The plain north of the Taurus might be called Cappadocia Proper; it is essentially the land around Mazaka (near modern Kayseri). This country, originally called Tabal, is extremely green and fertile. Greater Cappadocia includes territories to the north, which are sometimes called Paphlagonia or Pontus, along the Middle Euphrates, which is called Melitene, and to the west,Lycaonia.

GETTING CAPPADOCIA:

By Plane: The closest Airport to Cappadocia is in Kayseri and it is 75 kms. from Yunak Evleri. There are 5-6 flights a day from April through October and 3 from November through March operated by Turkish Airlines, Onur Air and Fly Air. Please contact us for the schedules and transfers from Kayseri Airport to Yunak Evleri.

By Bus: There are regular buses to Cappadocia from many cities in Turkey. All the busses used on long journeys are luxury and air-conditioned. 

Activities & Services

1) HOT AIR BALLOONING

Take the beauty of Cappadocia from a gentle, free-floating hot air balloon, offering a birds-eye-view of the land. There is no better way to see Cappadocia than flying over its unique rock formations (called as fairy chimneys), valleys and vineyards.

2)TREKKING

A highly specialized ‘Walking Tour’ that takes you into traditional village life of Central Cappadocia. Visiting local homes and rock-hewn villages, exploring many spectacular lesser known valleys will impress you. You can hike through many valleys of Cappadocia that offer a variety of hiking experience from one to four hours and more. Paths lead through vineyards and past streams.

Mount Ararat Trekking  EUR 540.00

3)CYCLING

If you are in the mood for an adventurous tour, Cappadocia offers exciting cycling tours in its beautiful and different landscape. Hang on for a most scenic and memorable biking experience. This is a wonderful outing for all abilities to enjoy. You can ride through the vineyards and enjoy the single tracks in the valleys. Do not forget that you do not have to cycle for kilometers to visit a sight or museum; they are very close to each other.

Cappadocia Mountain Biking TourEUR 60.00

4)HORSEBACK RIDING

Discover Cappadocia in a different way. You can ride off on horseback through the valleys and the fabulous landscape of Cappadocia. Horseback riding allows you to cover a great distance on small tracks well away from the traffic and crowds. You can get a feel for the area riding through a full day exploring the fascinating frescoed and rock-carved churches of the Goreme Open Air museum, the fairy chimneys of Pasabag and Devrent Valleys.

For reservation please visite this site:  http://www.cappadocia.travel/

Restaurants in Cappadocia:

What adds to the delight of a Turkish meal is the quality of the ingredients that go into making it. The aromatic spices, the fresh vegetables and fruits and the succulent meat, all contribute to the variety of items that are simple yet exotic.

Cappadoca is a great place for eating out. Below, we have attempted to give you a brief guide on the Cappadocia cuisine and food available - and some suggestions on where to try them for yourself, especially after enjoying a long day of shopping. We also have some further interesting information about Turkish cuisine.

Food & Cuisine in Cappadocia:

Apart from meat, fish can also be grilled in a similar fashion. You must also try out the ‘doner kebab', so named as the roll of meat (usually lamb) is turned on a vertical skewer placed parallel (or in front) of a hot grill. You can have the ‘doner' meat in a sandwich or also with rice. ‘Alanazik', a ground meat and eggplant dish, is worth a try. Other meat dishes that are popular and typical of this region are ‘Sac kavurma', made of fried lamb and stewed with onions, green peppers and tomatoes, ‘Tandir' and ‘Kofte'.

There are a number of speciality dishes based on eggplant or aubergine. Prominent among them is ‘Karnýyarýk', a dish of eggplant stuffed with tomatoes, onion, garlic and minced meat. The same dish when prepared without the meat and served cold is called ‘imam bayildi'. If you are an eggplant connoisseur, then try out the ‘hünkarbegendi', the ‘patlican salatasi' or eggplant salad and the ‘patlican dolmasi'.

Turkish cuisine boasts of a variety of ‘pilav', which are all rice-based dishes, garnished and seasoned in different ways. You will get ‘pilav' that can include eggplant, different types of meat, herbs, nuts, chick peas, etc. It is cooked in butter or olive oil, which gives the dish a heavenly aroma and flavour. A very special rice and fish ‘pilav' called ‘Hamsili pilav' is typical of the Black Sea region of Turkey. You can also go for the ‘Miroloto', which is a vegetable bread from the same region.

Salty pastries are very popular in Turkey and ‘Börek' is the name commonly used for pastries filled with cheese, potatoes and meat. Try out the natural yoghurt and also the appetizer called ‘Cacik' that is made with yoghurt. Do not leave Cappadocia without trying out the ‘manti', a special main dish that is actually Turkish pasta. The balls are filled with minced meat and it is served with yoghurt, mint, pepper, oregano and butter or olive oil.

If you think that Turkish food is all about meat then you should try a vegetable main dish. Vegetables such as artichoke, eggplant, celery, cabbage, cauliflower etc are used in plenty. Stuffed vegetables or ‘Dolma' is a unique Turkish dish. Grape leaves, cabbage leaves and green pepper are some of the vegetables that go to make a ‘Dolma'. Green peppers with a rice filling or ‘Biber Dolma' is a good one to begin with. Try to savour the ‘zeytinyaglilar', the ‘Baklali Enginar' (made with artichoke) and the ‘Tekmil Lahana' (with cabbage).

Desserts

If you have a sweet tooth, then Cappadocia will enthral you with its variety. Milk is widely used in making desserts. Try the gelatinous milk pudding called ‘tavuk gögsü', the different types of ‘helva' (flour, semolina, etc.), the rice pudding or ‘sütlac' and the sweet soup ‘asure' with beans and dried fruits. Last but not least do not leave Cappadocia without tasting the authentic varieties of ‘baklava', the world famous Turkish dessert made with walnuts and pistachios. Also worth a try is the ‘kadayif', a dessert that has shredded dough in it.

Drinks

Turkish coffee is thick and dark and tastes excellent with or without sugar. In Turkey, you can start having black tea thoughout the day, like the locals. Other popular non-alcoholic beverages that are typical of this region are ‘salgam' (turnip juice), ‘ayran' (a salty yoghurt based cold drink), ‘sahlep' (extraction of wild orchids that goes to make a hot winter drink with cinnamon), ‘shira' and ‘boza'.

Turkey has a wide variety of wine. You will get home-made wine in Cappadocia. The alcoholic drink ‘Raki', made from anise, is also called a ‘lion's drink', implying that one needs a strong constitution to be able to drink it!

Turkish meals start with a soup, which usually have lentils, yoghurt or wheat as their main ingredient. You can have a lentil and noodle soup with chicken or lamb that will suffice as a whole meal. Some of the popular soups are ‘asiran', ‘guli', ‘yayla' and ‘tarhana'.

To accompany your beverage try out the ‘mezes' or appetizers. Some of the ‘mezes' can also double up as dishes for the main course. In many eateries your drink will be followed by a display of ‘mezes' to help you choose what you want. And what a variety you can choose from! ‘Gozleme', fried aubergines with yogurt, ‘lakerda' (bonito pre-served in brine), pastirma (pressed beef), kisir, hummus (sesame, chick pea, garlic, olive, and lemon juice), fish croquettes, and lambs' brains, to name just a few.

Nightlife

Cappadocia has an entertaining night life as well. Visit the Turasan Winery at Urgup and sample the produce during your Cappadocia day trip. At nightfall, be comfortably placed at the Red Wine House in Goreme. The classy Prokopi Bar in Urgup can be saved for a formal night out.