Ihlara Valley Tours: The 6 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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