Things to do in Pigeon Valley

Pigeon Valley (Güvercinlik) runs between Uçhisar and Göreme and is the most walked path in the region, largely because it is the flattest. The route covers roughly 3-4 km and takes about an hour at an easy pace, with none of the scrambling or steep drops found on Sword Valley or Rose Valley.

The name comes from the pigeon houses cut into the cliffs, small square niches once used by local farmers to collect droppings for fertilising vines and orchards; you can still pick out rows of these openings on the rock faces as you walk. Much of the trail has no shade, so it is uncomfortable in the middle of the day in summer.

The surface is mostly compacted dirt and gravel rather than rock scrambles, but closed shoes are still worth wearing over sandals.