Map of cappadocia pink tourmaline. Description and map of hiking routes through the valleys of Cappadocia

19.11.2021

Scientists call the Upper Pooskolye “the country of living fossils”.

Here, on the left bank of a river with a surprisingly ancient root in its name - Apochka, Since pre-glacial times, the relict plant Julia's wolfberry has been “registered” - or rather, one species of it that is not found anywhere else on earth.

Pink Valley - this is what experts call this tract.

Floral carpet woven before the Ice Age
The “Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Central Black Earth Region,” published in 1934, reported that the village of Barkalovka “is very famous among botanists due to the exceptional originality and richness of the surrounding vegetation. Here, on chalk hillocks covered with virgin soil, on the left bank of the Apochka River, dozens of hectares (pasture, inconvenience) of grass remain, in many ways reminiscent of alpine meadows and mountain yaylas. The picture is especially unique and impressive in the spring (May), when a low and thick carpet represents a continuous flower garden, with a mass of rare plants, such as Julia's wolfberry, shiverekia, etc. These patches of vegetation are considered relics of the nature of the Central Black Sea region from the time of the Ice Age, i.e. the most important documents of the natural history of our region.”

This preservation of ancient representatives of the local flora is explained by the peculiarities of the glacier’s movement in this area: it “crept” along the hollows without affecting the tops of the hills. As a matter of fact, it took place somewhere nearby southern border its distribution.

It is striking that the soil of the hills covered with wolfberry is extremely poor; it is almost entirely chalk, in contrast to the surrounding reference black soils, which extend hundreds of kilometers to the south, north, east and west.

This chalk has been our favorite relic since ancient times.

Once there were lizards here, but now there are only lizards

The famous botanist Boris Mikhailovich Kozo-Polyansky described the Barkal relics in detail in his brochure “Black Earth Rhododendron,” published in Voronezh in 1925. He also prepared an album of photocopies of rare plants of our region, published in Germany.
In 1927, the growing areas of Yulia's wolfberry were included in the list of lands “subject to conservation.”
Currently, the hilly surroundings of Barkalovka are part of the Central Black Earth State Natural biosphere reserve them. Professor V.V. Alekhina.

a protected place from a bird's eye view:

Every year in mid-May, the dome-shaped protected hills are covered with bright pink flowers of a plant that survived the Ice Age.

top of a hill with blooming Daphne Julia, view from above

In total, there are about 50 species of wolfberry in the world. 14-17 of them have been spotted in Russia. A similar species of wolfberry is found in the Alps. But precisely this type, according to Kozo-Polyansky, does not exist anywhere else.

People come from various places to look at the relic in its “finest hour” (the first half of May): Moscow, Kursk, Voronezh, Stary Oskol. Alone in the composition organized excursions, others are savages.

The territory of the reserve is protected by Alexander Karkhanov and Andrey Malykhin. Those who come here to admire the beauty of Daphne julia (as the highlight of the reserve is called in Latin) are warmly received by the guards. And those who “went out into nature for a cultural holiday” may be asked to leave the protected area.

The smell of the relict plant is pleasant. However, it is better not to enjoy it for a long time. Your head may hurt. Even though he is Yulia, he is still a wolfberry. Its berries, as befits wolfberries, are poisonous.

Fans of garden rarities cultivate similar species in their gardens, but this plant rarely takes root after being transplanted to a new place. Therefore, gardeners prefer to purchase Daphnia planting material in specialized nurseries.

Here are more beauties of the rose valley:

Adonis blooms and fades a little earlier than daphne

Shiverekia Podolskaya

onosma protozoa

Russian hazel grouse

feather grass

The lands adjacent to the reserve are also required by environmental law to be spared. Therefore, at the entrances to the Barkalovsky site you can see a lot of interesting things.

A family of storks returns here every spring to your home.

The bridge across the Apochka was built at a minimum of cost - it is an embankment under which pipes for the river flow are laid. A tin of worms was forgotten by a local fisherman:

The bridge-embankment formed a boltse, which was chosen by a family of swans several years ago.

