Rose Valley and Red Valley, Cappadocia, Turkey | Hiking
Rose Valley and Red Valley are among the most beautiful places in Cappadocia. Just a few minutes walk outside of Goreme, you will come across amazingly beautiful rock formations arrayed across the valley. Can you guess where these valleys got their name? The rocks, which during the day are stunning, at sunset become a stunning red tint. This hue gave birth to the red and rose connotations that this valley is famous for.
No visit to Goreme or Cappadocia is complete without at least one hike! Even if it’s just a short one, there are so many amazing opportunities to get out and walk through the incredible landscapes. As it was the closest to where we were staying and relatively short (10km total we were told) we decided on either the Rose Valley or Red Valley hikes.
Hiking Rose Valley and Red Valley
We began our hiking adventure in the late morning. Considering we were there in summer (it gets VERY hot) we should have certainly started early. But since we only had a few shorts days in the region, we weren’t going to miss the opportunity.
As the sun began to beat down, we embarked on our hike. We were told that the hike was about 5 km in each direction, through the valley, so not particularly difficult. We bought some water and snacks in town and began.
It was a bit difficult finding the beginning of the hiking trail. After asking a few people and getting multiple different answers, we eventually found what looked like a reasonable starting place and began. Perhaps we should have known that that was probably a sign that the path was not the clearest, but we continued on anyway.
The rock formations were INCREDIBLE. Each one so unique, the entire valley an awe inspiring view. We walked across ancient cave dwellings, family horse farms (you can even go horse back riding through these valleys. Check out the post here), and countless other amazing sights.
Maybe we weren’t paying quite enough attention, maybe we were too busy exploring the cave churches and cave homes around every corner, but we seemed to miss the trail marks (if there were any). We certainly roamed quite a bit, took a path to nowhere more than once, but FINALLY found a few signs here and there that would say RED VALLEY or ROSE VALLEY in capital letters scratched across the side of a rock. It was almost like a scavenger hunt just to find the trail markings!
Although Rose Valley and Red Valley are technically two separate hikes, we kind of did them at the same time. Between getting lost a few times and just roaming, somehow we made it to both!
When to Visit
Although these valleys can certainly be visited all year round, there are a few things to keep in mind during the different seasons. During the summer Cappadocia gets VERY HOT.
If you are looking to do a hike, it’s most recommended to go during the evening hours, before sunset. Not only is it the most beautiful time to see the valley all tinted pink, but it is the coolest. There is very little shade during the summer, so avoid going during the hottest hours of the day. Alternatively you can also visit in the early morning hours. To avoid the heat, just make sure that you’ll be back before noon.
These valleys can also be visited during the winter! Although there may be snow and it will definitely be chilly, it can be a stunning sight. A bit more challenging to hike, but certainly still possible!
How to Get There
These valleys are most easily accessed if you are staying in Goreme. It’s possible simply to walk there from the town. You can also drive to the beginning of the trail, which is just a few minutes drive outside of the town center.
Tips for Visiting Red Valley and Rose Valley
- Where to Stay – If you are interested in hiking these valleys, it is easiest to stay in Goreme. We stayed at Elite Cave Suites and had an amazing experience. Check out the full post of our stay there here:
- What to Bring – Bring LOTS of water! Especially if you are going in the summer months, it will be very very hot, so come prepared! Also bring snacks as there aren’t really places to get food along the way.
- Drive – We walked from Goreme to the beginning of the hiking trail, but you can also drive there, cutting off a few minutes of hiking each direction.
- Visit – If you aren’t interested in hiking this area, you can just come for a short visit to see the sunset! Rose Valley has a very lovely sunset point where you can pay a few Turkish lira to enter and enjoy the beauty this area has to offer.
- Horse Back Ride – Don’t feel like walking at all? This area is filled with beautiful horse ranches! Not only did we enjoy a hike of the area, but came back a second time to enjoy the experience on horse back! It was among the most amazing parts of our trip. Check out the full experience here:
Any of questions about Turkey? Looking for more amazing places to visit? Check out our amazing Turkey itinerary here and Cappadocia things to do here: 10 AMAZING THINGS TO DO IN CAPPADOCIA, TURKEY
Lots of Love and Safe Travels,
Danielle and Brooke, Colorful Sisters
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10 AMAZING Things to do in Cappadocia, Turkey | Travel Tips
September 28, 2020 at 7:58 pm[…] View the full post: ROSE VALLEY AND RED VALLEY, CAPPADOCIA, TURKEY | HIKING […]
ourcrossings
September 28, 2020 at 8:06 pmCan you imagine that places like these really excist for us to visit and explore? Having lived in Ireland for nearly two decades and seeing mostly green landscapes, I would love to visit Turkey and photograph its beautifully sunlit valleys. Thanks for sharing and have a good day 😀 Aiva
Colorful Sisters
September 28, 2020 at 8:37 pmIt really is amazing! This world has so many incredible and stunning places just waiting for us to explore! I hope you get to visit Turkey someday, it was one of the most memorable trips I’ve ever been on. I’d love to visit Ireland one day! After living in Israel and visiting Turkey, endless green sounds refreshing 🙂
Dhatri Iyer
September 28, 2020 at 11:19 pmThat looks amazing! Did you take all the photos? If you did, good job! They’re great!
