What you will see

One of the best ways to view the extraordinary rock formations is by hot-air balloon. On land there is a panoramic view from the citadel at Üçhisar with the the snow-capped capped Erciyes Dağı to the east, a reminder of the volcanic eruption that created this unique landscape. Cappadocia’s man-made achievements lie underground, in communities carved out of the soft volcanic tuff in what the Byzantines called the Land of the Troglodytes. Hermits and monks came here from the 4th century, and the 3,000 churches and chambers around the provincial capital of Nevşehir, ancient Nyssa, date largely from the 9th century. The concentration of painted churches and monasteries at Göreme has become an open air museum.
Underground cities can be visited at Derinkuyu, Ürgüp and Kaymaklı, all within easy striking distance of Nevşehir, and at Ozkonak near the ceramic town of Avanos. Ürgüp is a good base for visiting the area. The ash and lava fields created fertile valleys of fruit and sunflowers and its winelands are described in Cornucopia 31. The 15km Ilhara canyon, known as Anatolia’s Garden of Eden, is the most spectacular gorge in the region.