Amazing adventure to Cappadocia! The sun was shining when I arrived, which already felt like a win after hearing about the previous 10 days of rain. Cappadocia is famous for its surreal landscape formed by ancient volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. Over centuries, people carved homes, churches, and entire underground cities into the soft rock, creating one of the most unique historical regions in the world.
Naturally, I signed up for an ATV tour to explore Love, Rose, White and Sword Valleys. Because of all the rain, the tracks were seriously wet and muddy — great for adventure, less great for staying clean. Luckily, I was the only one booked on the tour, so my guide suggested I hop on pillion. Best decision ever. It meant we could also race off to Red Valley, Mushroom Valley and a second White Valley viewpoint.
I’m so glad I went pillion — it was awesome. My guide was super professional, very speedy, and although I got bounced around a bit, I loved every second. Definitely chose the right company. Meanwhile, three other tour groups were packed with Asian and Chinese tourists, all politely puttering along, and because of flooding they couldn’t even reach White Valley.
I briefly considered ballooning the next morning, but when I heard they pack 26–28 people into one basket… hard pass. I’ve ballooned before, and that is a lot of humans in one floating picnic basket. As it turned out, all flights were cancelled anyway because of the weather.
So instead, I went hiking — and wow. An incredible morning, trekking through this otherworldly landscape in a crisp 2°C. Cold, yes. Worth it? Absolutely. Cappadocia is just one of those places that makes you stop, stare, and wonder how Earth even created something so magical.
