7 Day Cappadocia Highlights Horse Riding Holiday With Valley Ride and Camping Experience in Turkey
Horseback Riding Tour in Turkey
The hidden gems of Cappadocia in one week! away from crowded tourist areas. You ride through the rose-red valley, the white valley, and the love valley. You'll love the food, authentic and with quality ingredients! Visits to Göreme Open Air Museum and the performance of whirling dervishes are included. You'll stay in a horse-themed Saddle Cave Hotel in a historic town.
Key information
- Rider weight limit: 215lb / 97.5 kilograms; over the weight limit, there will be a second horse with an extra charge (870 EUR)
- Tack type: Western, Australian tacks
- Horse breed: Arabian, Anatolian, Arabian / Anatolian, Anatolian-Akhal-Teke
Meet the instructors
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Highlights
- 5 days of horse riding
- Approximate daily riding time: 4 - 5 hours
- See the highlights of Cappadocia in one week
- Entrance fees to the museum and the dervish performance
- Daily breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- 6 nights accommodation
- Airport transfers
Skill level
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Styles
Accommodation
Facilities
- Dining area
- Terrace
Akhal Teke Horse Center welcomes guests at their very own Solin Cave Hotel, which has a horse theme, built into unique caves. Akhal Teke Horse Center has the best breakfast in town.
Program
Famous for its unique rock formations, the magical and distinctive “fairy chimneys”, hot air balloon rides, and amazing horses. This is Cappadocia, which was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1985. With its natural and cultural criteria, you are so lucky to have an amazing site, here in our beautiful country, Turkey.
This wonderful place has so many activities to offer, but the best and most unforgettable way to discover Cappadocia is on a horseback trail ride. This joyful experience is open to advanced and experienced horse riders. Some of the routes would need to be passed with a hard gallop. Some routes may require you to dismount your horse, and you have to be able to mount again independently. Because Akhal Teke prioritizes your needs, they have to mention these points. Riding well-mannered and lively Arabian and Anatolian-Arabian horses will leave you refreshed and full of joy.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival
You will arrive at either Kayseri Erkilet Airport or Nevşehir Kapadokya. Depending on your flight, you will be picked up by a shuttle from the airport and transferred to the horse-themed The Saddle Cave Hotel, located in the historic town of Mustafapaşa. If you would like, you can take a stroll around the town until dinner time or relax in your room. Depending on your arrival time, you will have your first night's dinner together with your tour guide.
Day 2: Ride from Mustafapaşa to Golgoli
Good morning! You get to enjoy your authentic Turkish breakfast between 08:30 - 09:30. After breakfast, you'll be driven to the ranch, which is 4 minutes away. You get to see the beautiful little ranch, and your horse is ready to mount, with 2 water bottles, you can also place anything inside the bags, which is comfy!
First, you will ride through Golgoli, which is one of the oldest sites of Mustafapaşa. You will have a tour of the ancient city of Golgoli with the Damsa Dam view. Every step you take will be a priceless moment. Then you will pass by the Keşlik Monastery from the 6th century. If you like, you can stop by for some pictures. Once you pass through, you will stop for lunch. You will gallop back to the ranch, and on the way back, you'll pass by a nice river. You will have a rest at the hotel and end the day with dinner.
Note: the speed of the tours depends on the group, your hosts adjust to the group, and they decide with the majority.
Day 3: Ride from Mustafapasa to Golgoli Mountain
Once you are done with your breakfast, you will be riding through the village in Mustafapaşa towards Ayvali. There you will ride up the highest point of Ayvali, the Golgoli Mountain. Once you achieve the top, you get to enjoy the mesmerizing, unique view, it's truly a hidden gem!
After a short break, you will ride down into the village and enjoy a great, authentic homemade Turkish lunch, followed by a cup of tea or coffee. Then you continue your journey through the very fascinating valley where you can see many pigeon nests in caves. You will ride through beautiful scenes with rivers. The atmosphere is so unique, it's Akhal Teke Horse Center's favorite trail!
You then ride back to the ranch in Mustafapasa, and you will be taken to the hotel. You will have a rest at the hotel and end the day with dinner.
Day 4: Ride from Mustafapasa to Göreme
After breakfast, you will be riding through the village in Mustafapaşa, you'll head first to Tavşanlı Valley, which has a mesmerizing view, and from there you will head towards Kızılçukur after having a delicious lunch in Ortahisar. Here you get to enjoy the panoramic view of Güllüdere Valley, you ride towards Göreme Valley, and once you arrive in Göreme, you will leave your horses there and be picked up by car to go back to the hotel. You will have a rest at the hotel and end the day with dinner.
Day 5: Ride from Göreme to Avanos
After breakfast, you will start riding from Göreme, pass through Paşabağı and Zelve, and have lunch near the monasteries from the 13th century. It will be a refreshing break both for you and the horses. Once you've enjoyed the view, you will gallop through the fishermen's village called Sarıhıdır, and finally, you'll ride clean through the Kızılırmak River. You stop there to let the horse drink some water. From Kızılırmak, you will finish the day at the second ranch in Avanos. You will then be picked up and transferred back to the hotel for the evening. You will have a rest at the hotel and end the day with dinner.
