Hiking from Göreme to Cavusin via the Red and Rose Valley in Cappadocia Türkiye

Most visitors arrive to Cappadocia for a once-in-a-lifetime hot air balloon ride. However, the regions unique landscape makes it an amazing place to hike through, which is one of the best ways to get around Cappadocia. In this blog post we’ll detail how to hike from Göreme to Cavusin via the Red and Rose Valley, which is one of the most popular valleys to visit in Cappadocia. There are plenty of points of interest along this trail including Göreme Open Air Museum, ancient cave churches, countless unique rock formations 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 but the Göreme to Cavusin via the Red and Rose Valley trail was definitely our favourite.

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 Red and Rose Valleys in Cappadocia

There are countless valleys around Göreme in Cappadocia but the Red and Rose Valley’s are definitely two of the most visited.

They’re located between the towns of Göreme, Urgup, and Cavusin within Göreme National Park. Both valleys are therefore also part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site that comprises this area. The Red Valley got its name from the red colour of the rock, which is even more vibrant during sunrise and sunset. Right next to the Red Valley is the Rose Valley, which has more of a pale pink colour. Visitors often hike through both valleys, but it will depend on the route they take.

Both valleys are scattered with ancient rock-cut churches and cave homes. They’re also home to many tuff rock formations, including fairy chimneys, which are conical or cylindrical shaped formations.

Göreme to Cavusin via the Red Valley Hiking Trail

1. Göreme Town Centre to Göreme Open Air Museum

From Göreme town centre we followed Muze Road all the way to Göreme Open Air Museum. It’s about 1.5km and it took us between 15 to 20 minutes to get there. This museum has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1984. It contains some of the finest rock-cut churches in the area, with beautiful frescoes inside, so it’s worth spending some time walking around. Don’t forget to visit the Buckle Church (Tokalı Kilise) just across the road too. It’s really beautiful inside, however you won’t be allowed to take any photos.

Opening times and entry fees. The site is open every day from 8AM until 5PM. One single entry to Göreme Open Air Museum is 20 EUR. You can also buy the MuseumPass Cappadocia for 65 EUR. It is valid for 3 days and you can visit 10 different sites.

Top Tip. If you’re staying in Türkiye for longer, then we recommend getting the Türkiye Museum Pass for 165 EUR. It might seem like a lot, but when you add up the individual entry fees from each place you want to visit, it may work out cheaper in the end. You can check out what’s included in the pass here.

Note that prices are prone to change, so always check the official website for more up-to-date information.

2. Göreme Open Air Museum to Red Valley Sunset Viewpoint

After spending some time at the Open Air Museum, we headed further along the road towards the popular Red Valley Sunset Viewpoint. After about 15 minutes we reached a spot called Kaya Camping. Here we had two options to choose from. We could either pick the path on the left, or carry straight on ahead towards the small road that leads up to the Sunset Viewpoint. The first option would’ve taken us along Meskendir Valley, another popular valley to hike along. This path eventually joins up with the Red Valley path (here on the map), and you could hike up to the viewpoint from there.

Instead, we decided to walk further ahead towards the small road leading up to the viewpoint. It was easy to follow, but in hindsight hiking through Meskendir Valley would’ve been more exiting. Plus, not walking along Meskendir Valley resulted in us missing out on part of the Red Valley.

Top Tip. If you want to witness the magical sunset in the Red Valley, then we recommend doing your hike in reverse and finishing at the Sunset Viewpoint. Just note that we don’t recommend hiking through the valleys in the dark! We actually watched the sunset from this popular spot in Goreme and could still enjoy some beautiful views of the Red and Rose Valley from there. The deep red hues of the landscape during golden hour reminded us of the Tatacoa Desert in Colombia.

3. Red Valley Sunset Viewpoint to Hacli Church

The Red Valley Sunset Viewpoint is one of the most popular places that visitors flock to to watch the sunset or sunrise. Therefore, it’s a bit more commercialised, with places to grab a drink or a bite to eat, and of course a few dedicated photo spots. However, the views are indeed incredible from this vantage point, so we can see why many people choose to come here.

Once you’re ready to leave just follow the path heading away from the viewpoint. According to a local map we took a photo of, this path is actually part of the Rose Valley.

Note. The Rose Valley consists of two trails: Gulludere I and Gulludere II. At this point, you’ll be walking along Gulludere I.

A little further on there should be a few signs indicating a potential fork where you can enter Gulludere II of the Rose Valley. If you feel like you’ve had enough hiking, you can follow this path back to Göreme.

