Göreme – Pigeon Valley – Uchisar – White and Love Valley Loop Hike in Cappadocia

Most visitors arrive to Cappadocia for a once-in-a-lifetime hot air balloon ride. However, the region is also one of the most unique places to hike through, which we think is one of the best ways to get around Cappadocia. In this blog post we’ll detail how to hike the popular route from Göreme to Uchisar via the Pigeon Valley, then how to get back to Göreme through the White and Love Valley. There are plenty of points of interest along this trail including Uchisar Castle, cave churches, unique rock formations, fairy chimneys and panoramic viewpoints.

We spent 5 days in Göreme and dedicated most of our time to hiking all over this incredible slice of Cappadocia. There are so many different valleys to hike through, and hiking to Uchisar from Göreme through the Pigeon, White and Love Valley’s was one of our favourite loops.

If you’d like to see these hikes, then make sure to watch our Cappadocia video on our YouTube channel. For more Türkiye videos, check out our Türkiye Series.

About the Pigeon, White and Love Valley in Cappadocia

There are many valleys in the vicinity of Göreme. The Pigeon Valley, or Guvercinlik Vadisi, is one of the more popular ones since it connects Göreme and Uchisar. The valley got its name from the large number of dovecotes, or pigeon houses, that people carved into the soft volcanic tuff. In the past, pigeon poo was used as fertiliser to boost the land’s production.

Another popular valley around Göreme is the Love Valley (Aşıklar Vadisi), which has been inhabited since ancient times. Love Valley is known for its unique rock formations, or fairy chimneys, which are conical or cylindrical in shape.

The White Valley is basically a continuation of the Love Valley, leading all the way to Uchisar. The main difference between the two is that there are less unusual formations within the White Valley section. However, the bright white walls of the valley, combined with the Love Valley’s unique rock formations, makes for a fantastic hiking trail.

Göreme – Pigeon Valley – Uchisar – White and Love Valley Loop Hike in Cappadocia

1. Göreme – Pigeon Valley – Uchisar Castle

From Göreme town centre we followed Uzun Dere Road out of town until we reached a fork. Take the dirt track on the left, marked as Pigeon Valley Trailhead East on Google Maps. We found an information board here which gave us some background details about the valley. There’s also a sign pointing towards Uchisar Castle which is good for confirming you’re going the right way. We walked through a few tunnels before the path opened up a bit at a steady incline. After a while we were able to get up to a little viewpoint that gave us some incredible views of the Pigeon Valley.

From here, we carried on towards Uchisar. Another 10-15 minutes later we reached a cafe called Caglar Tea Garden. Google Maps suggests that it is now permanently closed, but it’s worth checking it out if you’re there. From this point, you’re really not far from Uchisar. We saw a small path on the left that led us to the top of the hill. From here we could enjoy panoramic views of the Pigeon Valley and also of Uchisar Castle. It was definitely worth the short detour. After that we just followed the trail all the way to Uchisar.

2. Uchisar Castle – White Valley

Once we were in Uchisar, we made our way up to Uchisar Castle. At 1,350 m above sea level, it’s the highest point in the Cappadocia region. This means you’ll have stunning 360 degree views of the surrounding area from the top! After climbing around 275 steps, we weren’t disappointed with the views. The castle is made of volcanic tuff and was formed over hundreds of years due to erosion.

Opening hours and entry fee. The castle is open every day from 7AM until 8PM. Entry is 150 TL (5 EUR). Note that you cannot use your Museum Pass to enter the site.

After enjoying the views from the top, head back down, walk through the town and cross the main road (Göreme-Uçhisar Yolu).

3. White Valley – Love Valley

The entrance to the White and Love Valley is next to the Ozler Art Centre. From there, we followed the dirt road on the right (Bağlıdere Yolu). Soon, we reached a small vendor selling some fresh juices marked on Google Maps as Fresh Juice and Jewellery Stall.

At this point, we headed left and descended down onto the White and Love Valley trail. Once at the bottom of the valley we just followed the path down towards Göreme. Within the White Valley section, there were two small trails running parallel to each other. We could have gone between the two fairly easily, and they both join up eventually. The formations were pretty amazing and reminded us of the Grey Desert of Tatacoa in Colombia. It’s hard to say where exactly the White Valley finishes and the Love Valley begins. Once the White Valley paths merge into one, you’ll go through a very small gully and, shortly after, probably be in the Love Valley.

