Cappadocia - Land of Fairy Chimneys

Cappadocia in Turkey is one the of the most unique geological places on the planet with its many valleys, "fairy chimneys" and ancient cliff dwellings.

When I come for my usual photography or writing work I will meet travelers who have no true idea of what to expect other than someone has told them they should go for a visit.

So these travelers pack their gear, either bus or fly into the region and to my surprise when I query them, it is discovered that they intend to spend maybe 1-2 days in the area.

Well my dear readers that is simply not enough time to truly witness or enjoy what nature has bestowed on this area of the world.

The best time of year for Cappadocia in my mind is a narrow window in October beginning around the 1st of the month.  It is not too crowded, hot or cold and the fall colors have come out giving the area a special punch.

The city of Goreme, which is a small city, is located in the heart of no less than five major canyons and valleys all of which contain some of the most beautiful and interesting geologic formations to be found on the planet.

This does not even take into account the other smaller cities/villages in the area which will also have their own number of canyons and to fully appreciate this area a person should dedicate no less than 4 full days to enable them to see first hand the work of nature and man in this area.

Millions of years ago nature created this area through volcanic activity then finished it off with water and winds which combined, resulted in the creations only imagined of in dreams.  The volcanic activity which produced vast quantities of ash combined with the water and mud to create a material known as Tuff and this material by its natural composition can range from the very soft to extremely hard.

Millions of years later, man, mostly persecuted Christians, discover this region as they would flee death in their home regions and over centuries constructed or literally dug dwelling into these formations.  There were underground cities, churches, and cave dwellings dug in both lower areas or higher locations of the Tuff formations.

This area is scattered with these cave dwellings of ancient times tucked away into the many canyons and valleys and to appreciate the overall area it is mostly done on foot walking through each canyon because though there can be similarities there are some very major differences in the formations.

As mentioned, there are numerous canyons and valleys to explore and one such example is White Valley or because of its phallic nature is also known as “Love Valley” and here you will discover Tuff formations towering 60 meters or higher topped with hard Basalt rock and the deep canyon walls consist of flowing, folding beautiful white Tuff formations.  To appreciate this one valley the visitor should spend one day walking the canyon floor from end to end then spend part of another day walking the canyon rim to see these formation from a higher perspective.  Then there is the light which plays an important part of any photograph and when the sun is at its highest it will shine on the Tuff folds casting shadows which help to bring the photograph to life rather than just a harsh white when the sun is shining directly on the canyon walls.

There are the “Red & Rose” canyons which are aptly named due to the coloration of the Tuff and towering canyon walls.  These valleys are best viewed from mid day to sunset as the lighting presents a stunning display of color and light contrasts.

The amount of time required to appreciate the Red & Rose valleys will depend on your walking speed and how many times you stop to look at the cave dwellings or maybe even enter them to see the inside but in general this is minimum of a half day beginning at around noon until the sun sets.

I have mentioned only two of the five main valleys (canyons) to provide you, the reader, a basic idea of how much time it takes to truly see and enjoy the beauty of Cappadocia.  Keep in mind that there are the other valleys and each is unique to a degree with some containing so many cave dwelling you will lose count.

Cappadocia is also "eye candy" for the photographer of all levels of experience. Photographing the many canyons with their different formations, colors, textures as well as the different lighting conditions which will be at play makes this a photographers playground. The afternoon light is completely different from the morning light, shadows are cast upon the canyon walls providing depth and contrast and to take full advantage of the variations of conditions, I again suggest a minimum of 4 full days.

I almost forgot, this can make the difference between a good time or fantastic time here. A lot of travelers do not realize what the terrain is like and many arrive with nothing more than sandals or other sort of footwear that is not well suited for hiking and climbing the canyons. Please, if you take one piece of advice from this post, bring proper footwear as it will make the visit that much more enjoyable and will allow you better and easier access in the many steeper areas.

There are also the mass early morning hot air balloon lift offs and these provided a top down view of the region as a whole but if that is all you did here then you miss the best part of Cappadocia, which is walking in and through the canyons and valleys.

You can also hire a motorbike, scooter, bicycle or quad bike but I always recommend to go by foot because at some point you must get off the bike and walk and there are areas that are just not accessible on one of these machines.

Horses are also available here but again, it is my opinion that if you choose to do this it should be incorporated as a part of the whole and not the only way you approach touring this wonder of nature.

In addition to these activities, there are short day tours which will take you to other areas nearby such as underground cities and churches but for most part, the best part is within the many canyons and valleys easily accessible from Goreme either on foot or motorbike, bicycle, etc.

I usually do not make recommendations but from time to time will and if you are an independent traveler not with a tour group or company, then I highly recommend the Rock Valley Pension as a quality place to stay in Goreme. Click this link and it will take you to their web site or you can book them online with the usual hostel booking web sites.

Now for a few teaser images because if I show too many you will never come or if you do you will not explore the area to find these incredible formations for yourself. Click the image and it will open in a larger window for a much larger image.

These images are taken during the fall season in the region during October before the 28th of the month and the weather has its change or the leaves have all fallen off the vegetation.

The last image is one of the most iconic locations in all of the region. Look closely at the image and you will see an individual standing at the bottom of the formation which provides a size reference for the towering height.

Travel Safe, Travel Happy