Cappadocia Green Tour: Derinkuyu, Ihlara Valley and Selime Monastery

Our green tour of Cappadocia starts at $80 per person and fills 7 hours in a small group across the south of the region. The day takes in Göreme Panorama, then Derinkuyu Underground City, a riverside walk in the Ihlara Valley, a meal at a local restaurant, then Selime Monastery and, to finish, Pigeon Valley. You pay nothing extra for the guide, the transport, the lunch, the entrance fees or the hotel pickup and return. Tips and drinks at the table are on you. Note that this is a group departure rather than a private one, and of all the day tours around here it asks for the most walking and spends the most time on the road.

What you get for $80 on the green tour

The green tour of Cappadocia we run is the shared, full-day format. Here is the complete list of what the $80 pays for:

• Collection from a hotel in Ürgüp, Göreme, Avanos, Uçhisar or Ortahisar, plus the evening ride back.
• A professional guide from start to finish.
• Driving between every stop.
• Admission to Selime Monastery and to Derinkuyu Underground City, plus the walk in the Ihlara Valley.
• A meal at a local restaurant.
• Photo stops with wide views at Göreme and Pigeon Valley.

You pay yourself for lunch drinks, tips, any shopping and travel insurance. Late in the afternoon the van may pull in at a local shop that sells handmade goods. Nobody has to buy anything.

You can cancel at no cost until 7 days before the date; after that point there is no refund. On our Cappadocia tours list you will find this day beside the private day tours, the Red Tour and the balloon flights, which makes it easy to plan your whole stay in one place.

Each stop in order

Do not expect green scenery because of the name. Years ago local agencies gave each route in the region a colour code, and those labels are still used today. This one runs south and west, a long way from Göreme, so it takes the whole day. We visit the stops in this sequence:

1. Morning pickup from your hotel; the exact time comes the evening before.
2. Göreme Panorama, a quick photo stop high over Göreme and the rock cones around it.
3. Derinkuyu Underground City, where the guide spends the most time before lunch.
4. Ihlara Valley, with steps down into the gorge and a walk beside the river.
5. Lunch, served in a local restaurant.
6. Selime Monastery, a complex cut into the rock where the valley ends to the north.
7. Pigeon Valley, a lookout close to Uçhisar on the road back.
8. Return to your hotel.

Brochures tend to leave out the driving. Ihlara is across the border in Aksaray, a different province, so much of the 7 hours passes in the vehicle. The van is air-conditioned and your guide explains things as you go. Anyone prone to travel sickness should take a front seat.

Derinkuyu, the underground city on this route

Of all the underground cities in Cappadocia that visitors can enter, Derinkuyu reaches the greatest depth. It was dug out of soft volcanic stone and served as a hiding place. Inside are stables, kitchens, wine presses, wells and air shafts, plus round stone doors that people inside could roll across a corridor to block it. Visitors see only a section, yet that section alone descends through several levels.

In real terms, expect cramped stairways, low roofs and tunnels where grown-ups must stoop almost in half. Lights and route markers are in place, and the guide leads the way. The cool air below ground feels good to most visitors in the summer heat; in winter it is milder down there than up on the street.

Other agencies run their version of this tour with Kaymaklı, an underground city nearer Göreme that does not go as deep. Our Green Tour with Selime visits Derinkuyu; the standard Green Tour visits Derinkuyu or Kaymaklı. To weigh one against the other, see our side-by-side look at the two underground cities, which goes through them floor by floor.

Walking in the Ihlara Valley

No other day tour in Cappadocia has a stop like this one. The Melendiz River carved the Ihlara Valley, a gorge with sheer red and grey rock faces and a line of willows and poplars by the stream. From Ihlara village to Selime the valley stretches over ten kilometres. Group tours cover just one stretch, normally a few kilometres of level path along the water, and the van picks everyone up where the walk ends.