Colorful Sisters
September 28, 2020 at 8:38 pmIt truly is an incredible place! And yes all the photos were taken by me. (Unless they were of me and then my boyfriend took them!) Thank you so much though!!
Dhatri Iyer
September 28, 2020 at 11:20 pmYou’re welcome! 🤩
Alison
September 28, 2020 at 11:45 pmWow a 10k hike and you still looked amazing! Wonderful photos
Colorful Sisters
September 29, 2020 at 7:46 amThank you so much! Hahahaha. We were sooo hot!!! Happy you think I still look OK 😅 the hike was pretty easy though, not so much uphill 😊
ESTATE UN RATO
September 29, 2020 at 11:41 amSpectacular, girls
Colorful Sisters
September 29, 2020 at 11:46 amThank you so much!!!
noble acquah
September 29, 2020 at 12:18 pmInteresting, try and visit Ghana…
A lot of interesting places
Colorful Sisters
September 29, 2020 at 12:27 pmSeems like it would be amazing! I hope to visit one day. I’m currently visiting Kenya, but would love to travel even more in Africa!
noble acquah
September 29, 2020 at 12:30 pmOkay
Cool
How is Kenya?
I heard they have a lot of interesting places?
Colorful Sisters
September 29, 2020 at 12:45 pmIt’s amazing! There are so many places to explore!!
noble acquah
September 29, 2020 at 12:31 pmAre you on Instagram?
Colorful Sisters
September 29, 2020 at 12:45 pmYess our instagram is https://www.instagram.com/colorful.sisters 🙂
noble acquah
October 1, 2020 at 6:20 pm👍
Travel the world with Duey
September 29, 2020 at 1:33 pmAmazing!! I can’t wait to travel again and go there! Thanks for following me!
Colorful Sisters
September 30, 2020 at 12:19 pmI’m glad you enjoyed!! And always happy to connect with fellow travelers!! I hope we’re all free to travel again sometime soon 🙂
ashok
October 1, 2020 at 10:34 amLooks amazing. Great write up and pics. God willing I shall visit Turkey again
Colorful Sisters
October 1, 2020 at 12:08 pmIt really is an incredible place! Hope you get to visit again too 🙂
ashok
October 1, 2020 at 1:26 pmGod willing yes 😊
Timothy Price
October 2, 2020 at 6:25 pmVery cool. We have tent rocks in New Mexico. They are very rare formations.
Colorful Sisters
October 2, 2020 at 7:36 pmwell check out this location too! sounds really cool. thanks for all the tips.
Timothy Price
October 2, 2020 at 8:12 pmYou will also need to consider visiting Carlsbad Caverns, Chaco Canyon, Bisti badlands and De-Na-Zin Wilderness, Valles Caldera in the Jemez, Jemez Hot Springs, Gillman Tunnels, Bandelier National Monument. El Malpais National Monument, Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, City of Rocks State Park, and the Ice Caves and Bandera Volcano among the few of the natural attractions in New Mexico.
Carol Balawyder
October 3, 2020 at 9:38 pmAmazing!
Colorful Sisters
October 4, 2020 at 6:44 amThank you so much Carol 🙂
Soni Cool😎
October 4, 2020 at 4:59 pmWondrous dear…too good ❤️
Colorful Sisters
October 5, 2020 at 6:56 amThank you dear!!
What it's Really Like to Stay in One of Goreme's Famous Cave Hotels
October 8, 2020 at 3:55 pm[…] very fancy version, of what people lived in thousands of years ago. We went hiking the next day (post here) and saw the ancient cave dwellings and couldn’t help but make the connections to where we […]
Kirk McGuire
October 8, 2020 at 8:35 pmStellar photos – and an amazing place! Someday…
Colorful Sisters
October 8, 2020 at 9:03 pmIt really is such a beautiful place! I hope you can visit one day. It’s definitely worth it 😊
Ai
October 9, 2020 at 11:41 amBeautiful place and beautiful pictures 😍
I really missed so much Cappadocia 🤩
Colorful Sisters
October 9, 2020 at 9:29 pmIt really is such an incredible place and so many people miss it by just seeing the hot air balloons!! The region is packed with amazing things 😍
Kally
October 20, 2020 at 2:08 pmLooks absolutely awesome
Colorful Sisters
October 20, 2020 at 3:38 pmIt was really incredible!! A relaxed hike but so lovely 🙂
Pursuing Balance Through Adventure
November 15, 2020 at 5:44 pmWhat a incredible place the landscape is amazing.
Colorful Sisters
November 15, 2020 at 9:29 pmIt really is a unique and amazing place!!
cbholganza
November 18, 2020 at 3:26 pmbeautiful! wish i could see these sights personally.
Colorful Sisters
November 20, 2020 at 9:54 pmHopefully one day you will be able to!
Sunset Horse Back Ride - Experience of a LIFETIME | Cappadocia, Turkey
November 25, 2020 at 11:08 pm[…] we decided to go horse back riding. We were staying in Goreme. After spending the morning hiking Rose Valley and Red Valley, we rested, swam in the pool a bit and then got ready for the horse […]