You can walk in Cappadocia all year round, just not in the same way. Between the pale tuff of Akvadi, the pink walls of Güllüdere and the dovecotes of Gömede, the same valley looks different depending on the month, the hour and whether it rained the day before. This guide covers the valleys we walk in our programmes, with the published walking times and elevation figures, plus the Turkish State Meteorological Service data to help you pick a period.
When is the best time to hike in Cappadocia? What the Nevşehir records show
Cappadocia is a high plateau in central Anatolia with a continental climate: dry, warm summer days, cool nights and cold winters. The 1991–2020 climate normals for the Nevşehir station, published by the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM), give a good order of magnitude for the valleys around Göreme, Uçhisar and Ortahisar.
| Month | Average high | Average low | Average rainfall | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.1 °C | −3.5 °C | 43.7 mm | 8.8 |
| March | 10.9 °C | 1.0 °C | 47.5 mm | 10.3 |
| April | 16.3 °C | 5.2 °C | 45.7 mm | 11.3 |
| May | 21.2 °C | 9.3 °C | 57.4 mm | 13.4 |
| June | 25.6 °C | 12.3 °C | 37.5 mm | 8.4 |
| July | 29.3 °C | 14.6 °C | 9.9 mm | 2.4 |
| August | 29.4 °C | 14.5 °C | 9.6 mm | 2.4 |
| September | 25.3 °C | 11.3 °C | 13.7 mm | 3.8 |
| October | 19.1 °C | 7.4 °C | 29.4 mm | 6.9 |
| November | 11.6 °C | 2.1 °C | 33.4 mm | 7.1 |
| December | 6.2 °C | −1.4 °C | 48.4 mm | 9.3 |
The table corrects a common assumption. Spring is not the driest season: in April and May the station records eleven to thirteen rainy days a month on average, and May has the highest rainfall total of the year. These are often afternoon showers that do not stop you walking but make the tuff sticky underfoot. In return, the apricot orchards are in blossom, the valley floors are green and the light is soft.
For us, September and October are the most dependable months. Average highs drop from 25.3 °C to 19.1 °C, rainy days are rare in September, and the vineyards around Çavuşin and Ürgüp turn gold. October mornings call for a fleece: with an average low of 7.4 °C, you set off in layers and peel them off around ten o’clock.
July and August are dry, with average highs of around 29 °C. That is not coastal heat, but the white tuff valleys reflect the sun and shade is scarce. In summer we start early and take the midday break in the shelter of a rock church or under a walnut tree. Nights stay cool, around 14 to 15 °C on average, so a warm layer is useful even in August.
Our Trails of Cappadocia and Cappadocia – Istanbul programmes run all year. The Cappadocia and Taurus combination is limited to May–October because of its mountain section, and Cappadocia and the Lycian Coast targets April–June and September–November so that the Mediterranean part stays comfortable. To compare with other regions of the country, see our guide on when to go hiking in Turkey.
Hiking in Cappadocia in winter: snow, frost and slippery paths
From December to February, average lows in Nevşehir fall below freezing, with −3.5 °C in January. Snow falls regularly on the plateau and can lie for several days in north-facing valleys. The valleys are then almost empty, and the snow picks out layers in the tuff that you barely notice in summer.
The terrain calls for different habits, though. Tuff that is frozen in the morning is slippery, then turns muddy once the sun warms it. Steps cut into the rock, common in Meskendir and the Red Valley, become awkward. We shorten stages, avoid tunnels and steep descents, and choose broad paths such as those at Zelve or along the floor of the White Valley.
In winter, bring waterproof boots with ankle support, gaiters if the snow is fresh, and poles. Days are short: we walk from late morning to mid-afternoon, when the ground has thawed without turning to mush. Our article on trekking gear for Turkey lists the layers to pack for each season.
Meskendir, Güllüdere and Kızılçukur: should you walk the Rose and Red Valleys together?
Yes, and it is often the day walkers remember most. From Ortahisar, the path enters Meskendir, a still quiet valley where you pass through small tunnels cut into the tuff. It then joins Güllüdere, the Rose Valley, and Kızılçukur, the Red Valley, below the Bozdağ plateau. The colours run from pale pink to brick red, with white streaks running down the walls.
In Trails of Cappadocia this is day 5: 5 to 6 hours of walking, +339 m and −490 m, with lunch in the heart of the Red Valley and a visit to the old village of Çavuşin and its church dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. The self-guided programme Cappadocia, Call of the Hidden Valleys follows the same sequence with +210 m and −325 m over 5 to 6 hours; the difference comes from the exact line and the variants.
