The landscape in Cappadocia, Turkey is like nowhere else on earth. Volcanoes erupted more than three million years ago and as the ash settled it formed a layer of tufa, in places covered with basalt lava. Through the centuries, wind, rain, and hot and cold weather extremes, eroded the tufa creating fantastical shapes today called "fairy chimneys". In past centuries, monks prayed in cave churches and locals carved homes into the rugged hillsides of tufa.
Cappadocia, Turkey, is a Wonderland for Hikers and Bicyclists
Cappadocia, in central Turkey, now ranks high on an increasing number of adventurous travelers "must explore" lists - especially after seeing pictures of hot air balloons floating over the fairy chimneys. While some travelers simply take pictures from viewpoints or out of bus windows, active ones are walking among the mushroom-capped chimneys and mountain biking on trails weaving past the rust-colored houses and cave churches built into the hillsides of rock-hard tufa.Images 1-12 of 12
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