Cappadocia Green Tour: Ihlara Valley Hike & Underground City

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/30

Duration8h 20m

GroupUp to 15

LanguagesEN · TR

PickupAt your hotel

Walk a river canyon carved by ancient hands, then descend into stone chambers five stories deep.

The Deluxe Green Tour is a full-day guided sightseeing tour through southern Cappadocia that combines a scenic hike through Ihlara Valley with visits to Kaymaklı Underground City and Selime Monastery, plus panoramic stops at Pigeon Valley and a stone-carving workshop. The tour includes entrance tickets to all sites, an English-speaking guide, air-conditioned transport, and a local lunch; it runs about eight hours and is not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries, pregnancy, or cardiovascular concerns.

8h 20m

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore southern Cappadocia highlights

Visit high viewpoint over Göreme
See panoramic view of Uchisar Castle
Watch stone to jewelry making
Explore Kaymaklı Underground City
Hike along Melendiz River in Ihlara Valley
Visit Selime Monastery and learn about Silk Road

The Experience

The day starts with a high vantage point over Göreme and central Cappadocia, then moves to Pigeon Valley for views of Uchisar Castle and the surrounding landscape. A stop at a stone-carving workshop shows how local artisans shape raw rock into jewelry before the tour descends into Kaymaklı Underground City—55.5 meters deep across five floors, the deepest underground settlement in Anatolia. The tunnels and chambers reveal how people lived in ancient times, carved entirely from stone.

The main event is the hike through Ihlara Valley, a canyon with the Melendiz River running through it. You walk along the riverbank, discovering ancient rock-carved churches built into the cliff walls as you go. The valley's scale and the sound of the river create the backdrop for the afternoon. Afterward, the tour climbs to Selime Monastery, a rock-cut structure perched on a high hill near Selime Village. From there, views stretch across the landscape, and the guide explains the role of caravanserais along the Silk Road trade routes that once connected this region to the wider world.

Lunch is a local meal included in the tour, eaten somewhere along the route. Transport is air-conditioned throughout, and a professional English-speaking guide leads the entire day, handling the logistics so you move between sites without arranging pickups or entry separately.

What’s included

Entrance tickets to Kaymaklı Underground City, Ihlara Valley, and Selime Monastery.
an English-speaking professional guide.
air-conditioned vehicle transport.
a local lunch.
and panoramic photo stops at Pigeon Valley and Göreme viewpoint.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Paphlagonia Tour

Is this one for you?Book this if you want hiking, underground tunnels, and hilltop monastery in one day with a guide managing the route—choose it over separate outings only if you're comfortable with canyon walking and climbing to the monastery.