Ohhh it's so good to be on proper holidays again. While I do have the incredible privilege of getting to travel nearly full time as I work remotely (and most recently spent five weeks based in Istanbul), it's the joy of traveling purely with the intent of seeing the world and documenting my adventures that excites me the most.
After the wonderful time I had in Istanbul, I was so ready to uncover more of Türkiye and, along with a colleague of mine, took a ten-day holiday covering the many varied highlights of this totally underrated country. Our first stop was Cappadocia, reached by an early morning 1h 10m flight between IST and Nevşehir, one of the two aiports in the region (the other being Kayseri). Read my detailed guide to Cappadocia here for all the tips on making the most of your time in this fairytale-like area.
The first thing we did when we arrived in Cappadocia, after checking into our beautiful cave hotel, was to get out into the exquisite landscapes that make the area so famous. The mind-blowing rock formations and surreal raw environments here make for the perfect playground to get out into nature.
The hike to Pigeon Valley is a loop trail that can be started in either Uçhisar or Göreme. Although many people only stop to view Pigeon Valley from the famous viewpoint just outside Uçhisar, it is on the valley floor where you can get up close and personal with the rock formations and really admire what makes this place so special.
PIGEON VALLEY HIKE DETAILS
When: year-round, but there will likely be snow from December - February
Where: between Uçhisar and Göreme
Difficulty: easy
Length: the trail is about 13km if you do the complete loop including walking between the two towns. Pigeon Valley hike itself is about 4km.
Directions: from Göreme, we walked following the Google Maps trail above the valley to the pin marked Pigeon Valley [GM link]. This is the famous viewpoint most tourists visit. Continue through Uçhisar to Path Cross [GM link] from where you can enter the valley. Follow the trails on the valley floor to Pigeon Valley Trailhead East [GM link] back to Göreme. Google Maps does not have any of the valley trails between Path Cross and Pigeon Valley Trailhead East; Strava does, though!
Bathrooms: yes, in Uçhisar and Göreme
Public Transit: not needed as you can walk from your hotel in either Uçhisar or Göreme. If you want to start the trail in Göreme at Pigeon Valley Trailhead East and finish in Uçhisar just up from Path Cross, you can take a taxi for ~40 lira back into Göreme.
Looking over the valley on the walk from Göreme
The famous Pigeon Valley viewpoint
Walking down to Path Cross from Uçhisar
CHECK OUT MY VLOG OF CAPPADOCIA HERE!
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
