Ihlara Valley Hike: Trail Options, Steps, Churches and Selime

The classic Ihlara Valley hike covers about 4 km, from the long stairway at the main entrance down to the riverside path and on to the village of Belisırma. The whole gorge is 14 km long, and walking all of it to Selime Monastery at the northern end takes most of a day. Which section you choose depends on how much time you have after the drive from Göreme, and whether you want painted churches (most are on or near the short section) or a proper day on your feet. If you would rather not organise the transport, our Green Tour with Ihlara, Derinkuyu and Selime includes a riverside walk in the valley and a visit to Selime Monastery.

This page is about the hike itself: the trail options, the steps, which churches to look for, the climb at Selime, tickets, shoes and the best time of year. For the tour version of the day, with lunch, stop order and what is included, see our Cappadocia Green Tour guide.

Ihlara Valley trail options at a glance

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism describes the valley as a canyon 14 km long and up to 120 m deep in places, cut by the Melendiz river. Turkey Travel Planner lists four places where walkers join or leave it: Ihlara village at the southern end, the main entrance with its stairway about 2 km to the north, Belisırma village further along, and Selime at the northern end.

Walking times for the long sections come from Turkey Travel Planner's description of the trail. Your own pace and the number of church stops will change them.

The short walk: main stairway to Belisırma

The standard hike starts at the top of the gorge with a long staircase down to the valley floor. Go Türkiye, the official tourism site, and the Ministry's Turkish listing give the count as 382 stairs; Turkey Travel Planner says 360. Either way it is a long descent down a steep canyon wall. Coming back up the same way is the hard part, which is why many walkers continue along the river to Belisırma instead and have a car meet them there.

Once you are at the bottom, the path follows the river on a mostly level, shaded line. Go Türkiye puts the walk from the stairway to Belisırma at about 4 km, and our own Green Tour listing gives its group walk as three and a half kilometres. Turkey Travel Planner notes that most of the churches lie between Ihlara village and Belisırma, so ending the walk at Belisırma, with a driver waiting, still takes in the main ones.

Belisırma is where many group tours stop for a riverside lunch, and it is the natural place to decide whether to walk the second half.

The long walk: on to Selime

Group tours usually leave the valley at Belisırma, so the walk north of the village is the quieter half. Turkey Travel Planner estimates another two or three hours to Selime, and seven or eight hours in all if you start at Ihlara village. The path is easy to follow because it stays close to the river, but it is long, so carry enough water and some food from Belisırma.

The full walk only works with transport at both ends. Either someone drops you at the southern end and collects you at Selime, or you leave a car and take a taxi back. On a private day with a driver this is simple: you are dropped at the stairway, the driver meets you in Belisırma for lunch, and again at Selime if you carry on. A shared group tour cannot wait for walkers doing the whole gorge, so the full route means a private Cappadocia tour or your own car.

If you only have one day for the south of Cappadocia, the short walk plus Selime by car and an underground city is the better use of it.

Which churches to look for

In the early Christian period, the Ministry notes, many churches and monasteries were carved into the valley walls. Go Türkiye says it came to hold more than a hundred rock-cut churches, and both Go Türkiye and the Ministry's Turkish listing say that 14 of the 105 churches can be visited today. Which churches are open can vary, so treat the list below as a guide, not a promise. Dates are from the Aksaray Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism and the Ministry.

Most of these churches are on or near the short section, so the short walk is the one to do if the frescoes are your reason for coming. Ağaçaltı is just south of the bottom of the stairway, and the Aksaray directorate places Pürenliseki in the same direction, about 300 m towards Ihlara village and away from Belisırma, so see those first. For the history of the valley and its churches, see our Ihlara Valley page; this page sticks to the walk.

Bring a small torch or use your phone light, as the interiors are dim. Avoid flash on old paint.

Selime Monastery at the northern end

Selime sits in the cliffs above Selime village, where the valley ends. The Aksaray culture directorate dates the monastery to the 8th–9th or the 10th century, and says its church, with two rows of rock columns, is the region's only example of the three-aisled basilica plan. For the hiker, what matters is how you reach it.

