Horse Riding in Cappadocia: Valley Routes, Ride Times and Prices

A Cappadocia horse riding tour is usually a one-hour guided ride at a walking pace through the valleys around Göreme, taken at sunrise, in the daytime or at sunset, and no riding experience is needed. With us, a horseback riding safari starts from $38 per person and the one-hour valley ride at sunrise or sunset from $90 per person, both with hotel transfers. The ride takes you along sandy tracks and narrow paths between fairy chimneys, where cars and quad bikes cannot follow, and on a sunrise ride you may have balloons drifting overhead.

This page explains how the hour works, which time of day to choose, which valleys you ride through, who can ride and what to wear, plus how to tell a well-run ranch from a poor one.

How a one-hour ride works

Most rides follow the same simple pattern:

1. Hotel pickup. A minibus or car collects you from your hotel in Göreme, Uçhisar, Ürgüp, Avanos or nearby and drives you to the ranch, usually on the edge of a valley a few minutes away.
2. Fitting and briefing. The staff match each rider to a horse by size and experience, adjust the stirrups and give you a helmet. A short briefing covers how to sit, steer, slow down and stop. If you have never ridden, say so; you will get one of the calmest horses.
3. The ride. A guide on horseback leads the group in single file. For beginners, the pace is a walk throughout, which is plenty on the narrow, uneven paths. Experienced riders can ask about trotting or cantering on suitable stretches, but this depends on the ranch, the group and the ground.
4. Photo stops. The guide stops at viewpoints along the way. Many guides will take your photo if you hand them your phone.
5. Back to the ranch and your hotel. Allow about two hours door to door for a one-hour ride.

Groups are small, and many ranches can arrange a private ride for couples or families on request. Ask when booking.

Sunrise, daytime or sunset

The time of day changes the ride more than the route does.

Sunrise and sunset times shift by almost three hours over the year, so the pickup times move too. These are mid-month times for Göreme:

A sunrise ride and a balloon flight happen at the same time, so you cannot do both on one morning. Many travellers fly on their first morning and ride at sunset that day or at sunrise on the next. For the best ground-level balloon spots, see where to watch the balloons in Cappadocia. If you want to see them from the saddle, remember that a cancelled flight morning means an empty sky, although the ride itself still goes ahead.

The valleys you ride through

Routes vary between ranches and with the season, but most rides from the Göreme area use some of these valleys:

• Love Valley. Tall, narrow rock pillars and soft sandy tracks along the valley floor. One of the most photographed rides.
• The Red and Rose valleys. Pink and orange rock, vineyards and small rock-cut churches in the cliffs. The classic sunset route.
• Sword Valley (Kılıçlar). Next to Göreme, with tall ridges and quieter tracks.
• The fields and orchards between the valleys. Apricot trees and vineyards in summer, bare and quiet in winter.

On horseback you reach paths that are too narrow for quads and too long for a casual walk. You will not have time to go inside the larger churches on a one-hour ride, but you pass close to the rock dwellings and dovecotes carved into the cliffs.

The valleys lie inside the protected Cappadocia area, which is managed by the Cappadocia Area Directorate. Stay on the tracks and with your guide.

Do you need riding experience?

No. Most riders on a Cappadocia valley ride are beginners, and the horses walk the same tracks every day. What you do need:

• Basic fitness and balance. You will be sitting in the saddle for an hour on uneven ground, with some climbs and descents.
• Willingness to follow the guide. On steep or narrow sections, the guide may ask you to lean forward or back, or to let the horse pick its own way.
• Honesty about your experience. Overstating it gets you a livelier horse than you want.

Age. Ranches set their own minimum ages. Children who are confident and tall enough to reach the stirrups usually ride their own horse, sometimes on a lead rein held by a guide. Younger children may only be able to sit with a parent or on a led pony, if at all. Ask before you book.

Weight. Many ranches have a maximum rider weight to protect the horses. If you are tall or heavy, mention it when booking so they can match you to a suitable horse.

Health. Back, hip and knee problems are the main issue, as is pregnancy, when riding is not advisable. If in doubt, a Cappadocia ATV tour or a gentle valley walk may suit you better.

What to wear and bring

• Long trousers. Jeans or leggings stop the saddle from rubbing your legs. Shorts are uncomfortable.
• Closed shoes with a small heel, or at least trainers with a firm sole. Sandals are not suitable.
• Layers. Dawn and dusk on the plateau are cool in every season and cold from November to March.
• Sunglasses and a scarf or buff against the dust in summer.
• Sun protection for daytime rides.
• A phone on a lanyard or in a zipped pocket. Dropping it from the saddle on a sandy track means stopping the whole group.

Helmets are provided by the ranch. If you have your own riding helmet, you can bring it.

Choosing a ranch with healthy horses

Horses are working animals here, and conditions vary between ranches. Before or at the start of your ride, look for:

• Horses in good condition: alert, not visibly thin, with no open sores on the back or around the girth.
• Shade and water at the ranch.
• Sensible timing. A well-run ranch does not ride its horses through the midday heat of July and August.
• Weight limits and matching. A ranch that asks about your weight and experience is taking its horses seriously.
• Helmets offered to every rider.

If something looks wrong, say so, or choose a different activity.

Horse, ATV, camel or walking

Each way of seeing the valleys has its own character. Horses are quiet and slow and go where vehicles cannot. Quads are fast, loud and dusty, and cover more ground in the same hour; our page on the Cappadocia ATV tour compares them in detail. A camel ride is shorter and more of a photo experience. Walking is free and lets you stop at every rock church, but takes three to four hours to cover the same valleys.

Many visitors combine two: a quad or horse ride for the views, and a guided day on the Red Tour or Green Tour for the history. If you want your own guide and car for the main sights, see our Cappadocia private tour page.

The "land of beautiful horses" story

You will often read that the name Cappadocia means "land of beautiful horses". The story goes back to the Old Persian name of the region, Katpatuka, and many guidebooks repeat it. Linguists are less sure. Modern scholarship tends to link the name to a Luwian or Hittite origin, possibly meaning "low country", and treats the "beautiful horses" reading as an older theory that is hard to reconcile with the evidence.

What is certain is that horses have been part of life on this plateau for a very long time, and that the valleys, with their soft sandy tracks, still suit riding better than almost any other way of getting around them. It makes a good story on the ride. Just do not bet on the etymology.

Tours that cover this

• Cappadocia Horseback Riding Safari: Sunrise or Sunset Valley Ride: from $38 per person, with hotel pickup.
• Cappadocia Horse Riding: 1-Hour Valley Ride at Sunrise or Sunset: from $90 per person.
• Cappadocia Tour Package 6 Days: Cave Hotel, ATV, Horse Ride and Red Tour: from $1,250 per person, with the horse ride built into a longer stay.
• Cappadocia Private Tour 4 Days: Valleys, ATV, Horse Riding, Wine: from $1,100 per person.

For more ideas, see all Cappadocia tours, the Cappadocia destination guide and our page on where to stay in Cappadocia.

Frequently Asked Questions