The relief is more broken than it looks. You keep climbing and dropping from one side valley to the next on sandy tuff paths, sometimes on carved steps. The rock churches of Güllüdere deserve a stop; add that time to the walking time.
A frequent question: should you go at sunset? Evening light does make the walls redder. But in winter, night falls early. We cross during the day and keep the evening viewpoint for the edge of the plateau.
White Valley, Uçhisar and Güvercinlik: which direction should you walk?
Akvadi, the White Valley, bristles with pale tuff cones whose rounded shapes turn almost dazzling in the afternoon sun. It links Çavuşin to the foot of Uçhisar, the village gathered around its rock outcrop and the highest point in the area. From there, Pigeon Valley, Güvercinlik, drops towards Göreme between dovecotes carved into the cliffs.
Direction matters. In Trails of Cappadocia (day 6) and in the self-guided programme, you leave Çavuşin, walk up the White Valley to Uçhisar, climb to the top of the rock for the view, then go down Güvercinlik to Göreme. On the self-guided trip, the return to Çavuşin goes through the Valley of the Swords: 5 hours, +370 m and −370 m. In Cappadocia – Istanbul, on day 4, it runs the other way: start in the Gorkün valley, climb to Uçhisar, then descend the White Valley to Çavuşin, 4 to 5 hours, +415 m and −450 m.
Walking up the White Valley in the morning keeps the sun behind you and leaves the Güvercinlik descent for the gentler hours. Walking down it late in the day gives lovely low light. Either way, keep water for the climb to Uçhisar, the most exposed part of the day.
The Gorkün valley, between Ortahisar and Göreme, remains one of the quietest in the area. It opens day 3 of the Cappadocia and Taurus trip (5 to 6 hours, +373 m and −413 m) and day 4 of Cappadocia and the Lycian Coast (5 to 6 hours, +350 m and −400 m).
Gömede, Keşlik and Golgoli: the southern valleys around Mustafapaşa
South of Göreme, around Mustafapaşa, the former Sinasos, Cappadocia becomes more agricultural. The village, home to Greek Orthodox families until the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923, has kept its stone houses with carved façades. It makes a good base for the first days.
The 10th-century Keşlik monastery is visited at the start of the walk. You then pass through the village of Cemil before a picnic in the cave dwellings of Golgoli, hollowed out like nests in the tuff cones. The way back to Mustafapaşa runs between apricot trees and vines. In Trails of Cappadocia this is day 2: 4 to 5 hours, +381 m and −345 m. The self-guided programme adds the underground city of Mazı on the same day (+240 m and −160 m, 4 to 5 hours), and Cappadocia and the Lycian Coast walks a similar loop with Mazı, Keşlik and Golgoli (+200 m and −200 m).
The Gömede valley, also written Gomeda, is a maze of monasteries, rock dwellings and huge dovecotes carved into the cliffs. On day 3 of Trails of Cappadocia you follow it to the Pancarlık valleys and on to the village of Ortahisar, overlooked by its rock fortress: 4 to 5 hours, +230 m and −340 m. It is an ideal linking stage, with few people, taking you from the south to the centre of the region.
In Cappadocia and the Lycian Coast, the first walking day leaves Ürgüp through the green Uzengi valley, then joins Gomeda before reaching Mustafapaşa: 3 to 4 hours, +145 m and −90 m.
Zelve, Paşabağ and the Bozdağ plateau: the northern loop
Zelve is an abandoned rock village with dwellings, churches and galleries carved into the stone. From there an easy path leads to the chimneys of Paşabağ, the “master’s vineyards”, with almost perfectly conical shapes, and on to Çavuşin. It is the gentlest walk in our programmes: about 3 hours, +131 m and −122 m in Cappadocia – Istanbul, and 2 to 3 hours for the same figures in the Cappadocia and Taurus trip. It often fills the afternoon of the day you arrive in Cappadocia.
The Bozdağ plateau, above Çavuşin and the Rose and Red Valleys, offers the most complete stage in the area. A balcony path circles the plateau and climbs to its top, with a view over the whole of Cappadocia, before dropping through the Zelve valley to Paşabağ. In Trails of Cappadocia (day 7) the programme gives 5 to 6 hours and +500 m / −500 m, the biggest climb of the week. The self-guided version gives +340 m and −340 m.
On the plateau the wind often picks up in the afternoon and shade is lacking. In summer, start this stage early. After rain, the clay slopes going down towards Zelve need care.
Ihlara and Selime: how much time do you need for the canyon?
Ihlara is not in the fairy-chimney heart of Cappadocia: it is a canyon cut by the Melendiz river, further south-west, between tuff cliffs. The Trails of Cappadocia programme describes a 14 km canyon with walls up to 150 m high. Along it are Byzantine rock churches with colourful frescoes, such as the Church Under the Tree and the Hyacinth Church. At the northern end stands the Selime cave monastery, which our programme dates to the 6th century.
