Day 10 of Turkey Vacation: Hiking in Göreme Valleys on August 28th, 2016

Last day in the beautiful Cappadocia region.

I had been thinking quite hard about what to do for the day, and I was seriously planning for Lake Tuz. But out hotel manager told us that there wasn’t much water in the salt lake in this season, and usually people put Lake Tuz tour along with the Green Tour in one day (and it would be quite a long day then).

I finally decided on trekking the valleys of the Cappadocia region. I saw online and heard from our tour guides that many of the valleys in Cappadocia can actually be walked, and I was particularly interested in the Pigeon Valley from Göreme to Uchisar.
After some more research, I settled on one day’s hiking from Göreme, through Pigeon Valley to Uchisar, visit its historic castle (that’s often seen in the previous two day’s tours), and then walk North along Love Valley, and then walk back through an ATV trail on some nameless plateau back to Göreme.

But before that, I decided to wake up early and watch the sunrise, while the sky’s decorated with colorful air balloons.

Balloons Preparing to Take Flight


Balloons Preparing to Take Flight


The images in this post are hosted on Imgur. Email me should there be any display problems.

So I walked to the same spot where I watched sunset last night. There were already some people up early to watch the sunrise like me, but not as many as yesterday’s sunset spectators.

Town fo Göreme before Sunrise


Town fo Göreme before Sunrise


Town fo Göreme before Sunrise


Town fo Göreme before Sunrise


Town of Göreme Waking Up


Town of Göreme Waking Up


Town of Göreme before Uchisar Castle


Town of Göreme before Uchisar Castle


Balloons Taking Flight


Balloons Taking Flight


Sky Glowing under Rising Sun


Sky Glowing under Rising Sun


Sky Glowing under Rising Sun


Sky Glowing under Rising Sun


Sunrise over East Cappadocia


Sunrise over East Cappadocia
Sunrise over East Cappadocia
Sunrise over East Cappadocia

While I was gazing over the distant horizon for sunrise, the balloons had all taken flight and began to decorate my skies.

Balloons in Cappadocia


Balloons in Cappadocia


Balloons in Cappadocia


Balloons in Cappadocia


Cone Rocks Towards East Cappadocia


Cone Rocks Towards East Cappadocia


On that day there were some clouds just above the Eastern horizon, so I got to watch sunrise twice, once rising over the horizon, and once over the clouds. Meantime, I was also enjoying the balloons on the other side of the sky.
Balloons in Cappadocia


Balloons in Cappadocia


Sunrise Bursting through Clouds over East Cappadocia


Sunrise Bursting through Clouds over East Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Sunrise Bursting through Clouds over East Cappadocia


Sunrise Bursting through Clouds over East Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Sunrise Bursting through Clouds over East Cappadocia


Sunrise Bursting through Clouds over East Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia
Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons Flying in Rising Sun over Cappadocia


Balloons Flying in Rising Sun over Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia before Rising Sun


Balloons over Cappadocia before Rising Sun


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia before Rising Sun


Balloons over Cappadocia before Rising Sun


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia before Rising Sun


Balloons over Cappadocia before Rising Sun


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons in Cappadocia Valley before Aktepe


Balloons in Cappadocia Valley before Aktepe


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Then there were some balloons flying low right next to us. I guessed they were the ones that got their own launch sites.
Balloon Flying Low in Cappadocia


Balloon Flying Low in Cappadocia


Balloons High over Cappadocia


Balloons High over Cappadocia


Balloons High over Cappadocia


Balloons High over Cappadocia


Balloon Flying Low in Cappadocia


Balloon Flying Low in Cappadocia


Cone Rocks Towards East Cappadocia


Cone Rocks Towards East Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons and Birds


Balloons and Birds


Balloon Flying Low in Cappadocia before Aktepe


Balloon Flying Low in Cappadocia before Aktepe


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons Flying Low in Cappadocia


Balloons Flying Low in Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloon over Cappadocia before Uchisar Castle


