Derinkuyu Underground City
The deepest excavated underground city in Turkey, reaching about 85 meters (280 ft) down, with 8 of an estimated 18 levels open to visitors. It was large enough to shelter as many as 20,000 people with their livestock and food stores, and you'll pass stables, kitchens, food stores, ventilation shafts and a chapel. Passages are narrow, low and steep in places, and the air stays around 13–15°C (55–59°F) all year, so bring a layer.
Derinkuyu or Kaymaklı? Most Green Tours use Derinkuyu; a few use Kaymaklı, about 25 minutes from Göreme, which is wider, shallower and easier if tight spaces bother you. Derinkuyu is deeper and more dramatic. The listing names the one you'll visit.
Ihlara Valley walk
A canyon about 15 km long and up to 150 m deep, cut by the Melendiz River, with more than 100 rock-cut churches in its walls. Tours walk the stretch from the Tourist Gate to Belisırma, 3–4 km in about an hour to an hour and a half. The path is flat and easy; the effort is the staircase of roughly 400 steps down into the canyon at the start. Lunch is usually at Belisırma, at restaurants on platforms over the river.
Selime Monastery
The largest rock-cut religious complex in Cappadocia, carved into the cliff at the northern end of the Ihlara valley: chapels, a large kitchen and halls stacked up the rock face. Reaching the upper rooms is a short scramble, so wear shoes with grip.
Viewpoints and shopping stops
Most itineraries add the Göreme Panorama or Pigeon Valley, and a few add Nar crater lake. Nearly every group Green Tour includes a sales stop: an onyx or gemstone workshop, and sometimes a spice and dried-fruit shop. Buying is optional.