By the way - the names of numerous Russian rivers with roots api- A pass(Opochka, Opoka, Apochka, Upa, etc.) the wonderful Russian linguist Oleg Nikolaevich Trubachev derives from the word that called water. These are the names of the Vedic goddess Apas and the mythical mother of the Scythians Api. And our “drink” is not far from api . Thus, our Apochka is included in the hydronymic area, which Trubachev called the most ancient Indo-European.

Such preservation, almost constancy, of local hydronymy, coupled with archaeological finds of this area, is evidence that the local indigenous population is not newcomers, but their ancestors lived here for at least the last 4,000 years.

I don’t know if our dad will be able to take us to Barkalovka in the next few days, but over the previous 4 years we have already become accustomed to trips to the Rose Valley every May.

There is also an interesting video where Daphne is one of the central characters, but, alas, I cannot insert it here. https://vimeo.com/130315584

For those heading to Cappadocia or just thinking about where to spend their next holiday, we present our guide to this amazing region of Turkey. Everything here is unusual: mountains, rock hotels, restaurants and monasteries. We will tell you about what is worthy of your attention first.

Cappadocia in a larger size

So, Cappadocia or the “Land of Beautiful Horses” was first mentioned in chronicles during the time of the Roman Emperor Augustus. The origin of central Cappadocia is unique. As archaeologists say, about 100 million years ago, the three main volcanoes of this territory, Erciyes, Hasan and Goludag, were especially active. In a relentless eruption, they spat out kilotons of volcanic masses that settled on the plateau, the bottom of local rivers and Lake Neozhen. Over time, the masses formed tuff of different densities and different contents. In addition, local rivers, rivulets and streams, over time and with the help of winds, eroded the soft tuff, forming peculiar mountain cones. And because The composition of the tuff in some places included basalt, in others other harder rocks, then on the tops of the cones in some valleys, sort of rowing caps were formed.

Erciyes Volcano

Tuff deposits near the city of Uchisar

In this way the peribajalars were formed. Valley of Love.

Kiriklar Valley

Interestingly, the diversity of volcanic emissions has created a surprisingly diverse landscape. Having walked around all the valleys of Cappadocia, I guarantee that each of the valleys can present its own unique view of the mountains and landscape. It is curious that in English these unique mountain shapes sound like “fairy-chimney” or “fairy chimneys” :) And even in Turkish they sound somehow fairy-tale-like - “peribajalary”.

These are the gnome houses you will find on the outskirts of the city of Uchisar, on the road to the “Valley of Dovecotes”

"Valley of Dovecotes". Uchisar

If you are going to Cappadocia, then the best way to get here is by plane to Nevsehir, and then by taxi to the city of Goreme, which is 30-40 kilometers from the airport. Taxi drivers, like everywhere else, are cunning, but no one has canceled the use of meters. The road to the city will cost you about 150 Turkish lira.

Goreme is the center of mountain, party, restaurant and cultural life Cappadocia. Without hesitation, we recommend “dropping anchor” here. In addition to close proximity to all major attractions, Goreme also offers a greater selection of hotels, restaurants, tours and other entertainment.

Goreme city from the observation deck.

Helpful advice: Don’t be lazy and look for a hotel carved into a real rock to stay. Such hotels, as a rule, have the word “cave” in their names (Ottoman Cave Suite, Rome cave hotel, etc.). However, it is worth specifying separately or indicating in the booking that you need a rock room.

Rock boutique hotel in Uchisar

We won't do full review of all the places in Cappadocia, but we will note, in our subjective opinion, only the ten most interesting places where you should definitely go.

1. Goreme Museum Reserve (Göreme Open Air Museum)

This is the first place that is definitely worth visiting. It is located a kilometer from the city itself, practically within walking distance. The museum itself is located in the valley, where in the 4th-13th centuries the entire spiritual and religious life of Christian Byzantium was concentrated. Great Christian associates lived here - Basil the Great, his brother Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory the Theologian. Don't miss the Buckle Church, which is located outside the museum on the road towards Goreme. There is a single ticket to the museum and the church.