Balloon over Cappadocia before Uchisar Castle


Balloons Flying in Rising Sun over Cappadocia


Balloons Flying in Rising Sun over Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Rising Sun over East Cappadocia


Rising Sun over East Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Balloons over Cappadocia


Uchisar Castle in the Distance


Uchisar Castle in the Distance


Balloon behind Caves and Hotels of Göreme


Balloon behind Caves and Hotels of Göreme


Then it was quarter past 7, and I had been watching the balloons and sunrise for more than an hour. I thought it was time for me to head back, had breakfast, and began the day’s hiking.
Hotels Being Built in Göreme Town


Hotels Being Built in Göreme Town


Tower of Göreme Town Mosque


Tower of Göreme Town Mosque

Then it was the hiking part of the day.
I know by choosing to hike the valleys I would leave Cappadocia region without visiting its iconic Göreme Open-Air Museum. But to this day, it turned out that the most memorable part of my Göreme trip was its valleys, and I would definitely be willing to trade off one of the Green or Red tours for more hiking experiences.

Quick verdict, hike Pigeon Valley with its breathtaking scenery, drive up to Love Valley. The Southern part of Love Valley (near Uchisar) wasn’t so hiker-friendly.

My hiking tracks are on https://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=16069197.
The trials in the valleys were clearly marked in OpenStreetMap, also, one can easily find the GPS recordings of other hikers. Although there weren’t much signs in the valleys, with a cell phone one shouldn’t get lost.

Uchisar Castle through Pigeon Valley


Uchisar Castle through Pigeon Valley


Caves and Pigeon Holes near Göreme


Caves and Pigeon Holes near Göreme


So I left my hotel room at roughly 9 in the morning. The entrance of Pigeon Valley is clearly marked near Göreme.
Sign of Pigeon Valley


Sign of Pigeon Valley


Bridge over Ditch


Bridge over Ditch


Old Lady Pushing Cart of Firewood


Old Lady Pushing Cart of Firewood
After being a proper tourist in the Cappadocia region for two days, it was so glad to see signs of humanity like this.


Farmland by Rocks of Göreme


Farmland by Rocks of Göreme


Trees along Pigeon Valley Trail


Trees along Pigeon Valley Trail


Rock Tunnels along Pigeon Valley Trail


Rock Tunnels along Pigeon Valley Trail


Rock Tunnels along Pigeon Valley Trail


Rock Tunnels along Pigeon Valley Trail


Rock Tunnels along Pigeon Valley Trail


Rock Tunnels along Pigeon Valley Trail


Sun Shining through Trees along Pigeon Valley Trail


Sun Shining through Trees along Pigeon Valley Trail


Pigon Valley Trail


Pigon Valley Trail


Pigeon Holes along Pigeon Valley


Pigeon Holes along Pigeon Valley


Rock Tunnels along Pigeon Valley Trail


Rock Tunnels along Pigeon Valley Trail


Sun Shining through Trees along Pigeon Valley Trail


Sun Shining through Trees along Pigeon Valley Trail


Rocks along Pigeon Valley


Rocks along Pigeon Valley


Rocks along Pigeon Valley


Rocks along Pigeon Valley


Pigon Valley Trail


Pigon Valley Trail


Rocks along Pigeon Valley


Rocks along Pigeon Valley


Rocks and Trees along Pigeon Valley


Rocks and Trees along Pigeon Valley


Rocks along Pigeon Valley


Rocks along Pigeon Valley


Pigon Valley Trail


Pigon Valley Trail
It turned out that I should take another parallel trail, not this one.

My hike into Pigeon Valley was all going well, until I was unexpectedly welcomed by some barking dogs. Since I’m dog-phobia, it took me quite a long time to make sure that the dogs were properly leashed before I proceeded with extreme caution into my hike.
I turned out that I was passing through what used to be a restaurant (or vending booth) in the Pigeon Valley trail. I guess not many tourists would walk this Pigeon Valley trail, so that catering restaurant or shop was closed at the moment, and some dogs were guarding that property, against thieves I thought. Obviously to the dogs, I qualified as one.

