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from £1,660 or €1,900
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$2,097
$2,236
$341
Note: Rates are subject to daily exchange rate fluctuations, please refer to our ‘Terms & Conditions’ for full details.
31 March – 7 April
21 – 28 April
19 – 26 May
1 – 8 September
22 – 29 September
13 – 20 October
Included – All riding, guiding, full board accommodation, drinks with meals and set time transfers from and to Kayseri airport.
Excluded – Flights, tips, optional balloon trip (approx. €200 payable), drinks outside of mealtimes and alcohol.
How To Get There
International flight to Istanbul and a domestic flight to Kayseri Airport, except for the Antalya Camping Trail, which is arrival into Konya Airport and departure from Antalya International Airport.
Transfer
To avail of the included transfer, you need to arrive in Kayseri airport between 05:00am and 22:00pm. Our driver will collect you at the airport and take you to your guesthouse for the first evening. On the first evening the welcome dinner is at 8pm so we recommend clients arrive before 6.30pm.
Arrival at other times is available but at an additional charge of approximately €65 each way per car payable directly in Euros or Turkisk Lira.
A slightly less challenging ride than the Cappadocia Sportive trail and suitable for intermediate riders whilst still taking in the beauty and terrain of this glorious area. Enjoy a delightful riding adventure discovering the silent beauty of Cappadocia’s unique landscape of fairy chimneys and volcanic formations on board forward going Arabs horses. Whether negotiating the narrow paths or galloping through the steppe or along the lush canyons, you will enjoy exhilarating trails off the beaten track. The landscape is truly breath taking, unusual and spectacular, something between the Grand Canyon and a moonscape!
You will visit cave villages, troglodytic monasteries and ancient frescoed churches, and you will discover the historical and cultural wealth of this region listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO.
Your French born hosts are Nicolas and Helene who made this place their home, now with their young son, some 10 years ago. Both are true adventurers and have a deep love of horses. Nicolas once rode through Afghanistan on horse back and he met Helene while she was riding across Turkey with a friend. He relishes his trail rides and has his own farm at the heart of this national park, along with his beautiful Arab and Arab cross horses.
Normally either Nicolas or Helene will personally guide you on the ride and stay with the group at your accommodation.
You’ll find the horses here all super fit and the riding is fast, probably as fast as any ride in the world. The tack is immaculate, the trail saddles so comfy and all hand made by Nicolas in the winter months. This ride is suited to adventurous riders who like a fast pace and are very fit themselves as there is some fairly serious scrambling up and down steep tricky tracks on foot with your horse following you required. You are also expected to look after your own horse and groom, tack it up in the morning. It’s a really magical way to explore this stunning part of Turkey with some really interesting hosts.
Horses – 25 horses, mostly Arabs, Arab Crosses & Anatolians. Forward-going, sure footed and 15hh – 15.2hh.
Level of Riding & Pace – Intermediate to Advanced. The riding and pace is fast with lots of long and sometimes windy (in and out of rock formations) so you need to be fit. You need to be comfortable at all paces. The horses are superbly schooled and don’t pull and you are encouraged to take your own lines, not follow. You will need to hike up and down some very steep mountain paths which can be very slippy with shingle with your horse following you. The reward is a gallop on top of the ridges on the plateau with the most incredible views.
Tack – Snaffle bridles and comfortable trail riding saddles with saddle bags.
Weight Restriction – 85 kgs / 186 lbs / 13.4 stone.
Group Size – Maximum 8.
Upmarket, luxury and boutique style hotels which have been selected for their historical architecture, some cave hotels with special atmospheres, a high quality of service and attention to detail. Single rooms can be arranged at an additional cost.
Please Ask About
There are a huge number of other activities in Cappadocia you may want to enjoy. You can choose to arrive earlier or stay a few days longer before or after the trail ride, we can help with arrangements and accommodation.
Day 1
Arrival at Kayseri airport. You are met by your shuttle driver and transferred in 50 min to your guesthouse in Urgup, where you have dinner with your guide.
Day 2
You are driven to the ranch in the morning to meet your horse and to get acquainted with the riding equipment. The trail begins with one hour of riding through lush vegetation and along the stream of the Uzengi canyon. Villagers cook lunch for you on the woodfire, at the foot of troglodytic citadels of dovecotes carved out the abrupt rock walls. Your first long canter is the ascension of the Avlak mountain (in case of rain, the Avlak mountain is unrideable and will be avoided), with a magnificent encompassing view of Cappadocia. The rocky hills could provide the perfect background to a Western movie… you will then spend the afternoon riding through expanses of bare hills surrounding Lake Damsa. (In case of hot weather, you can swim in the lake with your horse). After lunch, you ride through a maze of paths lined with orchards and vineyards, then enter into the village of Ayvali through a hidden canyon and stop for the night in your hotel nestled in the rock.
