The southern loop takes 7 to 9 hours from Göreme to an underground city, a walk in the Ihlara Valley and Pigeon Valley, with a licensed English-speaking guide.
Updated 16 October 2026
The best-reviewed of the six at 5.0 ★ (2653 reviews), for travellers who want admission and entrance fees, lunch and an air-conditioned vehicle covered across a 7 to 9 hour day taking in Kaymaklı Underground City, Ihlara Valley, Selime Monastery and Pigeon Valley.
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For anyone who specifically wants Derinkuyu Underground City, with hotel transfers both ways, a licensed professional English tour guide and pickup from any place in Cappadocia over 8 to 9 hours.
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For travellers who want nothing left to settle on the day: museum tickets, lunch, workshops, city taxes, parking fees and private transportation across 8 hours, with Derinkuyu, Ihlara Valley, Belisırma, Narlıgöl crater lake and an onyx workshop.
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Suits visitors who want more stops in one 8 hour day, with museum entrance fees, lunch, hotel pickup and drop-off, a professional guide and Narlıgöl crater lake and Yaprakhisar village added to Ihlara Valley and Derinkuyu.
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The shortest day of the six at 7 hours, for people with a flight or a dinner to catch: Kaymaklı Underground City, Ihlara Valley, Narlıgöl and the Göreme Panorama, with hotel pickup and drop-off and entrance fees and lunch depending on the option you choose.
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The lowest entry price here from $22, for budget travellers happy with an English-speaking live guide and an air-conditioned vehicle over 8 hours 20 minutes to Kaymaklı, Ihlara Valley and Selime Monastery, with entrance tickets included only on the all-included option.
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Every cappadocia green tour on this page heads for the southern part of the region: one underground city, a walk in the Ihlara Valley, a monastery or a crater lake, plus the Göreme Panorama viewpoint and Pigeon Valley, the 4 km route between Uçhisar and Göreme. Durations run from 7 hours to 8 hours 20 minutes. Four of the six name hotel transfers in what is included; the 7-hour option also gives a meeting point at the Cappadocia Phoenix Travel office on Ali Çavuş Street in Göreme town centre, 10 minutes before departure.
The underground city differs by tour. Derinkuyu, on the classic route, the all-inclusive day and the $45 version, is about 85 metres deep with a 55-metre ventilation shaft that also works as a water well; only around ten percent is open to visitors and it has been since 1965. Kaymaklı, on the small-group day, the 7-hour tour and the deluxe route, has eight floors with four unearthed, lit and open, storage rooms, wineries and kitchens on the third level, and an andesite block drilled with 57 holes for crushing and grinding. It opened in 1964 and sits 20 km from Nevşehir.
Ihlara Valley is the part of the day that asks something of your legs. It lies in the Güzelyurt district of Aksaray province, runs about 14 km and reaches up to 120 metres deep on the Ministry record, and the main descent is 394 steps. Hundreds of rock-cut churches and chapels have been identified along it, with Ağaçaltı and Kırkdamaltı, also called St George's, the best known. The valley opens daily 08:30 to 17:00, ticket office closing 16:15. Wear closed walking or sports shoes with grip and flat soles.
Admissions on the Ministry tariff are €13 for Derinkuyu, €13 for Kaymaklı and €15 for Ihlara Valley. The small-group day lists both an admission fee and an entrance fee, the $45 version lists the museums entrance fee and the all-inclusive day lists museum tickets, so on those three the gates are handled for you. On the deluxe route and the 7-hour tour, entrance tickets belong to specific booking options.
First time in the south with one full day free: take the small-group Green (South) Tour from $33. It carries the strongest feedback of the six at 5.0 ★ (2653 reviews), the admission and entrance fees sit inside the price along with lunch and an air-conditioned vehicle, and the route pairs Kaymaklı Underground City with Selime Monastery and the Ihlara walk over 7 to 9 hours.
On a tight budget, the deluxe route from $22 gives you 8 hours 20 minutes with an English-speaking live guide and an air-conditioned vehicle, stopping at the Göreme Panorama, Pigeon Valley, the Kem Art Centre, Kaymaklı, Ihlara and Selime. Entrance tickets only come with the all-included option, so pick that option when you book.
Derinkuyu is the deeper of the two underground cities, and two tours go there. The classic route from $29 runs 8 to 9 hours with hotel transfers and a licensed professional English tour guide; the $45 version takes 8 hours and adds the museums entrance fee, lunch, hotel pickup, Narlıgöl crater lake and Yaprakhisar village.
Travelling with family, or simply tired of paying for things one at a time: the all-inclusive day from $55 covers city taxes, museum tickets, lunch, workshops, a professional licensed guide, parking fees and private transportation in 8 hours, with Belisırma and the Kapadokya Onyx workshop on the list of stops.
Flying at dawn the same day, or leaving Cappadocia that evening: the 7-hour green tour from $30 is the shortest option here, with Kaymaklı Underground City, Ihlara Valley, Narlıgöl and the Göreme Panorama, hotel pickup and drop-off, and an English-speaking guide. Check which booking option carries the entrance fees and the restaurant lunch.
| Tour | Length | From | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green (South) Tour, small group, with lunch and ticket | 7–9 h | $33 | ★ 5.0 (2653) |
| Green Tour, classic route with Derinkuyu | 8–9 h | $29 | ★ 5.0 (940) |
| All-inclusive Green Tour with workshops | 8 h | $55 | ★ 4.9 (717) |
| Green Tour with Ihlara Valley and Derinkuyu | 8 h | $45 | ★ 4.9 (636) |
| Green Tour with Kaymaklı, lunch and pickup | 7 h | $30 | ★ 4.9 (539) |
| Green Tour, deluxe route to Kaymaklı and Selime | 8 h 20 min | $22 | ★ 4.9 (387) |
Tour details from the operator's listing, checked 16 October 2026. Prices and times can change; the booking page has the current ones.
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The small-group southern day from $33 covers admission and entrance fees, lunch and an air-conditioned vehicle across 7 to 9 hours, and it holds 5.0 ★ (2653 reviews). Dates fill quickly in the April to November season, so check the day you want before the rest of your week is set.
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