Dogs Guarding Pigon Valley Trail


Dogs Guarding Pigon Valley Trail
The dogs were leashed, but they did bark very loud.

Another problem here was that, there were so many trails in the Pigeon Valley, that I wasn’t aware that I needed to deviate to another trail in a bifurcation 50 meters ago. With the barking of dogs keeping me on alert, it took me quite some time before finally the GPS files I downloaded from other explorers helped, and I got back to the right trail.

Rocks along Pigeon Valley Trail


Rocks along Pigeon Valley Trail


Rock Tunnels along Pigeon Valley Trail


Rock Tunnels along Pigeon Valley Trail
It turned out that I should take another parallel trail, not this one.


Rocks and Trees along Pigeon Valley


Rocks and Trees along Pigeon Valley


Pigeon Valley


Pigeon Valley
This is roughly where the annoying barking dogs were.


Rocks and Trees along Pigeon Valley


Rocks and Trees along Pigeon Valley


Pigeon Valley


Pigeon Valley
This is roughly where the annoying barking dogs were.


Cliffs of Pigeon Valley


Cliffs of Pigeon Valley


Rocks along Pigeon Valley


Rocks along Pigeon Valley


Branches and Tiny Flowers along Pigeon Valley


Branches and Tiny Flowers along Pigeon Valley
Plants like these were all over in Cappadocia.


Pigeon Valley Trail


Pigeon Valley Trail[/caption
[caption width="760"]Rocks along Pigeon Valley
Rocks along Pigeon Valley


Rocks and Trees along Pigeon Valley


Rocks and Trees along Pigeon Valley


Cliffs along Pigeon Valley


Cliffs along Pigeon Valley


Trails in Pigeon Valley


Trails in Pigeon Valley


Rocks along Pigeon Valley


Rocks along Pigeon Valley


Trail in Pigeon Valley


Trail in Pigeon Valley
Arrow points to the direction of Uchisar.


Wave-like Cliff Rocks of Pigeon Valley


Wave-like Cliff Rocks of Pigeon Valley


Wave-like Cliff Rocks of Pigeon Valley


Wave-like Cliff Rocks of Pigeon Valley


Pigeon Valley Trail


Pigeon Valley Trail
From here on the trials are car-accessible.


There are a number of exits of Pigeon Valley trail on the Uchisar part, and by 10 I was at the first exit. There was a shop open for business at this exit. (The previous close shop guarded by barking dogs was not accessible by cars, but this one was, so I guess this was why it stayed open.)
However, I decided to stay in Pigeon Valley a little bit longer, which meant I climbed up and got some wonderful bird’s-eye view of the Pigeon Valley and its surrounds, which was spectacular.
Land of Vivid Color near Uchisar


Land of Vivid Color near Uchisar


Pigeon Valley


Pigeon Valley
Near Uchisar.


Overlooking Pigeon Valley


Overlooking Pigeon Valley


Town of Uchisar with Its Castle


Town of Uchisar with Its Castle


Overlooking Pigeon Valley


Overlooking Pigeon Valley


Overlooking Pigeon Valley


Overlooking Pigeon Valley


Hikers down Pigeon Valley


Hikers down Pigeon Valley


Trees in Pigeon Valley


Trees in Pigeon Valley


Aktepe in the Distance


Aktepe in the Distance


Rock Formation on Top of Pigeon Valley


Rock Formation on Top of Pigeon Valley


Aktepe and Pigeon Valley


Aktepe and Pigeon Valley

After that, I climbed down and continued my journey in the Pigeon Valley.

At one time I happened to spot a cave that’s about my height and my width, so I decided to have a little adventure in it.

Cave Passage

Cave Passage
Cave Passage


Cliffs along Pigeon Valley


Cliffs along Pigeon Valley


Pigeon Valley


Pigeon Valley
I came out of the cave on the right, and found it’s a dead end.