The tough bit is reaching the bottom. At the main entrance you go down a staircase of several hundred steps to the floor of the gorge. Breathing is easy on the way down, but your knees feel it, and the steps may be wet or dusty. Once below, the path by the river is nearly flat, with shade in some sections, and easy for people who walk often.

Dozens of churches are carved into the cliffs, and some still have paintings. The group normally enters just one, close to the stairs, and spends the rest of the stop walking. To visit more churches or to cover the whole valley from one end to the other, you need a private day with a guide and driver of your own.

Lunch, then Selime Monastery

The meal is part of the price and follows the walk, in a local restaurant close to the valley. Everyone gets the same Turkish set menu. If you are vegetarian or follow another diet, let us know at booking and we tell the restaurant. Drinks are settled at the table.

Selime Monastery is carved into the cliff where the valley opens to the north, and no rock-cut monastery in Cappadocia is bigger. In the rock you find a church with columns, a large hall, a kitchen whose chimney is still black with soot, and rooms spread over several floors. Rough paths link them, with a few short scrambles. Most guests leave with the same picture: the view down the valley from the highest windows.

Getting up Selime takes some effort, but it is short. The stone is worn smooth and may be slippery, and some sections have no railing. Choose shoes that grip well and go slowly if you have children with you.

Green tour vs red tour

The two standard day tours visit completely different places, so the choice only matters if you can fit in just one. Below are our current per-person starting prices. They change with the season, so check with us for your date.

Pick the Green Tour for the places that are out of reach from Göreme without a car, since neither walking nor the local bus gets you there: Derinkuyu, the gorge and Selime. Pick the Red Tour for the classic fairy chimneys and a gentler day. If you have two full days, take both, starting with the Red one as an easy first day. The sights on each route are described on our guide to the region's sights, and the rest of the daily choices are on our page of daily departures from Göreme.

Who should not book it, and what to wear

This is one of our own tours, yet we advise some guests against it:

• People who fear small spaces. Derinkuyu is tight and low. Staying above ground while the others go down is possible, but then you have paid for a stop you miss.
• People who struggle with steps. On this route you cannot avoid the Ihlara stairs or the climb at Selime. Guests with bad knees or backs tend to enjoy the Red Tour more.
• Parents with a pushchair. Wheels do not work in the underground city or in the gorge; bring a baby carrier.
• Anyone who dislikes long hours on the road. On a private tour you can drop stops and make the day shorter.

Clothing: trainers or walking shoes with solid soles, shorts or trousers that let you crouch, and an extra layer for underground. Summer calls for a hat, sun cream and something to drink on the trail. Winter can leave ice on the gorge floor and mud on the steps, so dress warmly and expect a shorter walk.

A private green tour, or a package with both tours

No other option shows you south Cappadocia for less than the group tour, but its schedule is set. To move at your own speed, book our private highlights day with a guide, starting at $400, with a guide and a van for your group alone. On private tours meals and museum tickets are extra, and we shape the route around your wishes: Ihlara with Derinkuyu, for example, or the Göreme Open Air Museum together with Kaymaklı. Send us a request for a private day; every private and group choice is listed on our full list of tours in the region.

If you are travelling from Istanbul, a package is the easiest way to fit in both day tours. Our two-day trip that combines both colour routes, from $800, covers return domestic flights, airport transfers, a hotel night with breakfast, plus both tours with lunch and tickets. The 3-day option, from $1,050, gives you an extra night and so a spare morning for a balloon flight if the first one is windy. You will find both, plus longer trips, in our package list for Cappadocia, and the region as a whole is described in our overview of the destination.

How to book, pickup times and cancellation

Reserve on the tour page, or message us with your hotel name, the date and how many are coming. The pickup time reaches you by WhatsApp or email. Except at holiday times, booking one or two days in advance is normally enough. Mention any food allergies, and anyone in the group who may prefer to stay out of the underground city.

There is no cancellation charge until 7 days before the tour; within the last 7 days the price is not returned. When you also need flights and a hotel, book this day as part of a multi-day Cappadocia trip, and we arrange the schedule around the time you land.

Frequently Asked Questions