Hike in the Red valley

Look of the route leading around white rocks on the right. In season there are several dozens of balloons every morning that are waiting together with their tourists for a morning sunrise. We naturally expected that this area is famous for balloons, but we were literally shocked, how many of them there were. It was an incredible experience, even though we have not flown in a balloon.

The whole area is varied thanks to recent eruption of Erciyes volcano, whose lava formed subsoil that created by erosion a beautiful bizarre rock formations. Ancient people permeated here and began to use the rocks by creating a network of tunnels, caves and complex units. The classic history estimates the cave tunnels to be several thousand years old. The biggest growth of this area has been after the arrival of the Christians in the 4th century AD, when monasteries began to be built here. The monastery drawings of the holy figures can be seen even today at completely deserted places and it is a real adventure for a passing tourist.

You can freely see the interior of many caves and explore them. There is one of them in the photo.

The path leading through the Red valley is very diverse. It threads in different defiles and you can see that also in this picture.

One of the hearsays and legends says that this area was frequently visited by aliens or UFOs. Ancient people were hiding against them in the caves and built labyrinthine complexes to store their supplies. There is an episode devoted to this area in the documentary film Ancient Aliens and they mention here that up to several thousand people might have dwelt here.

Water and wind can sometimes do wonders. Even like this can look the detail of Kappadocian landscape.

Çavuşin is one of the towns in the center of Cappadocia. You can find here many restaurants, shops, mosques, but also the ancient rock town towering directly above the town.

Many shops with brightly colored fabrics and carpets, souvenirs, but you can also buy here typical sculptural reproductions of the most typical surrounding rock formations.

Another interesting shop on the main street.

You can get to the ancient „castle“ above the town along several steps among the streets of the town. There are stunning views of the countryside from the top.

If you walk the opposite direction on the way down from the castle, views of very famous rock formations open. These caps emerged due to diverse layers of rock, where the upper parts are more durable than the layers beneath them. Who knows how long it will take before these caps landslide.

Another rock town.

At the main road linking Çavuşin and Göreme towers a majestic rock complex, which is also interwoven by ladders and many caves.

Unusual marking of the bus stop where the bus heading to the starting town of Göreme regularly arrives.