So after scraping my backpack against the rocks for 15 minutes, I came out of the other end of the cave passage on some sort of mini cliff 3 meters above ground, with no way down though. So I took some photos, greeted some passing Turkish hikers (as they wondered how I got up there), and braved myself (and my backpack) for the way out.

Rock in Pigeon Valley


Rock in Pigeon Valley


Pigeon Valley


Pigeon Valley


Rocks along Pigeon Valley


Rocks along Pigeon Valley


Gaps of Rocks down Pigeon Valley


Gaps of Rocks down Pigeon Valley


Rocks along Pigeon Valley


Rocks along Pigeon Valley


Rocks along Pigeon Valley


Rocks along Pigeon Valley


Rocks along Pigeon Valley


Rocks along Pigeon Valley


Plank Bridge in Pigeon Valley


Plank Bridge in Pigeon Valley


Rocks and Trail in Pigeon Valley


Rocks and Trail in Pigeon Valley


Rocks and Pigeon Holes along Pigeon Valley


Rocks and Pigeon Holes along Pigeon Valley


Trees in Pigeon Valley before Uchisar Town


Trees in Pigeon Valley before Uchisar Town


Trees along Pigeon Valley


Trees along Pigeon Valley


Flowers Planted by Local Farmers


Flowers Planted by Local Farmers


Pigeon Valley Trail along Fences of Local Farmland


Pigeon Valley Trail along Fences of Local Farmland


Caves in Cone Rocks


Caves in Cone Rocks


Trees along Pigeon Valley


Trees along Pigeon Valley


Trails in Pigeon Valley


Trails in Pigeon Valley

After taking in all the wonderful sceneries, I exited Pigeon Valley at around 11 o’clock, at the second last exit. (The last exit of Pigeon Valley was way South of Uchisar, which is where Red Tour and Green Tour participants take their photos of “Pigeon Valley and Uchisar Castle”. The other exits are just in the Uchisar town.)

Trail in Pigeon Valley Leading to Uchisar Town


Trail in Pigeon Valley Leading to Uchisar Town
With Rock Caves along the way.


Looking Back at Pigeon Valley Trails


Looking Back at Pigeon Valley Trails


Cave Rooms outside Uchisar Town


Cave Rooms outside Uchisar Town


Cave Rooms outside Uchisar Town


Cave Rooms outside Uchisar Town


Cave Rooms outside Uchisar Town


Cave Rooms outside Uchisar Town


Looking Back at Pigeon Valley


Looking Back at Pigeon Valley


Aktepe from Uchisar


Aktepe from Uchisar

While I was walking in Uchisar Town, I spotted numerous construction sites where the workers were converting ancient caves to modern cave hotels. One worker on the outskirt of town along Pigeon Valley even invited me to a drink (of water). I guess the town of Göreme had run out of caves to convert, and so it’s the turn for Uchisar caves.
By the way, it didn’t seem very much a bad idea to stay instead in Uchisar hotels, as the views in Uchisar are in my opinion better than Göreme, because Uchisar is on high ground and can see much farther.

Cave Rooms in Uchisar Town


Cave Rooms in Uchisar Town


Cave Rooms in Uchisar Town


Cave Rooms in Uchisar Town

Then I happened to spot some pigeons resting on (and flying between) some newly constructed hotel eaves.

Pigeons on Eaves


Pigeons on Eaves


Pigeons Taking Flight


Pigeons Taking Flight


Pigeons Taking Flight


Pigeons Taking Flight
Pigeons Taking Flight


Farmlands beyond Uchisar


Farmlands beyond Uchisar

After that, I got to Uchisar Castle, and climbed it to claim the best view of Cappadocia region (other than on an air balloon).

West Cappadocia from Uchisar


West Cappadocia from Uchisar


Uchisar Castle Exterior


Uchisar Castle Exterior


Room in Uchisar Castle


Room in Uchisar Castle


Halls in Uchisar Castle


Halls in Uchisar Castle

Yes, parts of the Uchisar Castle interior were accessible to visitors, but with the more magnificent Selime Monastery and underground cities, most visitors to the Uchisar Castle were only for the view, like me.

