Cappadocia & the St Paul Trail

Day 1 - Fly London to Kayseri

Today you fly to Kayseri in Central Anatolia, only about an hour’s drive from the heart of Cappadocia. On arrival at Kayseri Airport there will be a group transfer to your hotel in the picturesque village of Mustafapasa, previously called Sinasos – the ‘city of the sun’. The village was traditionally populated by the Greek Orthodox community whose wealth was mainly based on the caviar trade. You will see several examples of typical Greek stone-carved architecture revealing the earlier prosperity of the village.

Time permitting there will be a short orientation walk around Mustafapasa.

Overnight: Rose Mansions Sinasos, Mustafapasa

Day 2 - Circular walk to Golgoli Hill – 18 km, 6-7 hours. Ascent/descent 300m. Visit Göreme Open-Air Museum (optional).

It's an easy start this morning as you only have to step outside your hotel to begin your walk. Today you will be following a trail that embodies classic Cappadocian scenery of weirdly eroded, ochre-coloured, rock formations into which are hewn churches, dwellings and pigeon houses. The Tolkien-like landscape of caves, 'fairy chimneys' and fantastical conical peaks is caused by the weathering of tufa (porous volcanic rock) over millennia. These naturally hollowed-out formations have proved the perfect site for creating hidden places of worship and homes that were undetectable to hostile outside forces - the ideal protection for the early Christians. As you progress through the valley you will be able to enter some of these incredible spaces and marvel at the ingenuity of the people who created them.

Leaving Sinasos you first arrive at the church of St Nicholas then follow the footpath that goes through the Damsa Valley. In the valley you will see many examples of 'fairy chimneys' and have the chance to walk through some primitive dwellings carved inside the rock; some with chapels that bear the remnants of their original frescoes and paintings.

Reaching the end of the valley you make the gradual climb to a wide ridge, the site of the village fields, and you can marvel at the variety of fruit trees and vines growing on the ground in the traditional way. In the distance are the 'fairy chimneys' of a remote ancient settlement. These cave dwellings, at the foot of Golgoli, Hill were used both for shelter and as churches and date from the 3rd to 5th centuries. They were used up until the early 20th century. After time to explore the caves and enjoy the views, you will descend to eat lunch at a trout restaurant close to the dam. It is then a gentle walk back through lush, green countryside to reach Mustafapasa.

Later, there is the opportunity to visit the Göreme Open-Air Museum on a guided tour (payable locally). This UNESCO World Heritage Site is only a short drive from your hotel and is one of the most visited sites in Cappadocia. A Byzantine monastic settlement and then a pilgrimage site, it encompasses numerous rock-cut churches, chapels and monasteries, many adorned with their original, hand-painted frescoes. The Karanlik Kilise (Dark Church) is considered to be one of the museum's most beautiful with restored frescoes covering the entire surface of the sanctuary. There is a separate fee to enter this part of the complex.

Overnight: Rose Mansions Sinasos, Mustafapasa

Day 3 - Drive to visit Kaymakli underground city. Continue to the Ihlara Valley. Walk following the Melendiz River Valley – 14km, 5-6 hours. Descent 300m.

Your destination today is the Ihlara Valley but there will be a couple of brief stops en route to photograph the amazing landscapes.

Your first visit is to the underground city of Kaymakli. This incredible hidden city has ten levels, dug to a depth of 45m from the soft rock below the surface. You will find stables, chapels, warehouses and living spaces linked by tunnels. The city was believed to date back as far as the 8th century BC but was greatly expanded by Christians during the Byzantine era as protection against Muslim-Arab raids.

Having explored Kaymakli, you continue on to the Ihlara Valley. This beautiful river canyon is one of the scenic jewels of Cappadocia. Carved by the Melendiz River, the canyon walls rise to over 100m high, twisting and turning for over 14km to provide a natural walking trail along the canyon floor. You enter the canyon near the top and descend to the village of Belisirma where you stop for lunch at a riverside restaurant before you continue your walk to the end of the canyon at Selime.

Flanked by olive trees, pistachio trees and poplars, and attracting a wealth of birds and wildlife, the banks of the Melendiz River offer a wonderfully picturesque and shady walking trail. As you progress, first along the eastern bank and then crossing to the opposite side, the river broadens and the valley widens out with the steep canyon walls becoming immense rock cones and weirdly eroded 'fairy chimneys' - you are definitely back in Cappadocia now!

Along with its natural beauty there is much cultural interest as the canyon provided a sanctuary for Christians expelled from Syria, Palestine and Mesopotamia from the 7th century. Subsequently it hides more than 100 churches, caves, dovecots, granaries and houses in its sheer walls. At the end of the valley sits the Selime Monastery, hidden among a row of volcanic rock cones it resembles a fairy-tale castle. The monastery was hewn out of the rock face by monks in the 13th century and comprises numerous rooms and passageways. You should be able to visit if there's time after your walk, before you return to your accommodation.

Overnight: Rose Mansions Sinasos, Mustafapasa

Day 4 - Transfer to Lake Eğirdir with cultural stop en route - 5½-6 hours driving.