Plan a full day. On day 4 of Trails of Cappadocia you walk 4 to 5 hours (+250 m and −300 m) with 3 hours of driving in total, including a visit to the underground city of Derinkuyu on the way: eight levels and 55 m of galleries. In Cappadocia and the Lycian Coast, the canyon walk lasts 3 to 4 hours (+120 m and −120 m), then the road continues to Konya with a stop at the Seljuk caravanserai of Sultanhanı, around 3 hours of driving.
The canyon floor is cool and shaded, which makes it a good summer option. In spring the river runs higher and some riverside stretches are muddy. Derinkuyu, like Kaymaklı, is part of the property inscribed by UNESCO in 1985 as “Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia”.
Valley table: walking times and elevation by programme
These are the figures published in our programmes. They describe a specific route walked by a group; they are indicative and change with variants, weather and pace.
| Section | Programme (day) | Walking | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keşlik – Cemil – Golgoli – Mustafapaşa | Trails of Cappadocia (D2) | 4 to 5 h | +381 m / −345 m |
| Mazı – Keşlik – Golgoli | Call of the Hidden Valleys | 4 to 5 h | +240 m / −160 m |
| Gömede – Pancarlık – Ortahisar | Trails of Cappadocia (D3) | 4 to 5 h | +230 m / −340 m |
| Ihlara – Selime (and Derinkuyu) | Trails of Cappadocia (D4) | 4 to 5 h, 3 h driving | +250 m / −300 m |
| Meskendir – Rose – Red – Çavuşin | Trails of Cappadocia (D5) | 5 to 6 h | +339 m / −490 m |
| Ortahisar – Meskendir – Güllüdere – Kızılçukur | Cappadocia and Taurus (D4) | 4 to 5 h | +194 m / −350 m |
| White Valley – Uçhisar – Pigeon Valley – Göreme | Call of the Hidden Valleys | 5 h | +370 m / −370 m |
| Gorkün – Uçhisar – White Valley – Çavuşin | Cappadocia – Istanbul (D4) | 4 to 5 h | +415 m / −450 m |
| Zelve – Paşabağ – Çavuşin | Cappadocia – Istanbul (D2) | about 3 h | +131 m / −122 m |
| Bozdağ – Zelve – Paşabağ | Trails of Cappadocia (D7) | 5 to 6 h | +500 m / −500 m |
These figures show one thing: in Cappadocia the difficulty comes neither from altitude nor from distance. It comes from repeated short climbs, descents on sandy ground and, depending on the season, heat or frost. If you are unsure of your level, our guide to assessing trek difficulty will help you compare with your usual walks.
Guided or self-guided: which Cappadocia trip should you choose?
From above the valleys all look alike, and that is exactly where people get lost. Paths cross, split, run through tunnels or stop at the foot of a rock wall. A guide who knows the passages saves a lot of time and can adapt the stage on the day, depending on rain or heat.
Our guided trips bring together 4 to 15 people with a Turkish hiking guide who speaks the group’s language. Full board is included, picnic lunch and dinner, except meals on the first and last days. Luggage transfers, scheduled transfers and entrance fees for the sites in the programme are included. Trails of Cappadocia (8 days, level 2/5) devotes six days to walking and sites, with nights in Mustafapaşa, Ortahisar and Çavuşin. Cappadocia – Istanbul (8 days, level 2/5) keeps three walking days before finishing in Istanbul.
The self-guided Cappadocia, Call of the Hidden Valleys (7 days, level 3/5) suits walkers who can follow a route book. It is available for 2 to 15 people, with two village guesthouses, three nights in Mustafapaşa and then three in Çavuşin, the route book and GPS tracks, luggage transfers and the scheduled road transfers, plus a 24-hour emergency phone line. Entrance fees for sites and museums are not included, nor is the airport transfer on the last day.
On either type of trip, carry water for the whole stage. In season, drinks stalls sometimes set up in the busier valleys, but do not plan your day around them. Our article on guided or self-guided travel explains the differences, and the Cappadocia page introduces the region.
A last word on the balloons. They take off at sunrise when the wind allows, and flights are often cancelled in poor weather. If you walk at dawn in the Red Valley or towards Göreme, you will see them drift overhead; the walking programme does not depend on them.
To compare Cappadocia with Lycia or the Taurus, read our comparison of treks in Turkey. Practical questions about insurance, meals or luggage are answered in the travel FAQ, and all our hikes in Turkey are gathered on one page. To walk away from the tour groups, see also Cappadocia on foot, away from the crowds: valleys, timing and balloons.