Uchisar Castle Exterior


Uchisar Castle Exterior


Landscape of Cappadocia


Landscape of Cappadocia
With Pigeon Valley and Aktepe.


South-West Pigeon Valley


South-West Pigeon Valley


Landscape of Cappadocia


Landscape of Cappadocia
With country road from Uchisar to Göreme.


East Cappadocia from Uchisar Castle


East Cappadocia from Uchisar Castle


North-West Cappadocia from Uchisar Castle


North-West Cappadocia from Uchisar Castle


West Cappadocia from Uchisar Castle


West Cappadocia from Uchisar Castle


East Cappadocia from Uchisar Castle


East Cappadocia from Uchisar Castle


South Cappadocia from Uchisar Castle


South Cappadocia from Uchisar Castle


Turkish Flag Flying over Uchisar Castle


Turkish Flag Flying over Uchisar Castle


South-West Pigeon Valley


South-West Pigeon Valley

After that, I replenish my water supply through local vendors at Uchisar, and headed for the Love Valley.

Aktepe in the Distance


Aktepe in the Distance


Rooftop Decorations of Local Items


Rooftop Decorations of Local Items


Local Garden in Uchisar


Local Garden in Uchisar
That sculpture looked like some ultra-modern horse.

From Uchisar it was a short hike along the country road to Göreme, a left turn at yesterday’s Onyx factory/shop, a slightly longer hike on country dirt road before a very steep trail down to the beginning of Love Valley.

Country Road from Uchisar to Göreme


Country Road from Uchisar to Göreme


Country Road from Uchisar to Göreme


Country Road from Uchisar to Göreme


Aktepe in the Distance


Aktepe in the Distance


Country Road before Uchisar


Country Road before Uchisar


Hotels beneath Uchisar Castle


Hotels beneath Uchisar Castle


Hotels beneath Uchisar Castle


Hotels beneath Uchisar Castle


Love Valley Trail Sign


Love Valley Trail Sign


Trail to Love Valley before Uchisar Castle


Trail to Love Valley before Uchisar Castle


Grapes in the Field


Grapes in the Field


Valley Emerging North of Uchisar


Valley Emerging North of Uchisar
With Aktepe in the distance.


Grapes in the Field


Grapes in the Field


Grape Fields


Grape Fields


Grapes in the Field


Grapes in the Field


Aktepe in the Distance


Aktepe in the Distance


Trails Splitting before Love Valley


Trails Splitting before Love Valley
I took the left trail, the trail on the right was not on the map yet…


Overlooking Love Valley Entrance


Overlooking Love Valley Entrance


Overlooking Love Valley


Overlooking Love Valley


Steep Trail down to Love Valley

Steep Trail down to Love Valley
Steep Trail down to Love Valley
The trail was steep, and as one can see there were those unstable gravels that could shift at any moment which added to the difficult of walking downwards.


Cliffs of Love Valley


Cliffs of Love Valley


Cliffs of Love Valley


Cliffs of Love Valley


Slopes of Love Valley


Slopes of Love Valley


Rocks and Slopes of Love Valley


Rocks and Slopes of Love Valley


Steep Trail down to Love Valley


Steep Trail down to Love Valley
Walking on them was the norm in South Love Valley.


Curvatures of Rocks in Love Valley


Curvatures of Rocks in Love Valley


Sun Shining on Top of Trees in Love Valley


Sun Shining on Top of Trees in Love Valley


Cliffs of Love Valley


Cliffs of Love Valley


Trees and Cliffs in Love Valley


Trees and Cliffs in Love Valley


Desert Plant in Love Valley


Desert Plant in Love Valley


Trees in Love Valley


Trees in Love Valley


Trees and Rocks in Love Valley


Trees and Rocks in Love Valley


Flowers with Thorns in Love Valley


Flowers with Thorns in Love Valley
They were everywhere in Love Valley. The problem was that, the trails were much narrower in Love Valley, which meant I was constantly in contact with their annoying thorns.

