We’ve been taking guests to Cappadocia on our Alexander tour in Turkey each spring for many years and a large number of our clients have spent time in the region before or after one of our gulet cruises. All have come away bewitched by its other worldly beauty as well as its history. It is an extraordinary Lord of the Rings-esque landscape. Beyond orchards and vines laden in autumn you find yourself in fields of giant petrified toadstools towering high into a crystal sky. All around, the rocks have been whipped into vast regular curves like frosting on a cake.
Cappadocia’s celebrated ‘fairy chimneys’ are the work of the ultimate sculptor: Mother Nature. Time has eroded this volcanic terrain into a twisted moonscape, a topographical whimsy. Man has followed in nature’s footsteps gouging homes and sacred places out of these rocky cones. Some have been upgraded into beautiful boutique hotels (we’ll be staying in one of our favourites). Walk around the valleys and you discover hundreds of churches, chapels, and monasteries hewn out of the stone. Clamber up a ladder to a dark entrance, step inside, and your gaze will be met by the faces of saints decorating the walls, arches, and pillars carved by local Christians some 700-1,300 years ago.
We have wanted to run our very own cultural tour of Cappadocia for a very long time, but needed a true Byzantine expert to lead the tour. With Dr. Claire Nesbitt, an archaeologist and specialist in church architecture now on our team, we are delighted to unveil our inaugural trip to this enchanting part of Turkey.
Naturally you’ll see some of the best known and well loved historical and geological sites in Cappadocia, from an underground city to the Goreme open air museum. One early morning we’ll glide up into the azure air in a hot air balloon and float across the magical landscape. A balloon trip in Cappadocia is rated one of the finest in the world - a quite unforgettable experience. On top of all this you’ll have the opportunity to discover some of the more off the beaten track gems and savour some of the finest regional foods and wines.
