Pigeon Valley ( Güvercinlik Vadisi ), just outside Goreme in Cappadocia, is one of Turkey’s most beautiful landscapes. The unique rock formations known as fairy chimneys, or peri bacalar, which are made from wind and water erosion on soft volcanic rock, rise high from the valley floor like chimneys and are dotted in their tops with birdhouses. Some reach at tall as 130 ft Pigeons live in these dovecoats carved into the rocks and cliffs. Years ago the pigeons were used to carry messages from this remote region, and their droppings have long been used by local farmers for fertilizer. Today, however, there are fewer Pigeons in the valley.
Pigeon Valley is a great place for hiking. The whole area around Goreme is made up of valleys with almost no fencing and there are well-marked trails. The mildly hilly trail through Pigeon Valley is free of charge and about 2.8 miles long running between Goreme and Uchisar.
Pigeon is ideal for walking as the trek is relatively easy. Within the valley are man-made caves which make for excellent exploration. Alternatively if walking is not your idea of fun, still head to the top of the valley at sunset where the vibrant orange colors moving down behind the mountains produce wonderful holiday pictures. The valley earned its name from the hundreds of pigeons that have made their homes in the rocks.
Pigeon Valley ( Güvercinlik Vadisi ) Goreme-Cappadocia
Pigeon valley is a wonderful place to walk through. You can't get lost as there are no alternative paths.
Really interesting view of the valley. It was rainy when we were there which I think added to the experience. I think it brought out the various colors in the rock that might not be so vivid otherwise.
very nice formations !! We visited with a tour and spent 10-15 minutes walking about admiring the views. If you have more time, it might be nice to hike there.
just a quick hop out the bus to take a 10 minutes fotobreak. just enough to hear the story about the pigeons and why the locals keep these birds. nice!
I dont like hiking or walking for hours, so this adventure was a bit tiring for me, It was winter so it was okay, I dont want to imagine hiking in summer! Well, I willl suggest that you take a couple of drinks and some snacks or sweets, in an hour or more theres no place to buy anything, just…
Great view and interesting story. I had never known that pigeons could be anything but annoying. To see that people had dug into cliffs to provide haven for the pigeons was amazing.
Small (3km) beautiful valley connecting Goreme to Uchisar. We had a stroll during not-so-good weather so we didn't pretty much none in the valley. Easy path, beautiful scenery and don't forget to have a cup of tea.
absolutely fascinating, the unusual shapes of the rocks and the holes depicting the pigeon houses and the series of these rocks forms such a unique terrain
My wife and I took the dolmus (mini-bus) from Goreme up to Uchisar to visit the castle, planning to hike back to Goreme through Pigeon Valley. It was a little tricky to find the footpath that lead down into the valley from Uchisar, but eventually a merchant pointed us in the right direction. The hiking in the valley was nice…
We went on a hike suggested by our hotel, it was a bit challenging, but perhaps we lost our way.The hike is not very long, perhaps 2 miles or so, but make sure to carefully make your choices when the roads fork.