To be fair, the Southern part of Love Valley wasn’t really suitable for hiking. The trails are often too narrow (due to those flowers with thorns and other branches of plants), the slopes were often too steep (and the gravels meant they required additional caution). Worst of all, there were literally zero fellow hikers with barely any cell phone signal, which meant there could be no help in case of accident.
And the cone rocks were not as dense as the Northern part of Love Valley.

Cliffs of Love Valley


Cliffs of Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cliffs and Cone Rocks of Love Valley


Cliffs and Cone Rocks of Love Valley


Trees and Rocks in Love Valley


Trees and Rocks in Love Valley


Narrow Ditch as Passage in Love Valley


Narrow Ditch as Passage in Love Valley


Trail in Love Valley


Trail in Love Valley


Trail in Love Valley


Trail in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Trees and Rocks in Love Valley


Trees and Rocks in Love Valley


Dead Tree in Love Valley


Dead Tree in Love Valley
Against which the liveliness of its surrounding was contrasted.


Trail in Love Valley Overgrown by Plants


Trail in Love Valley Overgrown by Plants


Passage into Caves in Love Valley


Passage into Caves in Love Valley


Pigeon Holes in Love Valley


Pigeon Holes in Love Valley


Grapes Grown in Love Valley


Grapes Grown in Love Valley


Fruits Grown in Love Valley


Fruits Grown in Love Valley


Cone Rocks and Pigeon Holes in Love Valley


Cone Rocks and Pigeon Holes in Love Valley


Trees in Love Valley


Trees in Love Valley


Rocks in Love Valley


Rocks in Love Valley


Trees and Trail in Love Valley

Trees and Trail in Love Valley
Trees and Trail in Love Valley


Sun Shining through Trees along Love Valley Trail


Sun Shining through Trees along Love Valley Trail


Trail along Rocks in Love Valley


Trail along Rocks in Love Valley


Trail along Piled Rocks in Love Valley


Trail along Piled Rocks in Love Valley
There’s a grape field on the right. From now on the trails of Love Valley began to be wider and more accessible.

After this I was in Northern Love Valley, where there were grape fields since cars were accessible.

Grapes Field and Rocks in Love Valley


Grapes Field and Rocks in Love Valley


Trail in Love Valley


Trail in Love Valley


Rocks in Love Valley


Rocks in Love Valley


Rock Bridge in Love Valley


Rock Bridge in Love Valley


Rock Bridge and Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Rock Bridge and Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Plants and Rocks of Love Valley


Plants and Rocks of Love Valley


Trail in Love Valley


Trail in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Trail and Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Trail and Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Plains in Love Valley


Plains in Love Valley


Width of Love Valley


Width of Love Valley


Rocks and Grapes Field in Love Valley


Rocks and Grapes Field in Love Valley


Rugged Rocks of Love Valley


Rugged Rocks of Love Valley

Not after that it was the core area of Love Valley, which got its name from the cone rocks resembling male’s genital parts due to erosion.

Cone Rocks of Love Valley


Cone Rocks of Love Valley


Cone Rocks of Love Valley


Cone Rocks of Love Valley


Dead Plant in Love Valley


Dead Plant in Love Valley
From what’s left of it, one can still see its good old days.


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley underneath Sun


Cone Rocks in Love Valley underneath Sun


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Distant Table Mountain from Love Valley


Distant Table Mountain from Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley underneath Sun


Cone Rocks in Love Valley underneath Sun


Rocks of Love Valley


Rocks of Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley against Blue Sky


Cone Rocks in Love Valley against Blue Sky


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley
There’s a shop before them.


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley

Then I found a (very steep) path up to one of them, so that I didn’t need to stay on the bottom of this forest of penises cone rocks.

Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Steep Hill onto a Cone Rock


Steep Hill onto a Cone Rock


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Road Leaving Love Valley


Road Leaving Love Valley


Grapes Field and Rocks in North Cappadocia


Grapes Field and Rocks in North Cappadocia


Trail Leaving Love Valley


Trail Leaving Love Valley


Plains and Rocks in North Cappadocia


Plains and Rocks in North Cappadocia


Plains and Rocks in North Cappadocia


Plains and Rocks in North Cappadocia


Love Valley Overlooking North Cappadocia


Love Valley Overlooking North Cappadocia


Country Road in North Cappadocia


Country Road in North Cappadocia


Aktepe


Aktepe


Country Road in North Cappadocia


Country Road in North Cappadocia

It was half past 3 in the afternoon, and I had two options going back to Göreme, one was to take the well-paved country road between Çavuşin and Göreme, the other was to walk a nameless trail appeared on my cell phone map (that later turned out to be an ATV trail). Of course I chose the latter, which appeared to be more fun.

Çavuşin Cave Village before Aktepe


Çavuşin Cave Village before Aktepe


Village of Çavuşin before Table Mountain


Village of Çavuşin before Table Mountain


Trail onto Plateau back to Göreme


Trail onto Plateau back to Göreme


Aktepe and North Cappadocia


Aktepe and North Cappadocia


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Cone Rocks in Love Valley


Rocks and Plains North of Love Valley


Rocks and Plains North of Love Valley


Distant Table Mountain under Clouds


Distant Table Mountain under Clouds


Aktepe and North Cappadocia


Aktepe and North Cappadocia


Aktepe under Clouds


Aktepe under Clouds


Rocks in North Cappadocia


Rocks in North Cappadocia


Aktepe under Clouds


Aktepe under Clouds


Pumpkins in the Fields


Pumpkins in the Fields


Uchisar Castle against Farmlands


Uchisar Castle against Farmlands


Pumpkins in the Fields


Pumpkins in the Fields


Aktepe


Aktepe


Aktepe and North Cappadocia


Aktepe and North Cappadocia


Aktepe with Rocks in North Cappadocia


Aktepe with Rocks in North Cappadocia

There wasn’t much to talk about on that final leg back to Göreme, other than the Aktepe was constantly at my left, and I could watch the clouds casting some beautiful shadows onto its cliffs. And that there was literally no traffic on that ATV trail, except for once some ATV’s passed me, and I was waiting on the side for more than one minute before the dusts were settled down.

Paved Trail Leading to Göreme


Paved Trail Leading to Göreme


Balloon Gondolas Stored


Balloon Gondolas Stored


Sculpture outside Göreme Government Building


Sculpture outside Göreme Government Building
Rocks and horses, two things most representative of the Cappadocia region.

I got back to Göreme at 16:20, booked airport shuttle through some local travel agency (I thought the standard price was 20TL per person to Nevşehir Airport), picked up my bags at our hotel, that was basically the end of day (, except the flight log which was one a separate post).

Of course, on the minivan ride to airport, I took some more photos.

Aktepe under Clouds


Aktepe under Clouds


Table Mountain under Clouds


Table Mountain under Clouds


Crossing Kızılırmak River outside Avanos


Crossing Kızılırmak River outside Avanos


Farmlands in North-West Cappadocia


Farmlands in North-West Cappadocia


Farmlands in North-West Cappadocia


Farmlands in North-West Cappadocia


Farmlands in North-West Cappadocia


Farmlands in North-West Cappadocia


Crossing Kızılırmak River outside Gülşehir


Crossing Kızılırmak River outside Gülşehir


Farmlands West of Gülşehir


Farmlands West of Gülşehir


Farmlands West of Gülşehir


Farmlands West of Gülşehir


Control Tower of Nevşehir Airport


Control Tower of Nevşehir Airport


END

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Day 10 of Turkey Vacation: Hiking in Göreme Valleys on August 28th, 2016 by Huang's Site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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