Day 1 - Sunday
Riding: No riding.
Arrival at Kayseri airport. You will be met by your shuttle driver and transferred to your guesthouse in Urgup where you will have dinner with your guide. The transfer takes approximately 50 minutes.
A welcome dinner will be served at around 8pm, for those guests who arrive in good time, and is a great opportunity to meet your hosts and guides.
Day 2 - Monday
Riding: 5 - 6 hours
You will be driven to the ranch in the early morning to meet and choose your horse (in 2025 this will be in Avanos) and get acquainted with the tack. You will have time to test your horse on a 1km training course going around the farm. The trail will begin with one hour of riding through lush vegetation and along the stream of the Uzengi canyon. Villagers cook lunch for you on a woodfire at the foot of troglodytic citadels of dovecotes which have been carved out of the rock walls.
After lunch you will ride in the stream of Uzengi and your first long canter takes you to Avlak mountain with a magnificent encompassing view of Cappadocia. The rocky hills could provide the perfect background to a Western movie. The afternoon is spent riding through a huge valley where the ghost village of Karain is situated - the horses will be settled for the night near to Karain and you can enjoy a drink as you watch them. A shuttle bus will then drive you back to Urgup to spend a second night (driving time, approximately 25 minutes).
Day 3 - Tuesday
Riding: 5 - 6 hours
Today starts by cantering through the fields of the high Anatolian plateau (1600m): barley, wheat, oats and beans. You will dismount to walk and lead your horse along a steep trail, single file, for approximately 20 minutes. This brings you down to Damsa lake. The villagers will cook lunch for you over a woodfire when you arrive to Keslik Monastery.
The scenery in the afternoon is made of bare hills surrounding the lake and you will also be overlooking a valley of fairy chimneys. In hot weather you can swim in the lake with your horse. There are tracks of soft red clay this afternoon, ideal for cantering, and you will eventually reach the village of Ayvali by passing through a hidden canyon. Here you will find your hotel.
Day 4 - Wednesday
Riding: 5 - 6 hours
This morning you have a quick start with another canter, bringing you to the underground village of Golgoli. Your sure-footed horse will take you off the beaten track, following scenic paths through rock formations, vineyards and orchards, all surrounded by table-mountains.
You will arrive to the centre of the old Greek village of Mustafapasa, visiting on horseback, and then onto a scenic plateau with a chance for another blast on your horse. After a little more riding you will reach your hotel in Ayvali once again.
Depending on the season and the weather, lunch today will either be in Mustafapasa or next to the swimming pool in Ayvali.
Day 5 - Thursday
Riding: 5 - 6 hours
After leaving the hotel on horseback you will find yourself amidst varied scenery of narrow tracks, small canyons, farmed land and the wide open spaces of Subasi where shepherds are still leading their flocks. You wind your way along the lush, narrow canyon of a remote village, before galloping on large sandy tracks. Today you will visit a second and different type of underground village called Kirkule.
Another long canter leads you through vineyards and orchards, over rolling hills of white tuffa to reach the fairy chimneys of Gomeda Valley. More riding fun awaits you here as you ride through the narrow corridors and archers of the Gumuslu canyon. Riding uphill you will reach one of the best restaurants for lunch, 'Babayan evi'. This serves very good, healthy, local style food.
After lunch in this picturesque village you can start ascending the 'twin hills' of Cappadocia to reach a panoramic viewpoint which encompasses northern Cappadocia and the towering rock fortress of Uchisar. As you ride towards the village you can admire the multi-coloured rock formations of the famous Pigeon Valley and Uchisar's charming fairy chimneys. You will reach your panoramic guesthouse on horseback and enjoy a drink on the terrace.
Day 6 - Friday
Riding: 5 - 6 hours
This morning there is an optional hot-air balloon flight (additional cost) in the early morning - travel with the wind over Cappadocia's magical landscapes at sunrise. Your hosts can help you organise this locally and you will pay the balloon operator direct.
Today you wind your way through the rock tunnels, arches and small woods of the spectacular 4km-long canyon called the Green Valley. 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 citadels 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 explore more of the Red and Rose Valleys and then further out into the fields, surrounded by the rock hills of north Cappadocia. The winding paths of the Shepherd's valley take you back (with a long canter) to your guesthouse in Uchisar in time to admire north Cappadocia in the sunset.
Day 7 - Saturday
Riding: 5 - 6 hours
This is your last riding day and you begin by exploring another beautiful canyon called the White Valley, named after the colour of its rock. You will ride through stone labyrinths and lush vegetation, passing by more of the impressive fairy chimneys which will leave you with lasting impressions from your ride.
On crossing the picturesque village of Çavusin you dismount for a short walk to reach the plateau of Boz daha, cantering on the crest overlooking the Red Valley on one side and Devrent Valley on the other.
The maze of woody, sandy paths of the valley of Urgüp invite you to more pacey riding, before reaching the valley of Pancarlik and its multicoloured rock formations, gardens and orchards. You return to the ranch in the afternoon.
After a final tea on the terrace you have the option to be driven to the hammam in Ürgüp for a relaxing steam bath and massage (extra cost). There is a short transfer back to your guesthouse for a farewell dinner and overnight.
Day 8 - Sunday
Riding: No riding.
After breakfast, departure to Kayseri airport for your flight home to Istanbul.
NB: This itinerary is an example. In case of rain, the trail will be modified accordingly to ensure the safety of horses and riders. Please note that the balloon flight date is subject to change due to local circumstances
Note: All programmes and itineraries are weather dependent; in the face of adverse, or unexpected, weather conditions reasonable attempts will be made to provide equivalent riding. All programmes are accurate at the time of writing. However, the team may adapt or modify details, whilst aiming to provide a similar experience.