However, if you want to carry on towards Cavusin, then just stay on the Gulludere I Rose Valley path. Soon you’ll reach one of the highlights along this valley: Hacli Church (Cross Church or The Crusader Church). This stunning cave church has a large cross on its ceiling as well as some 9th century frescoes. You can also buy some refreshments here which we very much appreciated.

4. Hacli Church to Cavusin

From Hacli Church we carried on walking towards Cavusin. The path started to flatten out shortly after leaving the church as we exited the Rose Valley. From here, you can either head back to Göreme or continue up to Cavusin. Of course we headed towards Cavusin.

This small village will transport you back in time with its rock-cut buildings that locals still live in, historical churches and other formations. Here, you can visit the Church of St. John the Baptist and Cavusin Castle, which are the main attractions in Cavusin and contain some beautiful frescoes and carvings.

There are also quite a few places to stop and get something to eat before you make your way back to Göreme.

5. Cavusin to Göreme

In Cavusin you have a few options:

• Option 1. If you’ve had enough of hiking for the day, then the easiest way to get back to Goreme is on a local bus or in a taxi. The minibuses, or dolmus’, run regularly between the towns of Göreme, Cavusin, Urgup, Pasabag, Zelve, and Avanos. You might need to wait a bit if you happen to have just missed one, but there was a bus stop with some timetable information here.
• Option 2. You can also hike back to Göreme from Cavusin. This would add a few more kilometres to your overall hiking route. There are some dirt roads that run straight back to Göreme.
• Option 3. If you feel like you could hike a bit further, then consider hiking to Pasabag Valley and Zelve Open Air Museum from Cavusin. This is actually what we did, which added another 3km to our hiking route. Then we just got the dolmus back to Göreme from in front of Pasabag Valley.

Practical Information for the Göreme to Cavusin via the Red and Rose Valley Hike

Trail Length and Difficulty

The length of the Göreme to Cavusin via the Red and Rose Valley hike is about 10km. If you decide to walk back from Cavusin to Göreme, then that will add another 2.5km or so to your overall distance. If you also want to carry on hiking from Cavusin to Pasabag Valley and Zelve Open Air Museum, then that will add an extra 3 km to your hike.

It can take around 4 to 5 hours to complete the Göreme to Cavusin route. However, we recommend adding some extra time for Göreme Open Air Museum and other points of interest along the way, such as Hacli Church. We also recommend spending some time in Cavusin before heading back to Göreme. So, before you know it, you could easily spend the majority of the day hiking and sightseeing.

In terms of difficulty level, we would personally rate this hike as easy to moderate. There are definitely some steep inclines, which could prove difficult for some. Another thing to factor in is the temperatures, which can be pretty high depending on the season you visit in. We also found the trail markings to be slightly confusing at times. Reading some other guides, we were assured by the fact that we weren’t the only ones who had had some trouble finding their way through the valleys. We highly recommend having an offline map to follow if you can.

Facilities Along the Trail

There are some toilet facilities along the trail including at Göreme Open Air Museum, at the Sunset Viewpoint and in Cavusin.

We also came across quite a few places selling refreshments, such as at Hacli Church. Of course, there were also places where we could buy food, drinks and snacks at Göreme Open Air Museum, and in Cavusin too.

Best Time to Hike in the Red and Rose Valley of Cappadocia

You can hike in the Red and Rose Valley of Cappadocia all year round but there are better and 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 have good grip. The terrain can be a bit slippery, which is the reason I ended up wearing my white shoes, which have way better grip than my trainers.

Note that there won’t be any shade really, and it was still pretty hot for us at the end of September. So, if you’re there during the height of 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 in case 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 whilst abroad, although you may not have much signal in the valleys.

Final Thoughts on Hiking from Göreme to Cavusin via the Red and Rose Valley in Cappadocia

Hiking through the Red and Rose Valley from Göreme to Cavusin was definitely one of the best hikes we did in Cappadocia. We’re not surprised that the somewhat surreal rock formations, with their natural pink and red hues, attract a large number of visitors.

Our only regret is not walking through the Meskendir Valley, which also resulted in us skipping a lot of the Red Valley trail. However, we still had a fun time and no matter where we walked in Cappadocia, we were always surrounded by incredible rock formations.

Have you ever hiked through the Red and Rose Valley in Cappadocia? If so, did you hike from Göreme to Cavusin or did you combine it with other trails? If not, would you complete this hiking trail during your visit? Let us know in the comments below.