4 DAYS on the MAGICAL LANDSCAPE of CAPPADOCIA

DAY 1 - ISTANBUL – KAYSERI - CAPPADOCIA

UTS Representative will meet you at the gate of the plane (with a sign reading your names) and you will be assisted during the passport formalities and escorted through the customs. There will be no lines except for the luggage (EX: TBA).

You will then be assisted for your connecting to your domestic flight Kayseri. (Ex: TBA). Upon arrival in Kayseri Airport; UTS’s English speaking guide will meet you at the exit of the domestic lines for your private transfer to Cappadocia Cave Resorts.

DAY 2 - CAPPADOCIA

If the velocity of the wind will be suitable today, it will be an early bird departure with your lecturer/guide from the hotel for a formidable “Balloon Adventure” over the enchanting “lunar landscape” of Cappadocia, to hail the slowly rising sun, with a glass of champagne.  The balloon ride over Cappadocia at sunrise is an experience of a lifetime, with all the excitement of seeing from above, the farthest “fairy chimneys” of the vast region, as a lunar landscape, only possible in one’s fantasies.  

You will then return to your hotel for a leisurely buffet breakfast, before you are ready for a new day in Cappadocia, with other “fun” experiences and wonderful cultural “surprises”.

After Breakfast, you will depart from your hotel at 9:30 am for your first visit will be to the Underground City of Ozkonak.

The day’s experience will continue with the visit to the Red Valley for a promenade on turf in between the FAIRY CHIMNEYS, hailing “Mother Nature” as “the most creative artist of the World”, for these spectacular rock formations. 

The ancestors of the Hittites were the first settlers of the area in the second millennium B.C. ZELVE OPEN AIR MUSEUM is honeycombed with caves and there are some ancient cave churches from 9^th Century A.D.

You will then make a memorable ATV (Quad – Bike) Tours in Cappadocia to explore the off-the-beaten-paths around Goreme on a sturdy ATV (quad) bike. The 1 - 1.5 hour drive provides an exciting adventure over and through the beautiful hills, valleys, dunes and trails of the extraordinary Cappadocia landscape. All-Terrain Vehicles are extremely easy to use, as they are fully automatic – so no experience is necessary. The tracks you will be riding on are carefully selected to be challenging, but not frightening.

At the end of the event, you will be transferred to your hotel.

DAY 3 - CAPPADOCIA

You will depart from the hotel at 9 am for other cultural surprises in Cappadocia.

The day’s tour will start with an unforgettable visit to the Valley of GÖREME that houses the “OPEN AIR MUSEUM OF ROCK CARVED CHURCHES”, built by the early Christians there, hiding from the persecution of the Roman soldiers. Due to the incredibly beautiful frescoes, adorning the walls of these early churches of Christianity carved into vulcanic rocks, CAPPADOCIA’s famous Open Air Museum has been included in UNESCO’s WORLD Heritage List, as one of the cultural Wonders of the World.

You will then continue to AVANOS village of the region where you will meet with one of the most colorful personalities of Cappadocia, the Old Master of Pottery, at his primitive atelier that he built personally in labyrinth like caves of the village, where earth is soft and reddish in color – an ideal raw material for the area’s traditional business of pottery making. The Famous Old master will show you how to use his old fashioned kick-wheel, if you wish to produce your own pottery item then and there, with your name on work of art that you personally just created.

In the afternoon, 1,5 Hours -Horseback Riding:  You will travel through some of the most beautiful valleys in Cappadocia – Swords Valley, Meskendir Valley, Rose Valley and Love Valley. Ride among the apple, apricot, walnut and quince orchards as well as the grape vines used for local wines. The trails wind up through volcanic stone hills passing many beautiful fairy chimneys and churches along the way – with breathtaking vistas on mountain tops and unique landscapes in every direction.

After dinner (at your own cost), you will leave the hotel with your dedicated guide for the evening’s special experience at the beautifully restored Seljuk CARAVANSERAI of the early 13^th Century, of the “spiritual” of the WHIRLING DERVISHES, with their traditional musicians, symbolizing the 13^th Century SUFI PHILOSOPHY of “Peace at home – Peace in the World” with “Human Love and Compassion”.

DAY 4 - CAPPADOCIA

Your private guide will meet you at the lobby of your hotel at 9 am for another private sightseeing tour of Cappadocia.

You will then make a visit to the Ihlara Valley, for your Hiking Tour a canyon with a depth of approximately 100 m, was formed by the Melendiz River thousands of years ago. It begins at Ihlara village and ends at the village of Selime after making 26 bends along 14 kilometers. It is very pleasant to walk through the valley by the vineyards, poplars and pistachio trees to the soothing sound of the rushing water and surrounded by a rich wildlife of lizards, frogs, butterflies, birds and sometimes eagles.

In the afternoon, you will discover that Cappadocia is a heaven for wine lovers, being one of the oldest vine yard regions in the World. You will be welcomed by the TURASAN Family’s third generation in charge of the main producing center of Cappadocia, as every bottle of wine is made with great care and attention to protecting their famous quality and taste in Turkey.

You will visit their underground wine collars, stocking their wine barrels that will eventually be bottled into ONE MILLION bottles for the local and International markets. Upstairs, you will enjoy their wine tasting ceremony of red-white and rose TURASAN wines, together with the best of local cheese.

Before you say good-bye to TURASAN’s warm hospitality prior to your transfer back to your hotel, you will be presented with a bottle of selected wine with UTS’s Compliments.

DAY 5 - CAPPADOCIA – KAYSERI – ISTANBUL

UTS’s representative will meet you at the lobby of your hotel for your private transfer to Kayseri Airport to take your flight to Istanbul to connect your outbound flight back home.