Goreme Museum-Reserve. Rock churches.

Valley at the entrance to the Goreme Museum-Reserve

2. The city of Uchisar and the Uchisar Fortress (Uchisar Castle)

It is impossible to miss it, as it is the most high point throughout Cappadocia. The fortress was originally a high tuff mountain, but since the area was at the intersection of interests of different states and peoples and was often raided, the mountain was adapted into a garrison fortress and observation post.

Uchisar fortress

View of the Uchisar fortress. Cappadocia in March

View from the top of the Uchisar fortress

The mountain is pitted with dozens of windows, entrances, rooms and passages. Most of the premises are littered and inaccessible to visitors.

Sunset is the best time to climb to the top. Just don’t rush to go down and wait until the very end. Sunsets in Cappadocia are surprisingly varied. If you are interested in photography, then the daily seeing-off of the sun “over the hill” will delight you with the unusual colors of sky flashes and the whimsical play of clouds. Again, for photo lovers, the view from the western side during sunset is especially picturesque: many windows, openings, dovecotes. Entrance to the fortress is paid.

Sunsets in Uchisar

3. Pigeon Valley

The valley stretches for several kilometers from Goreme to Uchisar. We advise you to get to Uchisar and start descending from there. This way you will constantly be going down, rather than climbing up. Agree, this is much more pleasant;)

"Valley of Dovecotes"

4. Love Valley

Yes, yes, that's exactly what you're thinking. A whole valley of monumental manhood. Big and small. For every taste. Enjoy.

It is better to start the route along the Valley of Love from Uchisar, and end a few kilometers from Goreme.

5. Valley “Pashaba’and" (Pashabagi Valley)

Those who lacked enough impressions from the monumental masculine virtues of the Valley of Love can get what they need here. The advantages are distinguished by greater stateliness and accuracy. Don't miss the cell of Simeon the Stylite in the center of the small valley. We will tell about him and his home in our next story about Cappadocia.

6. Red and Rose Valley

Stock up on water, strength and a memory card for your camera. The valley is huge, winding, with several small rock churches, with beautiful views, steep climbs, picturesque tunnels and colorful tuff fairy stones. In three words: walk, look, take pictures.

"Rose Valley"

7. Underground cities of Cappadocia (Derinkyu, Kalmakli)

The exact number of underground cities in Cappadocia is not known, as some have collapsed and some have never been found. There are 8 cities open to visit, of which the most popular are Kaymakli and Derinkuyu. If you are traveling with children, we recommend starting your sightseeing in the cities - they will delight your children. Every city is unique. If you visit Kaymakli, you will notice the confusion and chaos of urban planning. If you get to Derinkuyu, by the way, the largest underground city, you will be amazed at its harmony and the completely “urban logic” of planning. ABOUT underground cities We will also tell you separately and in more detail.

8. Soganly Valley

You can only get here by car or with a group. We advise you to go individually, for which you can rent a car for one day. Along the way you are guaranteed special views, mountain and rock churches, many rock dovecotes and an amazing monastery at the very end of the road. There you will find six rock churches, some of which are covered with frescoes dating back thousands of years. Try to find the entrance to the Hidden Church.

Local residents still live on the territory of the reserve in rock caves. Songala Valley.

Rock monasteries of Songala

9. Ihlara Valley

Despite the fact that the valley is located somewhat away from very popular routes, this place is very interesting to visit. You can get here either from excursion group, or on your own by renting a car. Individual tourism, although expensive, is more educational. There are two ways to go down to the valley. We recommend starting your route near the village of Belisirma, somewhere in the middle of the valley. Firstly, you can leave your car in the parking lot next to the entrance, and secondly, you will not need to go down, and most importantly, then climb the 200 steps leading out of the gorge. Believe me, after 7-10 kilometers traveled on foot, climbing up the gorge along 200 steps will seem like torture to you. The valley itself is divided by the river into two banks, connected by four bridges. The length of the entire valley is 14 kilometers, but the most interesting part is about 7 kilometers, located just between 4 bridges. If you are traveling to the valley by car, keep in mind that you will have to go around the valley in a circle and even these 7 kilometers immediately turn into 14. Actually, that’s why we advise you to leave your car at the nearest parking lot near the village of Belisirma, a sign to which you can easily find , or the navigator will definitely lead you.

