Ihlara valley in
Cappadocia is a place that you will either love or hate. It is a 14Km
hike through a gorge that was formed thousands of years ago when there
was an earthquake and volcano eruptions one after the other.
If you don’t want to complete a full
14km trek, there are four entrances and exits situated at various
points. Just completing 4km of the Ihlara Valley trek
will amaze you and remind you about the power of Mother Nature. The
entrance that I walked down was 365 steps but there are other entrances
where you can drive straight down to the gorge.
Along the trek are four ancient
Christian churches that were made hundreds of years ago when people
carved into the rock and made caves their homes and places of worship.
You can see still paintings on the rock face that were made all those
years ago.
Pack plenty of water bottles to drink
along the way because even though there is a tea garden and restaurants
along the trek, you will definitely build up a thirst. The food at the
restaurant was good if your taste buds had previously lost the will to
live, otherwise I would take a packed lunch if walking makes you build
up an appetite.
Tips for the Ihlara Valley of Cappadocia
I went to the Ihlara valley as part of a
day tour that I had booked. We spent about three hours there and that
included having lunch. If you are the type of person who loves walking
and sightseeing then I would suggest skipping the tours and coming here
independently so that you can spend a full day taking in the
surroundings at your own pace. We were with a group of eight other
people and I felt the walk through the gorge was too quick.
We only completed 4km but in this time, I
would have liked to stop and take in the beauty of the Ihlara Valley. I
also would have liked to visit the small village of Ihlara nearby, and
take in the ambience of how Turkey really is. Readers that know me,
will also know that I live in Altinkum which is a Turkish
town geared up for tourists. It has lost its authenticity where as one
look at Ihlara will tell you that they have been totally unaffected by
the thousands of tourist that visit there every year.
This walk is definitely getting in touch
with nature in its prime and even if you only complete 4km of the trek,
I strongly recommend you put it at the top of your list of things to do
when in Cappadocia.
In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks. Quote by John Muir
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