Today you leave Cappadocia behind and make the long but scenic drive west to Egirdir. To break the journey there will be a lunch stop and cultural visit to the Eşrefoğlu Camii Mosque in Beyşehir. This 13th century mosque is the finest example of the Seljuk Turkish 'flat-wooden-ceiling and wooden column style' of mosque in Anatolia.In fact, the roof is supported by 42 columns carved from cedar wood. In the centre of the mosque is a snow pit which used to be filled with snow from the mountains during the hot summer months to cool the building. The mosque is still used for services.

Your journey continues across the huge, fertile plateau until you drive into the hills and arrive at your accommodation for the next three nights; a charming, cosy pension situated by the shores of beautiful Lake Egirdir. Framed by the peaks of the Taurus Mountains, the lake is the fourth largest inland lake in Turkey and is fed not by rivers but by water running off the surrounding land. The waters vary in colour according to the weather conditions, changing from light green, through turquoise blue to a stormy grey.

Overnight: Fulya Pension Or Similar, Eğirdir

Day 5 - Walk on the St Paul Trail from the village of Bedre to Barla – 13km, 6-7 hours. Ascent 661m/descent 623m.

A 15 minute drive takes you to the tiny village of Bedre, dominated by the huge rocks of Meryemlash Kayalikari, and the start of this delightful walk. You ascend from the village up a wide, rocky hillside, passing small juniper bushes and spikey oaks. Great views start to appear on all sides as you reach the first pass, including the lake far below. After the final pass, you start descending. This part of the walk is magical, as you descend through meadows, full of flowers in the spring, and dotted with large, old juniper trees. After two springs, huge oak and willow trees appear. You may well meet shepherds here, grazing their flocks of goats and sheep. After a short ascent on an ancient track the stunning village of Bagoren appears ahead. This village appears to have changed little in hundreds of years. After exploring the village, you climb to join a dirt track to pass a quarry and reach the upper meadows of Barla. Here you can again follow the ancient trail, or walk through the meadows that slope gently downhill. The more prosperous village of Barla is visible ahead, and you descend a steep rocky slope and climb the other side to join your vehicle for the return journey to Egirdir.

Overnight: Fulya Pension Or Similar, Eğirdir

Day 6 - Drive to Kasnak Oak Forest National Park – 1 hour. Walk to Kulova across the Davraz Pass, 2,012m/6,601m – 15km, 7 hours. Return to Eğirdir. Ascent 450m/Descent 450m.

Today is the most challenging day of your holiday but also one of the real highlights as you walk in the Taurus Mountains and cross the Davraz Pass at 2,012m.

You begin the day by driving to the Oak Forest National Park, about an hour's drive southeast of Egirdir. This large nature conservation area is rich in flora and fauna and takes its name from a variety of oak - the Kasnak or Pulley oak - which is widely dispersed in the park. The park is also home to many birds and mammals including eagles, falcons, wild boar and even wolves and jackals - although it is highly unlikely you will see these on the trail!

Your walk begins at about 1,600m, in the vast oak forest high above the village of Yukari Gokdere. You initially walk on a small track through the ancient trees, occasionally crossing small meadows. You leave the forest behind at around 1,900m and from then on the landscape is mountainous, dominated by the peaks of the Taurus. Your objective is the Davraz Pass, not too far ahead now, which will reward your efforts with superb, far reaching views. You may well pass small nomadic settlements here - the local villagers spend the months of May to September in these high pastures, grazing their flocks and making cheese and yoghurt. Having taken your photos and admired the vistas, you descend on a small track initially through bare, rocky hills and passing an ancient and lonely nomads' graveyard, to the Kulova Plateau where your transport awaits to take you back to Egirdir.

Overnight: Fulya Pension Or Similar, Eğirdir

Day 7 - Transfer to the town of Sütçüler – 1 hour. Walk to the Roman city of Adada and explore the ruins – 14km, 5–6 hours. Drive to Antalya. Ascent 450m/descent 480m.

The drive from Egirdir this morning takes about an hour and leads you deeper and deeper into a dramatic landscape of mountains and gorges. Just before the small town of Sütçüler you set off on foot along a forest trail for a couple of kilometres, before joining an ancient trail to descend to a small village. Here you start uphill, to reach the lush countryside of the foothills of the Karaburun Mountains. The trail is one of scenic delights that takes you over passes, across flower-filled meadows, and through broad, verdant valleys.

A small, remote settlement is reached at the Zengi Plateau, and here you will drive a mile or two to reach the ancient city of Adada. It was founded in the second century BC before it was eventually abandoned somewhere between the 9th and 13th centuries. The city ruins weren't discovered until the middle of the 19th century but little was done to excavate or study them and its history remains relatively obscure. It is very likely that St Paul would have passed through the city on his journey as it would have been a major centre between the important Roman cities of Perge and Antioch.

There will be time to explore the atmospheric Roman ruins that include three temples, a forum, theatre and a basilica: emerging from the vegetation they remain in their evocative, tumble-down state.

The highpoint of the walk now starts, as you descend a dramatic canyon walking on the large, original paving stones of the Roman road. It is astonishing how much of this remains intact, a fitting legacy to the thoroughness of Roman building techniques. The ancient road eventually peters out on the valley floor and you cross meadows to meet your transport to take you to the coastal city of Antalya for the final night of your holiday.

Overnight: Kosa Boutique Hotel Or Similar, Antalya

Day 8 - Group transfer to Antalya Airport. Fly to London.

After breakfast this morning there will be a group transfer to Antalya Airport for your flight back to London.