What to see in the valley. Besides amazing beauty faults created by the sharp cooling of lava, every stone here is picturesque, every turn of the river and every fallen old tree. Add to this rock temples, painted with frescoes of the 9th-11th centuries, strange faults, caves and passages.

Especially for men! Be sure to look for the Snake Church. Inside, on the left immediately at the entrance there will be a fresco of the “Last Judgment”, which depicts four sinful women bitten by snakes. The one who did not breastfeed, one bites in the chest. The one who talked a lot is bitten in the mouth by the snake, and the one who did not listen to her husband is bitten in the ears. Well, the one who cheated on her husband has as many as eight snakes wrapped around her for a particularly grave sin. This fresco was used as instructions and prevention by Byzantine men to tame their wives;)

Fresco "Snakes biting women". Snake Church

Landscapes on the way to the Ihlara Valley

A small village above the Ihlara Valley Rift

View of the Ihlara Valley from the heights of the plateau

Ihlara Valley

Once the largest monastery in Cappadocia

Selimi Monastery

10. Chavushin and surroundings (Chavushin)

In the vicinity of the city of Çavuşin, several places are interesting, the first is the city fortress. At the beginning of the 20th century, Cavusin was small Greek city. During the unrest in Turkey, Greeks left their homes and fled to Greece. Now the city is completely inhabited by Turks, but in the empty eye sockets of Greek houses one can still see the suffering of the Greeks, in a hurry to leave their land. Many houses have never found new owners and stand alone and destroyed. But tourists and children enjoy the picturesque ruins.

Not far from Cavusin, on the road to the city of Avanos there is a turnoff to the Pashabaya valley. We talked about it earlier. But if you drive further towards Ugrup, you will find yourself in the Devrent Valley with the famous camel and beautiful peribadzhalars. Unfortunately, there are very few paved roads along the valley. walking routes. But there is a spirit of pioneers;)

View of the Cavusin Fortress from a hot air balloon

The famous mountain "Camel" on the road from Cavusin to Ugrup

Derwent Valley

We almost forgot - be sure to take a flight to hot-air balloon! This is an unforgettable, although quite expensive, pleasure. All passwords and appearances are in our next article.

Daily morning hot air balloon flights

Good luck in exploring Cappadocia and share your discoveries;)

Note to those who will travel to Cappadocia via Istanbul - do not forget to download our

Cappadocia is known throughout the world for its unique rock formations and caves, which were used by Christian settlers centuries ago. While many people prefer to see the landscapes from above, it is equally interesting to walk through the valleys on your own.

Near the settlements of Goreme, Uchisar and Cavusin there are the most interesting valleys Cappadocia. They differ in beauty, complexity of landscape, travel time and even color. Some are the most popular, while others are completely deserted. Depending on your health and physical fitness, you can choose trekking of any difficulty level. The “average” tourist will be able to travel around all the valleys in 2-3 days.

The difficulty was not even in our endurance, but in orientation on the terrain. For your convenience, here is a map of the main walking routes through the valleys of Cappadocia:

The valley closest to Goreme. Starts right behind the museum under open air. So called because of the isolated sharp rocks that resemble swords or daggers. It is considered the shortest valley, but there are many ancient stone huts and a deep ravine into which you can go down. You can get around Kiliclar Vadisi in 1-2 hours.

Rose, Red Valleys

The most famous valleys in Cappadocia. We didn’t notice much difference between the Red and Pink valleys (there are two of them: Gulludere-1 and Gulludere-2). The rocks are approximately the same pink color, somewhere darker, somewhere lighter.

