Itinerary

DAY 1: Our bicycle tour begins!

Our Turkey bicycle tours start at your choice of either Kayseri or Nevsehir Airports. From here we'll take you to your hotel - a unique and luxurious cave hotel that is literally built into the rock overlooking Urgup. Very enchanting and memorable! Urgup, surrounded by vineyards, is a town of stone houses and cobbled streets that was formerly home to a large Greek population. You'll have time to explore the town and then we'll meet for a delicious traditional Turkish dinner.

DAY 2: Terraced farmland & vineyards

We'll start the morning with a clinic on mountain bike fundamentals and checking the group’s bikes. For those wanting to cover the basics, you will have the opportunity to put your bike on a trailer and practice changing gears, reviewing which gears to use while riding, and how best to use the breaks. Those who opt-out of the clinic can begin on a ride through the old part of town. We'll then embark on a picturesque warm-up ride that will take us along the Uzengi Stream and past lush farmland. Our instructor will stop here to assess the group’s riding skills and answer any questions. Then we'll break for lunch at Ortahisar, a quaint farming village that Lonely Planet rightly describes as a 'gem waiting to be discovered'. After lunch we'll return to Urgup via a fun downhill track that weaves its way through vineyards and apricot trees, arriving just in time to reach the Fortress of Urgup before sunset. From here we'll enjoy a panoramic view of the entire town. We'll have a well- earned dinner and glass of local wine in Urgup and then head to our luxury cave hotel.

Distance: 20 km/12.5 miles
Off-road: 80%
Climbing: 700 meters
Descending 700 meters

DAY 3: Sleepy villages & ancient Roman city

We'll spend the morning biking through traditional Cappadocian countryside, following streams and rivers and passing an ancient Caravanserai (a staging post for camel caravans) that was once important along the 13th century Silk Route. For lunch we'll stop in the village of Avanos, an ancient Roman city now famous for its prolific pottery industry. Our afternoon ride will take us to a sleepy, off-the-beaten track village whose houses are carved into a steep rock cliff. Our instructor will break here to review the group’s riding technique and answer any questions. The day's ride will culminate in a pleasant ride through Love Valley before ending in Uchisar. Advanced riders will have the opportunity to bike from Uchisar to our hotel in Urgup. We will transfer back to our hotel in Urgup to rest before heading to dinner in Goreme. The magical village of Goreme, set among honeycomb cliffs and surrounded by vineyards, is home to a Roman castle and a maze of cobbled streets. After dinner we'll return to our cave hotel.

Distance: 35 km/22 miles
Off-road: 90%
Climbing: 800 meters
Descending: 1100 meters

DAY 4: Off-the-beaten-track villages


This morning we’ll transfer to Uchisar where our bicycle tour continues with another ride through quiet farmland trails and off-the-beaten-track villages. After reaching Ortahisar, we’ll cycle deeper into the countryside where we'll stop for a picnic lunch at a small village. Here our instructor will discuss technical biking skills and share some tips with the group. Our after-lunch ride takes us through potato fields, several villages, and a picturesque valley. By evening, we will reach Soganli, which Lonely Planet describes as a 'magnificent place to explore which you'll often have to yourself.’ One of Cappadocia's earliest settlements, Soganli is famous for its ancient churches and monasteries that are cut right into the rock face. Then we'll return for our final night at the cave hotel and enjoy a delicious dinner.

Distance: 50 km/31 miles
Off-road: 70%
Climbing: 1000 meters
Descending: 900 meters

DAY 5: Explore underground city

For sheer fascination and mystery you can hardly beat the underground cities of Cappadocia. There are 200 underground cities in the region and some are as old as 4000 years. These cities housed entire villages of people and protected them from Roman soldiers and raiding Arab tribes. We’ll begin our ride from Soganli to a primitive village called Orhanli, where we’ll stop and have tea with locals. We’ll continue our through potato fields until reaching one of the largest underground cities, Derinkuyu, a maze of rooms and tunnels that go 7 levels (85 m) underground. Seeing an entire town built underground is a unique and humbling experience! After lunch at our favorite local restaurant, we'll rendezvous with our vehicle here in order to transfer to Guzelyurt ('beautiful land' in Turkish), a sleepy Cappadocian town nestled amongst citrus groves and filled with stone houses and rock-cut churches. From here, advanced riders will have the opportunity to bike the surrounding area. Set against a striking backdrop of fairy chimneys, the Guzelyurt landscape is punctuated by the shining, often snow-capped peak of Mount Hasan Dagi. Home to rock-cut churches and underground cities, Guzelyurt is surprisingly non-touristy. You'll have ample time to absorb its natural splendor as we stop for dinner and two nights in a charming local guesthouse.

Distance: 35 km/22 miles
Off-road: 100%
Climbing: 700 meters
Descending: 500 meters

DAY 6: Casual day in Guzelyurt

Today we'll enjoy a day off in Guzelyurt and enjoy a casual ride around town. Advanced riders will have the opportunity to go on a longer ride at their leisure. Those who would like some free time to go exploring can stroll though the town's lively streets past homes carved into rocks, take a walk through Monastery Valley and visit the cave churches, go fishing at a nearby lake, or just relax at our hotel and read a book. We'll have dinner and another night at our charming guesthouse.

Distance: 20-30 km/12-18 miles
Off-road: 70%
Climbing: 300-500 meters
Descending: 300-500 meters

DAY 7: The Turkish Grand Canyon

This morning we'll cycle along Ihlara canyon which is commonly called the 'Turkish Grand Canyon', stopping to review and assess your biking progress with our instructor. This valley, a favorite retreat of Byzantine monks, is home to dozens of painted churches carved into the rocks. The 16 km valley starts wide and then narrows to form a spectacular gorge. Biking in here is an unforgettable experience thanks to the dense greenery lining the stream and the deep red walls of the canyon. Although relatively non-touristy, many guidebooks cite the Ihlara Valley as one of the highlights of traveling in Turkey. After lunch we’ll walk 7 km along a trail through the valley, stopping to visit churches from the 10th century. At the end of the day we’ll transfer by jeep to our hotel in Uchisar.

Distance: 35 km ride/22 miles
Off-road: 100%
Climbing: 300 meters
Descending: 600 meters

DAY 8: World Heritage Ruins & The Valley of the Fairy Chimneys

Today our bicycle tour will take in some of Cappadocia's most impressive sights. Our morning ride will take us from Uchisar past the Pigeon Valley and then down to Cappadocia's crown jewel, the Goreme Open-Air Museum. This World Heritage Site is made up of a cluster of Byzantine churches, chapels and monasteries all built into the rock and all sporting impressive frescoes. After a short ride through Rose Valley, we'll arrive in Cavusin, a quiet, picturesque village off the beaten path with one of the oldest churches in Cappadocia. We'll ride through the cobbled streets of Cavusin on our way to Zelve, where 3 valleys of abandoned homes, churches, mosques and tunnels converge. Our ride home will take us through the unforgettable "Valley of the Fairy Chimneys," so called for the remarkable rock formations that dot this region. Upon returning to Urgup, we’ll shower at a local hotel and pack our bags before transferring to Kayseri or Neveshir Airports for an evening flight to Istanbul. Those who would like to stay another night and be transferred to the airport in the morning can choose this option from our optional extras.

Distance: 30 km/18.5 miles
Off-road: 70%
Climbing: 400 meters
Descending: 700 meters

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