Hiking in Turkey – Discover the Love Valley in Cappadocia – Göreme

Surely the most evocative valley is the Love valley in Cappadocia. It was therefore at the top of my list to discover the love valley in Cappadocia when I spent a week in Göreme, Cappadocia. Of course, I also hiked the other valleys like Red & Rose Valley and Pigeon Valley / Zemi Valley. But in this blog, I will explore the Love Valley in Cappadocia!

Hiking in Turkey
Discover the Love Valley in Cappadocia – Göreme

Love Valley - Cappadocia, Göreme - Turkey
Touristic parkinglot with view on Love Valley – Cappadocia, Göreme – Tukey

I started walking from Göreme towards Avanos after a relaxing morning. After a stretch along the main road, you can turn left. You will then go to the viewpoint over Love Valley. Many tours will pass here and I could also remember from my first trip in Turkey that we stood here.  Now I walked on to that car park but I should have turned off into the area much earlier, after the first exit. Then I would have gone straight into Love Valley on dirt roads. Now I made an adventurous descent from the car park to avoid having to walk all the way back again.

Tip: So, after the first left turn, you just have to take a dirt road to the left after a few hundred metres. That way, you don’t go up the mountain and stay in the valley.

Love Valley - Cappadocia, Göreme - Turkey
Adventurous descent into the Love Valley

Love Valley - Cappadocia, Göreme - Turkey
Made it!

Adventurous Hike in the Love Valley

You arrive first at a sort of clearing with a little restaurant where you can sit for a while with a view of the most famous Love Valley rocks. These are the ones also visible from above. This is a great spot right away though where I stayed for quite a long time. In fact, I went to put down my selfie stick to take a nice yoga photo! I hadn’t done this very much this week so this was the perfect spot for it.

Yoga in the Love Valley - Cappadocia, Göreme - Turkey
As a starter of this hike I did some stretching.

After this, I walked on and climbed up. I saw someone standing there taking photos of those amazing rock formations from height. Naturally, I wanted to go there too. The path can be quite slippery then. The stone erodes quickly and so it crumbles quickly and you slip easily. I slipped already for some times but at this altitude I didn’t feel like it taking a risk. So I climbed up via the edge of the path, in order to stand on as much grass as possible.

Love Valley - Cappadocia, Göreme - Turkey
In the background you’ll see the small restaurant I mentioned

Turned out to be a Dutchman, haha. You run into them everywhere too.
Of course, he was happy to take a photo of me with the beautiful Love Valley in the background.

After this, I walked further into the valley. I had read that it could be around 6 to 7 km but of course I had been on the road for a while since I had started from Göreme. But I had the whole afternoon left and I had plenty of water with me. It was quite hot that May afternoon but in the valley you have shade every time. So a great combination for a nice walk!

Discover the love valley in Cappadocia
The fairy chimneys you already saw in a number of photos have of course provided the name Love Valley here

Those fairy chimneys gave this valley its name

I loved hiking in Love Valley. There were several trails that all end up going in the same direction. Sometimes one trail runs a little higher and another through the valley. I hiked on all the trails several times. They criss-cross each other so once you have chosen it doesn’t mean you can’t switch. The valley is long but narrow and so you have a view of the other trail each time. And so sometimes other hikers or even cyclists.

Vineyards in Love Valley - Cappadocia, Göreme - Turkey
Vineyards in Love Valley – Cappadocia, Göreme – Turkey

Love Valley - Cappadocia, Göreme - Turkey
Beautiful hiking paths in Love Valley – Cappadocia, Göreme – Turkey

After an hour or so, halfway through the walk, I came to a stream to walk. The trail led me through it and so I walked in the shallow water and under trees and under a rock. It was a really nice part of the walk but as I continued walking it turned out to be deeper and therefore impassable. So turned around again and looked for a higher path. I do love to discover the love valley in Cappadocia.

These kinds of surprises obviously make hiking super fun!

Discover the love valley in Cappadocia
Surprising alleys in the Love Valley

Love Valley - Cappadocia, Göreme - Turkey

I loved the walk and at one point the path I was walking on sloped upwards. Here I had seen two adventurous cyclists. I went out of the valley in a flash and suddenly found myself standing by a man selling fresh orange juice there. And the customers he had? They were Dutch, of course! And they were on a scooter exploring the area. They pointed me in the right direction. When I reached the main road, it was near Ozler art centre.

From here, I walked back to Göreme via the panoramic restaurants overlooking the Pigeon valley.

Love Valley - Cappadocia, Göreme - Turkey
Enjoying the surroundings in Love Valley

Discover the love valley in Cappadocia

Hiking in the valleys of Cappadocia, Göreme - Turkey
Walking through the stream at the bottom of Love Valley

Discover the love valley in Cappadocia
Göreme – Turkey

Hiking in the Love Valley - Cappadocia, Turkey

Hiking in the valleys of Cappadocia, Göreme - Turkey
The path I took out of Love Valley

Time duration Love Valley in Cappadocia

I started the walk near the tourist car park around 2pm. I was then almost an hour’s walk from Göreme. Around 4.30pm, I walked along the road from Uchisar to Göreme again.

The walk through Love Valley will take about 2 to 3 hours.

If I had walked further down the valley, I would have ended up in Uchisar, of course. In retrospect, it’s a pity I didn’t do this because now I didn’t get around to it all week. There is something you regret every trip…. In this trip, it’s that I didn’t get to Uchisar.

Panorama restaurants along the road Uchisar - Göreme
Panorama restaurants along the road Uchisar – Göreme

Cave House along the road from Uchisar near Göreme
Cave House along the road from Uchisar near Göreme

Will you share this amazing walk?
Sharing is multiplying huh?

 

Want to read more about my travels?

In 2021 I visited the great Wadi Rum in Jordan

I really loved hiking in wadis! Hiking in a wadi – Oman / Jordan

Hiking in Dana Biosphere Reserve – Jordan

Would you like to hike a part of the Camino Frances?

Or what about hiking in the famous Alps?

Stages 1 to 6 on the Alpe Adria Trail – Hiking in the Austrian Alps

I hope you enjoy this beautiful world as much as I do