CAPPADOCIA & THE TAURUS MOUNTAINS

Day 1
Fly to Ankara and transfer to the hotel.

Day 2
We will depart by road for Cappadocia, about 4 hours' drive. On the way we'll pass the Great Salt Lake of Tuz Golu. After lunch we begin our walk in the Red Valley, starting in Kizilcur. Also known as the 'Red Hole'. Hidden in its array of fairy chimneys is 'The Church with Grapes' where there are frescoes depicting viticulture and fruit growing (the wine produced here now is very sweet and heavy). We then visit Cavusin which lies on the site of an early Christian cave city, buried by a huge rockslide. The plateau itself has been split by a combination of earthquakes and natural erosion over the years, and the frequent falling rocks caused the old village to be deserted. The atrium of the cave church at Cavusin has fallen in, exposing some of the frescoes. These rich and varied frescoes have been rated amongst the best examples of early Christian religious artwork. At the end of the day we transfer to our pension in Goreme. 3 hours walking.

Day 3
Today we trek through the Akvadi (White Valley) carved from the rock over time by the elements. We stop for lunch in Uchisar village, where we visit the densely settled citadel (entrance fee included), the highest point in Cappadocia, offering a great panoramic view over the unique landscape. In the afternoon we begin walking in the Pigeon Valley, so named because of the density of pigeon lofts. In the area pigeons were famed for their meat and their droppings as a source of rich fertiliser claimed to make the fruit the sweetest in Turkey. We descend to Göreme town with its famous fairy chimneys. 5 hours walking.

Day 4
This morning we leave the Cappadocia area and drive to the Taurus Mountains. En route we visit the fascinating Kaymakli underground city, once home to 5000 people. Four of the eight floors are now open to the public, the houses have been constructed around the numerous tunnels, with each main area served by a ventilation shaft. The city also has a church, kitchens and storage areas. We then transfer on to Pinarbasi village, where we have lunch. It's here that our Trans-Taurus Trek begins with a 2 hour hike to the Maden Valley (1900 m).

Day 5
Today we begin our trek through the Ala Dag mountains. We trek up the Maden George, possibly seeing nomads at the yayla (mountain pasture), where we stop for lunch. After lunch we climb up away from the river to our camp at Karagol lake (2550m), where we can enjoy a well earned, if slightly chilly, swim. Fritillaries and Grape hyacinths abound here in July. The energetic may like to continue up past the lake towards Sigirasan pass, for superb views of Dipsizgol and the north face of Demirkazik peak. 5 hours walking.

Day 6
We start with a beautiful walk to Comce Golu (lake) and continue through the Akcay Valley summer pastures up to Tekkekalesi pass at 3200m. From here we head south to our campsite at Yedi Goller, or seven lakes, so called because of many lakes forming here in the beginning of summer from melt water flowing down from the surrounding mountains. From our campsite we will see the massive ridge of Mt Narpuzbasi (3622m) and Mt Direktas (3550m) towering above us. While we're here we can expect to meet a family of friendly nomads who inhabit this valley during the summer months and whose black goat-hair tents are usually pitched close to our camp. We may be invited to join them for some traditional 'ayran' a refreshing yoghurt based drink. 5-6 hours walking. Overnight camp at 3020 m.

Day 7
Today we explore the area. We may spend some more time with the nomadic families, learning about their traditional way of life, largely unchanged over hundreds of years. From Yedi Goller we start a two hour climb to the Celikbuyran pass at 3450m and from here those who wish can climb the final 300m to ascend Mt. Engin Tepeat (3723 m). This involves simple scrambling but is generally quite straightforward and well worth it for the views. We return to the pass the same way and continue on down, passing some bizarre sandy coloured rock formations on the way to our campsite at Sokullupinar (2000m). This lush grassy setting provides a dramatic contrast to the rocky barren site at Yedi Goller Camp. 6 hours walking.

Day 8
The spectacular scenery of the northern face of Mount Demirkazik (3756 m) is our backdrop as we start our trek through the impressive Cimbar Canyon. Today some of the sections are steep and may involve some scrambling. We pause at Demirkazik village (1550m) for a while to absorb the scenery and have lunch in a village house, giving us an insight into mountain life. It may be possible to observe the village women spinning wool and working on their looms. We return to Sokulupinar camp site. 5 hours walking.

Day 9
We ascend the Tulu Valley and continue to the high pastures of the Eznevit yaylasi (2538m). Depending on the time of year, we may encounter the semi-nomads of this area grazing their flocks. After lunch we gradually descend to our campsite at Emli valley, surrounded by fir forests. 5-6 hours walking.

Day 10
We set off for a daywalk from Emli Valley camp up to Alaca Plateau (2400m). This consists of a 2½ hour trek on the southern slopes of the Taurus mountains, gradually climbing up to Mangirci valley and 2 hours trekking across the plateau, taking a picnic lunch near a lovely spring. We then descend to our camp and transfer to a village house by tractor and trailer in Demirkazik (communal shower and WC facilities available). 6 hours walking.

Day 11
Meet our transport and drive to Kayseri airport: fly to London.