Devrent Valley (Imagination Valley)

In Devrent Valley the point is to find animals in the rocks. The best known is a kneeling camel beside the road. Give it a few minutes and most visitors also make out a dolphin, a seal, two kissing birds and, if your imagination allows, the Virgin Mary. Hence its other name, Imagination Valley. There is no gate, no ticket and no church here, just a field of smooth cones of rock in pink, cream and grey.

Key facts

How the shapes were made

As everywhere in Cappadocia, volcanic ash settled here and hardened into soft tuff, which rain, frost and wind then wore away. Devrent stands out for its colours and forms. Its tuff has reddish and pink bands, and most cones have lost their hard caps, so erosion has smoothed them into rounded shapes that can look like animals. The process has not stopped: each winter changes the shapes slightly, and some figures guides used to point out decades ago have already fallen apart.

Devrent belongs to Goreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1985.

Highlights

• Camel rock. Next to the parking area, a rock with a hump and a long neck, the valley's most photographed formation.
• Pink cones. Behind the road, a broad field of rounded cone-shaped rocks, with short, easy paths between them.
• More figures. Walk around and try to spot a dolphin, a seal, a snake, a seated woman and two birds. Nothing is signposted, so debating what you see is part of the fun.
• The view. On a clear day, the slope behind the cones looks out over the plateau to Avanos and Mount Erciyes.

Worth it without churches?

The best-known sights of Cappadocia are mostly about people: underground cities, cave churches, pigeon houses. Devrent is only landscape. It makes a short, easy-going stop that families and photographers enjoy, and a nice change from the darker, more crowded sites. On its own it does not justify a long trip, but it slots in easily between Zelve, Pasabag and Urgup.

When to go

Go in the late afternoon, when the low sun deepens the pink of the rock and long shadows bring out the shapes. Light at midday is flat, and there is no shade. Spring and autumn are the most pleasant seasons, while summer afternoons are hot. Rain makes the tuff muddy and slippery.

The Cappadocia Red Tour with Guide & Lunch includes Devrent Valley, along with Pasabag, the Avanos potters, Zelve and Love Valley, over six hours from US$60. If you want a slower day with a private guide and driver, Devrent is also on the Private Cappadocia Highlights Tour with Open-Air Museum, from US$400. The Best of Cappadocia Private Guided Tour covers it in 1, 2 or 3-day versions, from US$400 per day.

How to get there

Devrent is on the road that runs from Zelve to Urgup. Drivers will notice the parked cars and souvenir stalls at the roadside. Without a car, take a taxi from Goreme, about 15 minutes, or join Devrent with Pasabag and Zelve in one short taxi tour. You can also walk from Cavusin on country roads, but there is no shade on the way.

Tips

• Stay off the formations; the soft tuff breaks easily.
• Carry water, because the roadside stalls are not always open.
• A wide-angle lens suits the cone field; a zoom helps you pick out figures.
• Pair it with Pasabag Monks Valley and Zelve Open Air Museum, each a few minutes away.

Frequently Asked Questions