Walking through the valleys, we came across abandoned vineyards and pumpkin fields, houses in which people lived quite recently (who left the now abandoned vineyards):

More recently, people lived in this house; even a water barrel still stands near the entrance

Abandoned vineyard near the house

Ancient rock churches, the frescoes of which are almost no longer visible:

There are also large churches, for example, like this one:

Entrance to the huge cave church:

Along the way, a couple of times we came across small cafes where you can drink orange juice or tea.

Freshly squeezed orange juice for a dollar and a million dollar view

And there are also abandoned cafes: and it’s not surprising, because a fairly small percentage of tourists in Cappadocia decide to stay for long periods of time. hiking in the mountains, so such a cafe brings in virtually no income.

Abandoned cafe

Climbing these mountains, you feel like the ruler of the world: from above you have indescribable views of the valley and not a single living soul in sight!

A couple of times we came across clearings with drying grapes, slowly turning into raisins under the scorching September sun:

All photos from Rose Valley:

Love Valley

This valley is famous for its thin and long cliffs with triangular tops. A more appropriate name for this valley is the valley of the phalluses, but it is used exclusively among tourists.

Çavuşin Fortress (also known as the holey or cheese rock)

The fortress once served as a home for many families, a sort of analogue of a modern high-rise building or apartment building.

In addition to the usual residential premises, there is also a church. The frescoes in it are already worn out. It is clearly visible how diligently the Ottoman invaders tried to destroy the faces on the icons (in the Muslim religion, the image of people and animals is prohibited, and with the destruction of the face, as the Ottomans believed, the soul leaves the icons):

Entrance to the fortress is free.

Pigeon Valley

Another name for it is the valley of dovecotes or the valley of pigeons. Indeed, a great many dovecotes were seen in the rocks of the valley: the locals love these birds. Turns out. Pigeon breeding also has a practical purpose: the production of pigeon droppings, which, according to local residents, is the best fertilizer.

The valley is located between Goreme and Uchisar, so it would be logical to combine its passage with a visit to the Uchisar fortress. And here again new forms of rocks!

There is a cozy cafe right at the exit of the valley. We enjoyed drinking tea there and chatting with the owner. When he found out that we were Russians from Samara, he was incredibly happy and said that his car was also from Samara. Indeed, under the tree next to the cafe there was an old red Lada, in which the owner comes to his cafe every day from Uchisar and waits for very rare tourists.

Valley-stream (Zemi Valley)

It is considered the longest valley - its length is 5.6 km. You can visit it together with the Open Air Museum in Goreme. The entrance is literally 100 meters from the museum parking lot. There used to be a stream babbling here, but it has dried up, although in some places it is still quite damp and muddy. Along the way you can see several churches, cells, chimneys.

The Zemi Valley is very easy in terms of difficulty, very beautiful and very uncrowded - there are no excursions or ATVs here.

Meskendir Valley

The length of the valley is 4400 m, it lies in a southwestern direction from Ortahisar to the village of Cavusin. You need to start trekking between the Open Air Museum and the settlement of Ortahisar.

The path is quite long, but very interesting to explore. On the way, you can immediately turn to 3 other valleys and visit several churches. Meskendir is considered the “entrance to the valleys of Cappadocia.” It is known for its unusual rock formations, colorful stones and lunar landscape. The entire journey will take approximately 3 hours.

Friends, hello everyone!

Not everyone will see the light at the end of the tunnel, but only those who decide to go through it to the end. In addition to tunnels, here you will find manholes, ascents and descents along metal stairs and hollowed-out steps, as well as gorgeous views, observation decks and the opportunity to run along the hills and fells for races with a GPS signal.

What could be better?

If this arrangement suits you and after analyzing your capabilities and time frame, you are still in business, then I invite you to the Red Valley of Goreme.

Everyone, hit the road!

Red Valley is the flagship of the local assortment of winding trails and deserves the most attention. If I had been sharply limited on all fronts and given the choice of a valley, but only the very one, then I would have chosen the Red Valley.

Why? I think this is the most diverse, active, interesting and multi-path valley in Goreme. Here you can find a church, climb stairs, jog through tunnels, and crawl out to the most spectacular site in the Goreme district - Aktepe Hill.

