Writer: Ayça Olcaytu İşçen
January 2010/Ankara

Outdoor activities in Cappadocia
In a short period, Cappadocia became one of the outdoor sports of Turkey by its geological position, unique nature, history and cultural richness. Within the region many of the outdoor activities can be realized. But still the hot air ballooning and mountain biking are the ones always remembered with Cappadocia and loom large. Beside these, a big variety including horse safari, trekking, mountaineering, abseiling, camping, caravanning, ATV safari, jeep safari, motocross, rafting, skiing, ski touring, snowboard, snowshoeing, and cross golf, which is very first for Turkey are waiting for you. There are professional firms and tourism agencies which organize these activities in the region. You can see the firms in this section and agencies in ‘tourism agencies’ section.

Balloon operating in Cappadocia
One of the most popular regions for tourism purposes balloon operating is Cappadocia. The hot air balloon tours in Cappadocia started to developed since 1989 and gained another dimension after the organization of 1st World Air Games in Cappadocia in 1997. Today, the hot air balloon companies, numbers are increasing every year, are almost in a race to serve you unforgettable visual feast. We can say that it is indeed a pleasure to see this beautiful region from high above.
Companies, which organize balloon tours, pick up their customers from their hotels, at early morning. Breakfast and tea are served while the balloon is filled then the flight begins. Balloon flights can take 45 min. up to an hour and a half. Champagne is served after landing and the customers are taken back to their hotels.

Mountain biking in Cappadocia
The other activity loom large in Cappadocia is mountain bike. Do not get shocked as you see people cycling on the roads, in the valleys and among the fairy chimneys. The history of mountain biking in the region goes back to old times. The region met for the first time with mountain biking in 1989 and then the first races were organized in Ürgüp in 2000. In 2001, the races were accredited officially and later on they continued with a tradition and reached today. European Mountain Bike Championships (2007) organized in Göreme, has an important place in mountain bike history of Turkey. That was the first time a mountain bike organization, in this scale, was performed in Turkey.

Trekking
Possibly the most common activity in Cappadocia is the trekking in the valleys. Everyday, the Cappadocia valleys host hundreds of walkers. The valleys formed by the streams between the lava levels whose thickness are sometimes 100 m, are some kind of gifts for the trekking lovers. There are many trekking routes in Cappadocia with hidden churches, dovecotes, different kinds of fruit trees, interesting butterflies, birds and incomparable natural beauties. We recommend you, to have the accompaniment of an experienced guide.

Horse safari in Cappadocia
If you like riding horse or if you think that you have to try riding horse, Cappadocia, means “the land of beautiful horses” in Persian language, offers you its unbelievable nature. There is no other activity which enables you to listen to your soul.
You don't have to own a horse or even be a good rider to be able to join a horse safari. Many new learners can start a safari after taking just couple of hours of lessons. During these trips the horses don't gallop but walk in a group. Although the tours are generally arranged for couple of hours or a day, experienced riders can find more intensive treks that last up to seven days, spending the nights at hotels or camping sites.

Cross Golf
Cross Golf was brought into the region in 2008 by Cross Golf Cappadocia firm under Indigo Group and for the first time in Turkey was played in Cappadocia because of its unique natural environment.
This enjoyable game cross golf, which does not need any kind of permanent collocations in nature but demands on tactics more, takes many things from its ancestor, classic golf. Mutual respect, delicacy and politeness are on the top of the list. The main difference is the play ground. Cross golf is being played on totally natural grounds. Therefore we can say that there is an important protectionist approach. During the game, the main principle is not to give any kind of harm to creatures in their natural environments.

Note: This text and firm presentation writings have been published in “Cappadocia Life and Travel Guide-2010”. It is under protection of the copyrights of the book. No part of this article may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by electronic, mechanical or other means without prior permission from the owner. www.cappadociaexplorer.com