Detailed itinerary : The description below is an example of a trail we often do, but for a reason like the weather forecast or a safety reason, the guide can chose to change the itinerary of the trail at the last moment.
Sunday
Arrival at Kayseri airport. You are met by your chauffeur and transferred in 50 mn to your guesthouse
in Ortahisar, where you have dinner with your guide.
Monday: Avlak
You are driven to the ranch in the morning to meet your horse, and get acquainted with the riding equipment. You will have time to try your horse on a 1 km training course going around the farm. The trail begins with a one-hour riding through lush vegetation and along the stream of the Uzengi canyon. Very quickly, the first long canter brings you to Avlak mountain, with a magnificent encompassing view of Cappadocia. The rocky hills could provide the perfect background to a Western movie... Cantering on this high plateau brings us to lunch time. Olives, humous, vegetables, different cheeses, black bread, traditional yoghurt dish, Turkish black tea are served on a table, in the heart of a green tiny canyon, with the horses grazing around.
The afternoon is spent riding through a huge valley where the ghost village of Karain takes place. A few more canters let us arrive to Akköy village. The horses are tied just under the hotel, and the group can enjoy a drink looking at them. The terrace of the hotel has an 180° view on the valley and the paddock is 100 m in front of the hotel.
Tuesday : Keslik Monasteri
We start this day by cantering through fields of the high Anatolian plateau (1600 m high) : barley, wheat, oat and beans fields. We dismount for 20 minutes of a steep single trail down to Damsa lake.
Villagers cook lunch for us on a woodfire.
Passing by and overlooking a valley of fairy chimneys, the afternoon scenery is made of bare hills surrounding the lake. (In case of hot weather, you can swim in the lake with your horse). You canter along tracks of soft red clay leading you to the village of Ayvali through a hidden canyon, and stop at your hotel.
Wednesday : Golgoli
In the morning, a quick start with a canter brings you to visit the underground village of Golgoli. Your sure-footed horse takes you off the beaten tracks along a scenic path through rock formations, vineyard and orchards, surrounded by table-mountains.
Arrival in the center of the old Greek village of Mustafapasa and visit on horseback.
You climb a scenic plateau where you have the opportunity to gallop your horse again. `
After a short ride, you arrive to your hotel in Ayvali.
(depending on the season and weather forecast, lunch in Mustafapasa or next to the swimming pool in Ayvali)
Thursday : Ibrahimpasa
Leaving the hotel on horseback, you can enjoy a varied scenery of narrow tracks, small canyons, farmed land, and the wide- open spaces of Subasi, where shepherds lead their flock. You sneak your way along the lush, narrow canyon of a remote village, before galloping on large sandy tracks. Visit of a second and different type of underground village : “Kirkule”.
Long canter leads us through vineyards and orchards and over rolling hills of white tuffa to reach the fairy chimneys of Gomeda valley, then more fun riding awaits you in the narrow corridors and arches of the canyon of Gumuslu. You ride uphill to reach one of our best restaurants for lunch: “Babayan evi”. Very good and healthy local food. From this picturesque village, you start ascending the ‘twin hills' of Cappadocia to reach a panoramic viewpoint encompassing northern Cappadocia and the towering rock fortress of Uchisar.
As you ride towards the village, you can admire the multicoloured rock formations of the famous Pigeon Valley, and Uchisar’s picturesque fairy chimneys. Your reach your panoramic guesthouse on horseback and enjoy a drink on the terrace
