whole bath. Upon entering a Hamam, you will be in the hall called Camekan, where refreshments are available. Small changing rooms generally surround this central area of relaxation. There may also be amarble fountain. You will be provided with a towel and a "Pestemal" which is a large fringed garment, normally striped or checked and made of cotton that you wrap around your body. In traditional baths the Pestemal is normally worn during the whole bathing process, but there may be nudity especially in the women's section. Those who are particularly modest should bring a bathing suit. You will be also provided a safe box to leave your valuables, the key of which you can put on your wrist or round your ankle and keep with you throughout the bath. Then you continue through a pair of increasingly hotter rooms. The first, known as the sogukluk (cold room), has showers and toilets and is used for cooling down at the end of your session. Next is the hararet (hot room), a steamy and softly lit room with marble washbasins along the sides. You can douse yourself by scooping water up from one of the basins with a copper bowl. In the middle of the room is the göbektasi, a marble platform heated by furnaces below and usually covered with reclining bodies. This is where, if you decide to take your chances, a traditional Turkish massage will be "administered."
The bath attendant (known as a natır in a women’s bath and a tellak in the male establishment), will first scrub you down with a rough, loofa-like sponge known as a kese. Be prepared to lose several layers of dead skin. Once you're scrubbed, the masseur will soap you up into a frothy lather, rinse you off, and then conduct what will probably be the most vigorous massage you'll ever receive. Speak up if you want your masseuse to ease up. Once you've been worked over, you can relax (and recover) on the göbektasi before you have your last shower. Then you are given fresh towels and again brought to Soğukluk (the cool room) to rest, dry off, drink tea, coffee or refreshments and socialize with other "Hamamers".
You may stay in the hamam as long as you like, but generally an hour is enough. Make sure that you get plenty of fluids and let yourself cool down before going outside.
You will be driven back to your hotel after that great experience…
The rate for the Hamam experience is the rate includes the entrance fee, scrub and massage services and the round trip transfers.
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