Cappadocia South Tour: Derinkuyu, Ihlara & Selime Monastery

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/9

Duration8h–9h

GroupUp to 15

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Walk through eight centuries underground, then hike a canyon carved by monks

The Cappadocia South tour is a full-day guided sightseeing trip through the southern region of Cappadocia, visiting Derinkuyu Underground City, Ihlara Valley, Selime Monastery and Pigeon Valley viewpoint. A professional English-speaking guide leads the group in an air-conditioned vehicle, with hotel pickup included and lunch at a riverside restaurant in the valley. The tour runs 8 to 9 hours and suits all fitness levels, though it is not recommended for travelers with claustrophobia or spinal injuries.

8h–9h

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore southern Cappadocia highlights

Start at Göreme Panorama viewpoint
Visit Derinkuyu Underground City
Walk 4km in Ihlara Valley
Lunch at riverside restaurant in Ihlara Valley
Explore Selime Monastery
Stop at Uçhisar viewpoint over Pigeon Valley
Visit onyx stone factory

The Experience

If you've landed in Cappadocia and want to see the south without renting a car or navigating on your own, this tour handles the route, the timing and the entry to four major stops. You start at Derinkuyu Underground City, the region's biggest and deepest underground settlement, carved into the rock in the 7th and 8th centuries. Your guide takes you down eight interconnected levels through narrow tunnels and stone-carved stairways, pointing out the winery, church, kitchens, food storage areas and animal stalls that show how people lived underground for centuries.

From there you move to Ihlara Valley for an easy 4-kilometer walk along the river through a deep canyon scattered with cave churches carved by early Christian monks. The walk takes about an hour and ends at a riverside restaurant where you eat a Turkish kebab-style lunch. After lunch, you visit Selime Monastery, the biggest rock-carved monastery in the region, which once housed Hittite, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman civilizations. The final stop is a viewpoint in Uçhisar overlooking Pigeon Valley, where you see the pigeon houses carved from stone by ancient inhabitants. You also pass through Göreme Panorama viewpoint early in the day, where the guide explains how the landscape formed.

Three purchase options let you choose what suits your needs: the Classic Route with all inclusions (guide, vehicle, lunch and entry); the Classic Route without lunch if you prefer to eat elsewhere; or the guide-and-transfer option if you want to skip the lunch stop. Hotel pickup is included, and the guide speaks English throughout the day.

What’s included

Professional English-speaking guide.
air-conditioned vehicle with hotel pickup.
entry to Derinkuyu Underground City, Ihlara Valley, and Selime Monastery.
Turkish kebab-style lunch at a riverside restaurant (on the all-inclusive and lunch-included options).

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyNot for back problems

Operated by Gorgeous Travel - Daily Tours & Balloon Flights

Is this one for you?Book the all-inclusive Classic Route if you want entry, transport and a meal arranged so you can focus on the sights instead of logistics. Choose the option without lunch if you prefer to eat at a place of your own choosing, or pick guide-and-transfer only if you're visiting some sites on your own and just need the ride and the guide for the stops that matter most to you.