Cappadocia

Hot air balloons over fairy chimneys — one of the most surreal landscapes.

Cappadocia, in the heart of Turkey, is one of the world's most extraordinary landscapes — a region of volcanic tuff (soft stone) sculpted by millions of years of erosion into a surreal terrain of pinnacles, cones, mushroom-shaped "fairy chimneys," cave valleys and underground cities that look like the surface of another planet. It has been inhabited since the Hittites, and the rock is riddled with cave churches, dovecotes, subterranean cities and entire cave monasteries. The hot-air balloon flights over Cappadocia at sunrise are among the world's great travel experiences — dozens of balloons rising together above the pink and orange valleys in the early light, with the landscape stretching to distant mountains. The Rose Valley, Red Valley, Love Valley and Pigeon Valley are the best for hiking and photography. The Göreme Open Air Museum, a UNESCO-protected cluster of Byzantine cave churches with extraordinary painted frescoes from the 10th–13th centuries, is outstanding. Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı Underground Cities (carved 8 storeys deep into the rock) are astonishing. Göreme is the main base — its cave hotels range from budget to luxury, all built into the volcanic rock. Ürgüp, Uçhisar and Ortahisar are alternatives with different characters. The pottery tradition of Avanos (on the Red River, whose reddish clay has been used for millennia) is excellent. Local Cappadocian wines (surprising quality) and the tandır lamb slow-cooked in clay pots are excellent. Visit April–June or September–November for the best conditions.