The Red Valley, along with the Pink Valley and the Meskendir Valley are part of the same gorge. In fact, there are a lot of transitions between them at different levels, which is sometimes difficult to determine which one you are in.

Schematically, everything looks like this: from the track with An open air museum The Meskendir valley comes first, then the Red, and then the Pink.

Accordingly, in order to avoid confusion and hesitations during the course of action, it is better to go through them in a complex.

The Red Valley itself stands out from the surrounding landscape with the color of its baked stones in the upper part of the valley. Having climbed here you can perfectly explore all the nearby surroundings with landscape dead ends in Uchisar And Kavushin .

Where is the entrance to the valley

Due to its irregular shape and unauthorized flow into neighboring valleys, the Red Valley has several entrances.

The easiest and fastest way to get into it is from Sabel Valley (Kılıçlar), as I did. Having passed through the Sabel Valley, we will go down to a roadside cafe, where even cars can frolic. Here we will go to the right - opposite to the movement to Cavusin. I will describe this part of the route in more detail below.
My exit from the Red Valley and the entrance of the same name from the side Çavuşin cemeteries . You can get here bypassing the Pink Valley, or through it, since it will separate Çavuşin and the Red Valley with its pinkish body.
The third entrance will be through Meskendir Valley . The main thing here is that your legs don’t tremble and you don’t turn off-road on the Goreme-Ortahisar highway in the Sabel Valley area ahead of time, as in the first point. From this turn we go 1 km further along the road past the Open Air Museum and in the camping area turn left towards the valleys.
You can go down to the Red Valley from the observation deck Aktepe hill . Getting to Sunset Point along the asphalt road by taxi, and from there there are at least 3 descents into the Red Valley: the 1st one immediately from the barrier and 2 others a little further.

How to find your way around

If when passing the Pigeon Valley or the Valley of Love, there is no need to know the route, then with the Red Valley everything is completely different. It is not as straightforward as the two mentioned and not as clear through as the Sabel Valley.

Therefore, be sure to take GPS devices with you or allow more time for the passage, taking into account “Hey, Zhenya, hi, it seems I’m lost!”

I will give you the guidelines of my route, but keep in mind that it is not the only one here and if time allows you, be sure to enhance it with a couple of detours and several ascents and descents from the valley. This way your impressions will be much brighter.

I know people who come here not for the first time and still manage to find places in the Red Valley where they had never been able to wander before.

Route along the valley

So, you and I are next to the store by the road, to which we descended along a ledge path from the Sabel Valley. To the left is Cavusin, right in front of us is the Rose Valley, and to the right are the Red and Meskendir valleys.

We go to the right and do not follow the 1st sign with the sign “Red Valley”, otherwise you will shorten the route and will not see much.

Our next turn will be to the left, about 600 meters from the store. If you don’t turn here, you will end up in the Meskendir Valley.

We find ourselves in the lower part of the valley, where you will encounter bushes, thickets, strange and unusual tunnels and a teahouse of one of the local residents.

Here and there you will come across red arrows on stones, which in a deserted space will remind you that you are not alone here.

Coolness and silence reign at the bottom of the valley. There are no special species observed here, so the route looks more like an ecological trail.

There are not only breathtaking views on all 4 sides, but the freedom to choose your next path. Somewhere nearby, as it turned out, is located Vineyard Church .

Here you are already, so to speak, on horseback and will see which path you should choose. There will continue to be directional arrows along the road, so don't get lost.

The main thing is that when descending to the road leading to Cavusin, I recommend not taking any shortcuts. This eventually led me to someone’s dug up garden, which was not so easy to get through. I also take into account the fact that the owner might have considered my crawl unethical.

Distance and time to travel

Allow from 1 to 3 hours for the Red Valley, depending on your limits and interests. As I already wrote, there is something to do here, where to climb and where to take gorgeous photographs. Do not rush to run through the valley, as you may miss the most interesting things.

The minimum distance to cross the valley is 1.5-2 km, which can be stretched to indefinite amounts.

