Ihlara Valley Tours: The 13 Best Days in the Gorge

1.Green Tour – Ihlara Valley & Underground City

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 378 reviews · 8 hours · from $71Our pick

Spend eight hours exploring Cappadocia beyond Göreme: descend into Derinkuyu, hike beside the Melendiz River in Ihlara Valley, climb Selime Monastery, and watch onyx being shaped. English and Turkish guides include hotel pickup, lunch, and optional museum tickets.

“Marve was amazing! She was very informative, fun and kind! She will really give you all the information you need. Highly recommend her and the team! Shoutout to the driver also for being amazing and helping us on the tour.”

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2.Full-Day Tour in Cappadocia with Ihlara Hiking and Underground City

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 320 reviews · 7 to 9 hours (approx.) · from $45Best value

Spend 7 to 9 hours exploring Cappadocia by air-conditioned vehicle, with hotel pickup, a 3.5-kilometer walk in Ihlara Valley, Kaymakli Underground City, Selime Monastery, and lunch. Guides such as Mehmet, Funda, Ferman, and Yusuf lead the tour, though the assigned guide varies.

“Ottima esperienza, anche se il silenzio dei partecipanti di fronte alla domanda: "cosa significa Cappadocia?" ha lasciato perplesso la guida. Purtroppo la visita alla città sotterranea di Kaymaklı è stata più breve di quanto mi aspettassi, ma credo sia così per tutti i tour. Buon modo per visitare l'area senza auto.”

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3.Cappadocia Green Tour with Derinkuyu Nar Lake and Ihlara Valley

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 160 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $60

Travel through Cappadocia’s less-visited southern sights with an English-speaking guide, including Derinkuyu Underground City, Göreme Panorama, a 3 km Ihlara Valley walk, Nar Lake, and Selime Monastery. Lunch, water, transport, and admissions are included, with pickup from local hotels.

“Wondering around the stops and looking at the country side between attractions. Elfi was a fabulous host and our driver pot on.”

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4.Cat/Ihlara Valley Sunrise Hot Air Balloon Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 60 reviews · from $249

Start before dawn with pickup from Göreme, Uçhisar, Ürgüp, and nearby towns. Fly for about an hour over fairy chimneys, cave homes, and pigeon nests in Cat or Ihlara Valley, then toast your landing with champagne and receive a personalized certificate.

“Most memorable experience Good pilot and Coworkers polite genuine loving people”

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5.Derinkuyu, Selime, Nar Crater Lake & Ihlara Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 48 reviews · from $72

Travel from Cappadocia’s main towns to Derinkuyu Underground City, Nar Crater Lake, Selime Monastery, and Ihlara Canyon with an English-speaking guide. Guides such as Kübra and Gokan bring the ancient sites to life, while lunch, hotel transfers, water, and a local tea ceremony are included.

“The tour was fantastic and our guide, Kubra was amazing!”

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6.Full-day Cappadocia Green Tour to Ihlara Valley

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 47 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $90

Spend about seven hours exploring South Cappadocia with an English-speaking guide, visiting Derinkuyu Underground City, Pigeon Valley, Ihlara Valley, Selime Monastery, and Goreme Panorama. Ferman has guided this tour, which includes lunch, transport, admission fees, and pickup from Cappadocia hotels.

“Had an amazing tour with Ferman. We went with a small group with only 9 people. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the region and was happy to answer all of our questions. The driver that we had was also AMAZING, and maneuvered the van like a pro! We had a great experience, made friends along the way, and learned so much about Cappadocia.”

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7.Southern Cappadocia Tour with Ihlara Canyon

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 19 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $78

From Goreme, this eight-hour English-language tour visits Goreme Panorama, Kaymakli Underground City, Ihlara Canyon, Belisirma, Pigeon Valley, and an onyx workshop. You get hotel pickup, an air-conditioned minivan, a three-course lunch, entrance fees, and a guide. Spanish, Portuguese, and Arabic guiding costs €10 extra per person.

“Para no perjudicar a la agencia turca, rectifico mi valoración, puesto que dada la situación de excepcional que vivimos me ofrecieron tras las negociaciones, un tour privado con un guía en Español, por lo que no quiero causarles daños a su imagen.”

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8.Derinkuyu Underground City, Narli Gol Ihlara Canyon, Belisirma Village Selime Tour From Cappadocia

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 19 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $85

Travel from Urgup in a small, air-conditioned minivan to Derinkuyu Underground City, Ihlara Canyon, Belisirma Village, Selime and Narli Gol. An English-speaking guide leads the day, with lunch and hotel pickup included. Confirm hiking time and entrance fees before booking.

“Exploring the beautiful scenery and learning the history of the places visited. Our guide, Omer. was so helpful and kind. His insightful knowledge was impressive and appreciated. It was like a cultural immersion class. Best way to see all the area has to offer.”

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9.Private/Shared Green Tour with Derinkuyu and Ihlara Valley

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 17 reviews

See Cappadocia’s underground world at Derinkuyu, walk 3 km beside the Melendiz River in Ihlara Valley, and climb through Selime Monastery. You get hotel pickup, an English-speaking guide, entrance fees, lunch, and an air-conditioned vehicle. Private groups and several languages are available.

“This is the best tour to do if you’re in Cappadocia for a short while. My tour guide was Alburn (I hope I am spelling it right!). He was very well informed of the history of each spot, the sweetest and a great photographer honestly! The views were insane, the ride was comfortable, the lunch was good (drinks not included btw guys). I think overall this is a bit expensive, but in terms of the whole experience, it was definitely comfortable and the itinerary is well worth it.”

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10.Cappadocia Underground City and Ihlara Valley Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 15 reviews · from $100

Travel from Goreme in an air-conditioned minivan to Derinkuyu Underground City, hike 3.5 kilometers through Ihlara Valley, eat beside the river, and explore Selime Monastery. Guides such as Selim and Berk lead the day, which also includes Goreme and Pigeon Valley views, Yaprakhisar, and an onyx demonstration.

“Monetary for photos were fabulous The canyon was amazing also loved the underground city amazing history and photo's”

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11.Derinkuyu Underground City & Ihlara Valley Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · 7 hours · from $210

Travel by air-conditioned vehicle from your hotel, airport, or port to Derinkuyu, Ihlara Valley, Belisirma, Yaprakhisar, and Selime. A licensed guide leads the day in English, German, French, or Spanish. The tour suits active visitors who want caves, river scenery, and ancient churches in one outing.

“Amazing. Not only the places we visited but our guide was OUTSTANDING.”

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12.Full-Day Private Ihlara Valley Hiking Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · from $104

Walk the full open section of Ihlara Valley from its upper end to Selime Monastery with a private guide and your own group. Expect about 14 km beside the Melendiz River, cave churches with frescoes, lunch along the way, hotel pickup from Goreme, and a 7.5-hour day.

“The guide was awesome. Gave me a full tour with the history of the valley and the surrounding area and took me to several cave houses and churches. High quality vehicle used for transfers as well.”

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13.Cappadocia Delux Green Tour with Walking and Selime Monastery

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · 6 hours (approx.) · from $53

From your Urgup hotel, an English-speaking guide such as Serhat takes you to Göreme Panorama, Pigeon Valley, Kaymaklı Underground City, Ihlara Valley, Selime Monastery, and a stone workshop. Expect walking, lunch, private transport, and a group of up to 15.

“Our tour guide serhat incrediable man!Furkan is making unforgettable plan for us.Thanks for all world of Tomorrow Travel team.ı am advice for everyone”

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