DESTINATIONS CAPPADOCIA | ESCORTED TOURS


Flights of fancy


A new Exodus tour taking in the unique formations and cave hotels of central Turkey’s Cappadocia enchants David Whitley


t travelweekly.co.uk


he absurdly intricate breakfast arrives as we sit on hay bales, surrounded by rows of lavender. Seemingly hundreds of little morsels – cheese


wrapped in vine leaves, spicy sausage, olive pastes and jams – appear in a collection of tiny bowls. The alfresco Turkish breakfast is taking place on the rim of a gorge looking down on to the weird rock formations the Cappadocia region is renowned for. The slopes look like a giant’s fingers stretching out. Or a dragon’s teeth. Or an albino crocodile lurking in the grass. By the end of the first day, we’ve made a thousand attempts at describing the bizarre Cappadocian landscape, but none of them quite nail it. This feast is one of several experiences that make


Exodus Travels’ nine-day Walking the Ancient Trails of Cappadocia trip distinctive. It’s part of the new Premium Adventures range, which offers high quality, but unusual places to stay. In Cappadocia, that’s Yunak Evleri Cave Hotel – cave houses joined together. The furnishings have local flavour and authenticity, while the pools duck and weave under rock overhangs. But cool accommodation isn’t the only difference.


The Exodus Premium Adventures curate and include a swathe of unusual, stick-in-the-memory experiences. In Cappadocia’s case, that means the region’s highlights are still covered, but a lot more is thrown in on top.


A guided walk through the Red Valley, for example, will appear on many Cappadocian itineraries, and for exceptionally good reason. The rust-red water, multiple caves and suggestively shaped ‘fairy chimneys’ make it visually spectacular.


The former monastery complex


has cave chapels dug out of the rock face, many decorated with frescoes dating back hundreds of years


The Göreme Open Air Museum is another fascinating Cappadocian staple. The former monastery complex has cave chapels dug out of the rock face, many decorated with frescoes dating back hundreds of years when Christianity held sway over Cappadocia. But the Cappadocian cooking school is definitely not standard itinerary fare. We roll our sleeves up and help prepare dishes inside a family kitchen. It becomes a team effort as aubergines are pan-fried until tender, vegetables are finely chopped, chilli and mint are brought in from the garden and beef is stuffed. The resulting dish is extraordinarily flavourful and served alongside the obligatory tableful of goodies in little bowls.


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