No. 6, Travel & Tourism : Cappadocia, Turkey. (ISL)

Hello. Greetings from Boonary. Today's topic is travel and tourism. To which place? We're going to explore a place in Turkey called Cappadocia, which will be signed as 'CA' in short for your reference. A beautiful place. Come with us on this exciting journey.

The place Cappadocia which is spelled as 'c-a-p-p-a-d-o-c-i-a' will be signed as 'CA' in short. Where is this place? It's a region in central Turkey. Where exactly? From the capital of Turkey, i.e. Ankara, Cappadocia lies to its southeast. The distance of which is about 3 hours between the two places. Is Cappadocia exactly a city or a village? No. It's not a city or village rather just a land or region that's been given the name. This area is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Turkey and what makes it attract so many tourists? Cappadocia has many areas with unique geological features of amazing formations of volcanic rock that make it more than a natural beauty, thus attracting tourists. Long ago, Cappadocia did experience many volcanic eruptions in different areas and the lava settlements from it are the reason behind these unique rock formations which are a sight to watch. Also Cappadocia is home to beautiful valleys that add to its natural beauty. No wonder this place is always flocked with tourists. We all might have visited museums, right? A place where ancient artefacts are put up on display for visitors to watch. You might have personally seen one, but Cappadocia something unique. It has an open air museum for its visitors. What is it called? It is named The Goreme National Park. You can cherish the sight of amazing ancient rock formations which are called fairy chimneys. For instance, the chimneys that you see in factories, Cappadocia has plenty of rock structures that look like chimneys. Also, it is not artificially built or man-made wonder rather formed naturally by settlements of volcanic eruptions that have been shaped by the wind and the rain water forming such beautiful amazing structures owing to natural beauty and appealing to many tourists. Another fact is that the UNESCO, an agency that credits worldwide cultural and natural heritage has incorporated the museum in its list. Remember, the open air museum that I told you about with amazing fairy chimneys. This spectacular museum was chosen and inscribed to be on the UNESCO World Heritage List. When? It was in the year 1985. What makes so many tourists flock around to visit Cappadocia? What's the reason behind it? Lets find out.

What are some famous highlights of Cappadocia? Let me share some with you. It has some mesmerising scenic landscapes and is an attractive destination for travellers who love adventure. It is a perfect place for hiking. It is also a paradise for trekking lovers. What is the meaning of the word Cappadocia? This word in English means the land of beautiful horses and it's so apt as there you can enjoy horseback riding too as an adventure. Of all the attractions like hiking, trekking, horseback riding etc, the most significant feature of Cappadocia is to fly in a huge hot air balloon. Watch the panoramic view of dozens of colourful hot air balloons and get into one of the baskets of the balloon. For one person, the hot air balloon your is very expensive. It can cost about 145 to 200 USD which means when converted to India rupees, it is somewhere around 10,000 to 15000 or 20,000 Indian bucks, but it's worth a lifetime. Usually it is best to take an early morning balloon tour with the sunrise as the wind conditions are just perfect. Although the hot air balloon season is available all the year-round, but the best time of the year is from April to November as the most favorable weather conditions are during these months; elsewhere if you book during the other months, because of strong winds most of the flight cancellations might take place causing you disappointment. Hence, remember the best time would be between April and November. So once you're there, you can enjoy different activities like horseback riding, trekking, hiking and also the hot air balloon ride, but if you do want to visit there, where to stay? Watch ahead.

Whenever you travel to different places, we all book hotel rooms, right? But when in Cappadocia you can get a unique experience of living in a cave hotel. A luxurious and unique experience indeed. In Indian currency, the prices to book a cave hotel room can start from approx 2500 to 30000 rupees per night and you can choose the option that matches your budget and choice, the best. What other interesting activity can you do there? Cappadocia has underground cities. There are almost 150-200 underground cities. Just think about this, it actually has completely equipped cities underground with facilities like shopping, kitchen and dining, churches etc. Out of all the 150-200, just 36 of them have actually been discovered. Imagine taking a tour and exploring the fully equipped cities underground.