It’s a dream of ours to go horse back riding in every country that we travel to. So far I have Israel, USA, Georgia, Kenya, and Jordan on my list. It’s not all the countries that I’ve traveled to, but a good portion of them. So it was only natural that one of the first things I looked into doing in Turkey was going horse back riding.
I knew we’d be spending a few days in Cappadocia, the countryside, with valleys and nature and so I figured it would be the perfect opportunity. When our hotel send us a welcome email with the option of “Horse back riding” my excitement soared.
It was our first day in Cappadocia that 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 ride.
We arranged everything through our hotel. Someone came to pick us up from the hotel and drove us to the valley where the horses were waiting. On our hike earlier we came across sooo many horses grazing in the fields and were so excited for this all day. Our horses for this ride were all white.
The Sunset Horse Back Ride
We were each assigned a horse based off of size and experience and then we began, leaving about an hour or so before sunset so that we could reach that top just in time.
The pace was slow, but enjoyable and as we slowly climbed through the valley, we stopped at a few places along the way to see the ancient cave churches, have a glass of freshly squeezed juice, and explore.
Cave Churches
We stopped at two incredible Cave Churches along the way. Hidden in the rocks, once you entered we were in awe from the intricate paintings, architecture, columns, and more. our guide unfortunately did not speak English, so we did get too much information about the amazing place, but it was still amazing to explore.
Sunset
We were a bit scared that we were going to miss the sunset as our guides seemed to be taking it a bit easy with time. But as the sun started to set and the golden rays tinged the rocks a stunning pink hue, we realized that we should have trusted their sense of time. It could not have been more perfect.
The orange sun blazed in the sky. One of the most stunning sunsets I’ve ever seen. Overlooking beautiful valleys on one side and then turning around to see the pink rocks on the other, it was a surreal experience.
Anyone would fall in love with horseback riding after this experience. It was so beautiful and memorable.
Tips
- Your hotel can arrange everything! Just let them know that you want to go horse back riding and they will contact the ranch owners to arrange everything. Someone will come to pick you up and drop you off. Super convenient.
- Cost – Considering that horse back riding is a very expensive pass time under normal circumstances, I’m happy to say that in Turkey it is very reasonably priced! Per person we payed 200 Tl for a 3 hour trip! Was so worth it!!
- No experience necessary – It was my boyfriend’s first time horse back riding ever! I am much more experienced, but we both found it very enjoyable! It is just a walking trail, so if you’re looking for something more intense, it may be a challenge. I always love galloping if possible (like I was able to do in Georgia), but the sunset views and stops at ancient churches totally made up for that! It was a nice, relaxing experience.
- Pictures! No need to worry about missing out on pictures while you’re riding…our guides took pictures of us the entire time and sent them to us in WhatsApp!
I have to say that this Sunset Horseback ride was among the most amazing and memorable parts of my trip to Turkey. It was so stunning and beautiful, the experience of a LIFETIME. It just can’t be missed on a trip to Cappadocia!!!
For more incredible things to do in Cappadocia check out this post: 10 AMAZING THINGS TO DO IN CAPPADOCIA, TURKEY
Lots of Love and Safe Travels,
Danielle and Brooke, Colorful Sisters