Day 6: Ride from Avanos to Mustafapaşa
Breakfast is done, and time to ride from Avanos to the top of Aktepe Hill. From here, you will get to enjoy the mesmerizing view of Cappadocia from the top. You then continue your ride from Aktepe, where you will see the beautiful Ürgüp stream on the way back to the ranch in Mustafapaşa. You will have a rest at the hotel and end the day with dinner.
Day 7: Departure day
You'll get to enjoy the authentic Turkish breakfast for the last time, and it will be sad to see you go! Check-out time is at 12:00. Your transfer will pick you up from the hotel and take you to the airport. If your flight is later in the evening, you are welcome to stay in the lobby. Your hosts wish you a safe flight home, and you will have additional luggage to take back home with you, which is priceless memories!
Quick facts:
- Suitable for intermediate and experienced riders
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included
- Non-alcoholic drinks are only included during breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Private guided group tour
- Route includes: Mustafapaşa, Golgoli Ancient City, Golgoli Mountain, Ayvali, Keşlik Monastery, Balkan Deresi Valley, Ortahisar, Kızılçukur, Güllüdere Valley, Göreme, Paşabaşı, Zelve, Sarıhıdır, Red River (Kızılırmak), Avanos, Underground Cities, Aktepe Village
- Excursions include: Göreme Open Air Museum & Dervish Show – Sufi Whirling
- Ride trails and hard gallops in valleys
- Well-mannered, smooth-gaited, high-spirited horses
- Accommodation in boutique hotels
- Reliable and modern equipment
- Riders are advised to bring their riding equipment (helmets, boots, etc.)
- Helmets are provided upon request
- Riders must be fit, able to trot, canter, and gallop, and have experience with trail riding. Max weight: 85 kilograms
Instructors
Ercihan Dilari
Ercihan Dilari with over 35 years of experience about horses and horseback riding has achieved lots of “firsts” in Turkey. One of them is that, accompanied by his horse “Anadolu”, he established the longest “Cultural Route” in Turkey. In this project, he was assisted by a team of academicians. Becoming one of the leading names about horseback riding in Turkey, Dilari took upon the duty of establishing a pleasant and long lasting horseback riding culture for Turkish guests as well as horseback riders from all over the world.
Location
Mustafapaşa, formerly known as Sinasos, is located in the Cappadocia Region with around 1,300 inhabitants. It has a unique view with its stone buildings on the margins of 5 surrounding hills. An open-air museum, Mustafapaşa has been home to various civilizations which left important examples of civil architecture like churches, mosques, and stone houses with carved and ornamented facades, showcasing the scenery of the region shaped by its topography and climate. If you want to get away from the crowds and spend your Cappadocian time in a real-life Turkish town, Mustafapaşa is a good choice.
About Cappadocia
World heritage in Turkey: Cappadocia, the magical realm of fairy chimneys and hot air balloon rides, and horses. Well, grab your imagination and travel with us to one of the most magical places on UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list: Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia
Covered in fairy chimneys, Byzantine art, and rock churches, this week’s UNESCO World Heritage Site of Turkey takes us into the whimsical and mysterious region in the central Anatolian plateaus where you can get lost in the history and beauty of Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia. %You might have seen the social media posts of travel bloggers and amateurs alike creating the picture-perfect shot at sunrise in Cappadocia amidst the dry, rugged rocks and bright, colorful hot air balloons in the sky. But this region has a much richer and longer history than the Instagram fame it has gathered over the past several years.
No doubt that horseback trail riding is the best way to discover Cappadocia, and it's the most unforgettable activities you can do in the area, but Cappadocia has a lot more to offer. Be it trekking, be it hot air ballooning, or even the town of Göreme and Mount Erciyes next to it, Cappadocia and its vicinity, with so much to offer, is well worth a visit. We are pretty sure that experiencing %Cappadocia on horseback will make you want to come back and take up on another offer this area is famous for. Before you jump into thinking about other activities you can do in your next trip, you can rest assured that you will have an unforgettable horse riding holiday in Turkey. Riding 4-5 hours daily on well-mannered, high-spirited Arab and Anatolian-Arab breeds with experienced riders will help you enjoy your time.
Food
Your hosts are convinced that you will enjoy staying at the very own charming Saddle Cave Hotel in Mustafapaşa. Full-board accommodation with local specialities also covers non-alcoholic drinks served during meals. Your hosts kindly would like to remind you that picnic lunches as well as entrance fees for Göreme Open Air museum and Whirling Dervish Show are also included in the price to have you enjoy your tour to the fullest.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Drinks
The following drinks are included:
- Water
- Coffee
- Tea
- Soda
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
What's included
- 5 days of horse riding (4 - 5 hours daily)
- 6 nights accommodation
- Full board with local specialties and non-alcoholic drinks included during meals
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Entrance to the Open Air Museum of Cappadocia
- Entrance to a beautiful Whirling Dervish performance
- Well-mannered, smooth-gaited, high-spirited horses
- Reliable and modern equipment
What's not included
- Flight tickets
- Alcoholic drinks
- Private expenses
- Riding equipment - riders are advised to bring their riding equipment (helmets, boots, etc.)
- Helmets are provided upon request
How to get there
Recommended Airports
Erkilet International Airport
56 km
Transfer included
NevÅŸehir Kapadokya Airport
37 km
Transfer included
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 50% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.
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