The climb up is short but steep, on worn rock that can be slippery when dusty or wet. If you have walked the whole gorge, you arrive at Selime at the bottom of the cliff and still have this climb ahead. Many people reach Selime by car after a shorter walk instead, which is how our Green Tour with Selime runs it.

Getting there from Göreme

The Ihlara Valley is in Aksaray province, outside the main fairy-chimney area. Routing on OpenStreetMap puts Ihlara village about 80 km by road from Göreme, around 1 hour 20 minutes of driving, and Selime about 96 km. That is why it is usually combined with an underground city on the way: Derinkuyu sits about 40 km from Göreme and about 52 km from Ihlara village, on the same side of the region. Our pages on Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı help if you are choosing between the two.

A realistic private day looks like this:

1. Leave Göreme around 08:30 and stop at an underground city.
2. Reach the Ihlara stairway late morning and walk to Belisırma.
3. Lunch by the river in Belisırma.
4. Drive to Selime and climb to the monastery.
5. Back in Göreme or Ürgüp by late afternoon.

If you add the Belisırma to Selime walk, drop the underground city or start earlier. Go Türkiye mentions hourly public transport from Aksaray, but from Göreme a tour, a private driver or a hire car is far simpler. If you are still choosing a base, our guide to where to stay in Cappadocia compares Göreme, Ürgüp and Uçhisar for this kind of trip.

Tickets, opening hours and entrances

The valley is a Ministry of Culture and Tourism archaeological site with a ticket. According to the Turkish Museums listing, foreign visitors aged 8 and over pay €15, and children under 8 enter free. Hours are 08:30 to 19:00 in summer (1 April to 1 October) and 08:30 to 17:00 in winter. The Ministry's current listing on muze.gov.tr shows 08:30 to 17:00 with the ticket office closing at 16:15, so in the cooler months plan to be at the gate by early afternoon.

Entrance arrangements have changed in recent years. A notice still shown on the Turkish Museums listing says the main gate (gate No. 2) has been closed for renovation since 28 January 2023, as part of a visitor centre and landscaping project, with entry through the Belisırma ticket office and gate No. 1. The Ministry's own listing on muze.gov.tr now names the main gate (No. 2) as the entrance. If you are walking independently, check on the day which entrance is open, or let your guide or driver sort it out. On our Green Tour with Selime, tickets for Ihlara, Selime and Derinkuyu are included in the price.

What to wear and when to go

The riverside path is easy, but the stairway and Selime are not, so footwear matters more than fitness. Wear trainers or walking shoes with a grippy sole. Sandals are fine on the flat but not on the steps. Bring water, a hat and sun cream for the stairway and Selime, which are exposed, even though the valley floor is shaded by trees.

• Spring and autumn: milder than summer, and the best seasons for the long walk.
• Summer: the longest opening hours (to 19:00). The valley floor is shaded, but the stairway and Selime are hot in the middle of the day, so walk early.
• Winter: the site closes at 17:00, and the steps can have ice or mud. Stick to the short walk and take care on the stairway.

If you are planning the rest of the trip around the seasons, our best time to visit Turkey guide covers the region month by month.

Tours that cover this

You can hike Ihlara on your own, but the drive and the one-way walk make a guided day easier. These are our tours that include the valley:

• Cappadocia Green Tour with Ihlara, Derinkuyu, Selime and lunch: about 7 hours, a riverside walk in the valley, Derinkuyu, lunch and Selime Monastery, from $80 per person.
• Cappadocia Green Tour: a three-and-a-half-kilometre canyon walk, an underground city (Derinkuyu or Kaymaklı) and lunch in Belisırma, but no Selime, from $77 per person.
• 2-day Cappadocia tour from Istanbul with Göreme and the Ihlara Valley: for travellers coming in from Istanbul, from $521 per person.
• 2-day Cappadocia Green Tour from Istanbul: the southern route as part of a short trip from Istanbul, from $460 per person.

For the full gorge walk with a driver at both ends, ask about a private Cappadocia tour. To fit Ihlara into a longer stay, see things to do in Cappadocia, our Cappadocia 2-day itinerary, the Red Tour for the northern valleys, and the Ihlara Valley page in our Cappadocia destination guide.

Frequently Asked Questions