4. Love Valley – Göreme

You’ll know that you’re in the Love Valley when the cliffs start to become more honey coloured and you start seeing more and more fairy chimneys towering above you. Some of these phallic-shaped rock formations can reach over 30m in height.

We noticed some trails leading to the viewpoint on the side of the valley furthest from Göreme. However, we carried on along the bottom of the valley for a little longer. You can either carry on to the main road or turn off to the right and start heading up out of the valley a bit sooner. Once you’re out of the valley there will be some paths to your right that lead closer to the edge if you want some additional views. We just followed the dirt road all the way back to Göreme. This part wasn’t super interesting because we didn’t get the best views but it was still a nice, easy walk back to town.

Practical Information on the Göreme – Pigeon Valley – Uchisar – White and Love Valley Loop Hike in Cappadocia

Trail Length and Difficulty

The length of the Göreme to Uchisar via the Pigeon, White and Love Valley hike is about 11.5 km. The Pigeon Valley section of the loop is around 4km. From Uchisar to the end of the Love Valley is around 5km, and it’s then an additional 3km back to Göreme.

It can take around 5 to 6 hours to complete the entire loop. However, we recommend adding extra time for Uchisar Castle. We also recommend taking your time walking through the valleys and enjoying the stunning landscapes. So, before you know it, you can easily spend the majority of the day hiking and sightseeing.

In terms of level of difficulty, we would personally rate this hike as easy to moderate. There are definitely some steeper inclines as you head to Uchisar via the Pigeon Valley. Another difficulty comes from the temperatures, which can be pretty high depending on the season you’re visiting.

Whilst the Love Valley itself is well visited and people venture down to the fairy chimney area, they don’t often hike all the way to Uchisar. We didn’t see too many signs when entering from the White Valley, and often wandered if we would be able to walk the entire way down.

The key to hiking through the valley is to stay low. There were some paths that looked like they might go up to the ridge. We tried a couple but it was impossible to get any higher. Once you’re in the White Valley, you’re pretty much committed to hiking the entire length, as there was no way to cut the path short.

Facilities Along the Trail

There are some cafes with toilet facilities along the trail but you’ll have the most options in Uchisar.

There were a few places selling refreshments along the trail, such as the Fresh Juice and Jewellery Stall. Of course, there were also places where we could buy food, drinks and snacks in Uchisar.

Best Time to Hike in the Pigeon, White and Love Valley of Cappadocia

You can hike in the Pigeon, White and Love Valley of Cappadocia all year round but there are better and slightly worse times of the year to do it. Spring and autumn are probably the best seasons, mainly because the temperatures are more bearable, so it won’t be too bad to hike all day long. We were there at the end of September / start of October and the weather was still on the hotter side.

The temperatures are going to be highest in the summer months, and it can be very hot, so we advise starting your hike very early or later in the afternoon. Whilst winter is normally colder and wetter, you can still enjoy some magical winter wonderland hikes if the conditions are right. If we ever return to Cappadocia, it will definitely be during the winter months to see the landscape covered in snow.

What to Wear and Bring with You

Obviously it’s season dependent, but we recommend wearing weather appropriate clothing. Our greatest advice is to wear a good pair of hiking shoes, boots or trainers that ideally have good grip. The terrain can be a bit slippery, which is the reason I ended up wearing my white shoes as they have way better grip than my trainers.

Note that there won’t be too much shade, and it was still pretty hot for us at the end of September. So, if you’re there during the height of the summer, you’ll want to make sure you’re wearing sufficient sun protection including SPF, hat and sunglasses.

Whilst there are a few places you can buy some refreshments, we suggest bringing enough water to stay hydrated during your hike. Also, bring some snacks for if you get hungry.

It’s always good practice to download some offline maps before you set off. You can always get an eSIM with Airalo to be able to use data abroad, but you may not have much signal in the valleys.

Final Thoughts on the Göreme – Pigeon Valley – Uchisar – White and Love Valley Loop Hike in Cappadocia

Hiking through the Pigeon, White and Love Valley from Göreme to Uschisar was one of our favourite hikes during our time in Cappadocia. The views we got of Uchisar Castle from the top of Pigeon Valley were absolutely fantastic. Walking through the huge fairy chimneys in the Love Valley was also incredible. The next day, we got the chance to see them from above during our hot air balloon ride. It was fun to retrace our hiking route from the sky.

Have you ever hiked through either the Pigeon, White or Love Valley in Cappadocia before? If so, did you do this exact loop or just hike from Göreme to Uchisar via either the Pigeon or Love Valley? If not, would you complete this hiking trail during your visit? Let us know in the comments below.