Day 3
In the morning, you have a quick start with a canter through the fields of the high Anatolian plateau (1600m height): barley, wheat, oat and bean fields which bring us to visit the underground village of Golgoli. Your sure-footed horses take you off the beaten tracks along a scenic path through rock formations, vineyard and orchards, surrounded by table-mountains. Tying horses in front of the restaurant, you will have lunch in the centre of the old Greek village of Mustafapasa. After lunch, you may stroll among Mustafapasa’s old stone houses, its Ottoman madrasa and its painted church or take a nap on the sofa.
In the afternoon, you can enjoy varied scenery of narrow tracks, small canyons, farmed land and the wide-open spaces of Bahceli, where shepherds lead their flocks. You sneak your way along the lush, narrow canyon of Sorkumlu, before galloping on large sandy tracks. You arrive to your guesthouse in Ayvali for your last night in the village.
Day 4
Leaving the guesthouse on horseback, you can enjoy a varied scenery of narrow tracks and farmed land. You sneak your way along the lush, narrow canyon of a “Gomeda” before a beautiful canter through the fairy chimneys of Gümüslü valley. You ride uphill to reach the lunch at one of our best restaurants: “Babayan evi”. Very good and healthy local food. From this picturesque village, you start ascending the ‘twin hills’ of Cappadocia to reach a panoramic viewpoint encompassing northern Cappadocia and the towering rock fortress of Uchisar. As you ride towards the village, you can admire the multicoloured rock formations of the famous Pigeon Valley, and Uchisar’s picturesque fairy chimneys. You reach your panoramic guesthouse on horseback and enjoy a drink on the terrace. You may spend the rest of the day exploring Uchisar.
Day 5
Optional hot-air balloon flight in the early morning: travel with the wind over Cappadocia’s magical landscape at sunrise (paid directly to the balloon company). You sneak your way through the rock tunnels, arches and small woods of the spectacular 4 km-long canyon called Zemi. You make a detour through the famous Love Valley and its gigantic phallic rock formations, then into the Sword Valley and Red Valley. With its cidatels of red, pink and ocre rock, and its beautiful troglodytic churches, this is Cappadocia’s most spectacular ensemble of geological formations. A cave cafe located in an ancient monastery welcomes you for lunch. In the afternoon, you keep exploring the Red and Rose Valleys, then ride out into the fields, surrounded by the rocky hills of north Cappadocia. The winding paths of the Shepherd’s valley take you back to your guesthouse in Uchisar, in time to admire north Cappadocia in the sunset light.
Day 6
You enter another beautiful canyon called the White Valley, after the colour of its rock. You ride through stone labyrinths and lush vegetation and pass the impressive fairy chimneys of yet another Love Valley. You canter on a dust path overlooking Red Valley. You enjoy more long canters through the maze of sandy paths of the valley of Ortahisar before reaching the village for lunch on a terrace with a nice view of a dovecote. You return to the ranch in the afternoon by the valley of Pancarlik and its multicoloured rock formations, gardens and orchards. After tea on our terrace, you have an option to be driven to the hamam in Ürgüp for a relaxing steam bath and massage.
Day 7
After breakfast, departure to Kayseri (or Nevsehir) airport for your flight to Istanbul.
The list below is only indicative of the visits, excursions and activities available in Cappadocia. Some can be done independently, while others can be arranged through us or the local travel agency we can recommend.
Hot-air balloon – at sunrise, travel with the wind over Cappadocia’s spectacular landscape. The experience of a lifetime!
Cross golf – forget the green, Cappadocia’s landscape provides the perfect playground for this new approach to golf
Visit of Göreme Open Air Museum – the region’s greatest concentration of frescoed churches, with some dating back to the 4th century
Trip to the underground cities – used as shelters during wartime, the larger cities descend to 8 levels below ground level and feature series of rooms, stairs and tunnels.
Ceremony of the Whirling-Derviches – night representation at the Sarihan caravanserai
Trip to the valley of Ilhara – at the foot of Hasan Dagi volcano, this long, lush canyon shelters several churches
Trip to the valley of Soganli – off the beaten tracks, churches and dovecotes unique in Cappadocia
Motor rides (jeep, scooter, ATV), mountain bike
Discovery of Cappadocia’s vineyards and wine testing
Visit to local craft shops and workshops: carpets, kilims, pottery, jewels.
Massage at Urgup or Goreme’shammam.
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