Cappadocia Green Tour (South)

Overview

Cappadocia Green Tour (South): Derinkuyu Underground City, a 3.5 km walk through Ihlara Valley, lunch in Belisirma, Selime Monastery and the Agzikarahan caravanserai.

The Green Tour heads south of Goreme to the deepest and most dramatic sights of Cappadocia. The day starts at Derinkuyu, the largest underground city in the region, carved about 85 metres into the rock and used by early Christians to shelter from raids; its narrow tunnels are not suitable for claustrophobic guests. You then descend 360 steps into Ihlara Valley for a 3.5 km walk beside the Melendiz River, past rock churches hidden in the canyon walls.

Lunch is by the river in Belisirma village, where a prayer break is also possible. In the afternoon you visit Selime Monastery, a vast complex carved into a cliff, and stop at Agzikarahan, a Seljuk caravanserai on the old Silk Road, before returning to your hotel. Trainers are essential and the route is not suitable for pushchairs.