Those who are not here for the first time, to save time, take a taxi to Aktepe Hill, and from there go straight down to the valley.

What's interesting in the valley?

The valley is rich in a variety of viewpoints, various cone-shaped peaks, long and short tunnels and metal, as well as stairs carved into sandstone. If you are well prepared, have comfortable shoes and a partner, you can explore even those places that seem impassable.

It may be impossible to climb Aktepe Hill in winter, but caution should be exercised in summer too. But if you like bird's-eye views and also want to see Erciyes Volcano, then you should climb.

There are a couple of small churches in Red Valley. Vineyard Church Üzümlü , I didn’t find it, because I didn’t know about its existence, but I visited another church, where I shot this video.

True, to be honest, whether it belongs territorially to the Red Valley or the Pink Valley, I have no idea.

In the direction of the Rose Valley there is also Halı Church or the Church of the Crusaders.

Cafe and shelter along the way

I personally managed to find 3 cafes in Red Valley. Perhaps there are even more.

Güllüdere Tea Garden, where I drank a glass of orange juice.
Café Teria on a hill in a very beautiful and unusual place between the Red and Rose Valleys.
A large cafe by the road at the crossroads between the road to Cavusin, the path to the Rose Valley and the direction to the Red Valley.

Which valleys can the route be combined with?

Even if you are not planning anything, then even automatically your walk will smoothly flow from the Red Valley to the Pink Valley. The only thing is that it’s up to you whether you take the opportunity and go through the Pink Valley completely or decide that you’ve had enough and only take part of it.

The nearby Meskendir and Sabel valleys also crave your attention. And, as we already said, Observation deck on Aktepe Hill is quickly accessible from certain places in the Red Valley.

You can enhance the route by visiting the Goreme Open Air Museum and the fortress in the village of Cavusin.

I will write more about full-fledged combinations of valleys in Cappadocia for the whole day in a separate article.

There is a lot about Goreme within walking distance interesting places With beautiful scenery. Today we will go to the Rose Valley, it takes about forty minutes to walk to it at a brave pace.
We did not go along the road, but through the rocks and vegetable gardens, here and there the remains of former “apartments” cut into the rock were visible:

In Cappadocia, the way of life has not changed for centuries, so in some places you can find hay harvesting:

Gostly village:

I'm going downstairs. Like the smart one, I took off my jacket, because even though it was January, it was hot and I was carrying everything with me. It was scary to climb the gullies with this luggage and it was not convenient:

As was the case with our walk through the Valley of Love, here local dogs again followed us. This time it's a romantic couple:

Turkish male posing with Russian girl:

There are much more rock cones here:

And almost every one has a “door” cut into it:

Village:

Microdistrict:

Dense urban development:

Office building:

Townhouses:

This is beauty, like frozen lava flows. Find me for one thing in this photo:

A springboard between two rocks to jump your car into the abyss:

Here in the neighborhood there are vegetable gardens at almost every high rock:

Sometimes you get the feeling that the inhabitants only a couple of hours ago fled from the plantations underground, leaving behind their sickly scrubs. Here are the goats in the garden. By the way, the apples and grapes are still not harvested, as in the previous valley, the Valley of Love:

A rock with a face that has made its lips into a tube and whistles:

Inside each rock there are “apartments” that you can freely enter:

And have a lot of time climbing inside. By the way, it is quite difficult to crawl on local stone devices in order to climb vertically up. You have to be a rock climber or Roman Kholodov:

Now who will appear from that high window?

Oops... Aborigine:

Says hello to Russia and steps down:

We walk along the path upward:

There is a hut in the background. I always wondered why local stonecutters and monks cut rectangular entrances and made rectangular caves inside the rock:

After all, if they were heated by fire, then there would be a lot of smoke inside such a hut:

Tatiana:

At the very top of the mountain lay an old refrigerator. We sat down on it, rested and fed the dogs. Dogs even eat muesli, by the way.
Ilya:

From the hill there was a beautiful view of the Rose Valley. Why Pink? But the devil knows, probably romantic local I named it this way because of the color of these rocks at sunset: