Red and Rose Valleys

Kızılçukur and Güllüdere - Red and Rose - run side by side between Göreme, Çavuşin and Ortahisar, and their rock is banded in pink, ochre, cream and rust in horizontal layers, which is what the names refer to and what makes them the sunset destination: the colour intensifies in the last half hour of light. Walking them is the point. Paths wind through narrow slots, under overhangs and along ridges for several kilometres, linking Göreme to Çavuşin in two to three hours, and scattered along the way are rock-cut churches most visitors never find - the Kolonlu with its carved columns, the Haçlı church with a relief cross in the ceiling, the Üzümlü with grape decoration, several holding faded frescoes and usually unlocked and unattended. A terrace on the rim above Kızılçukur charges a small fee and sells tea to sunset crowds; walking in from Çavuşin gets you the same light without the coaches.

What you actually see

• The banded rock - pink, ochre and cream layers in the cliffs.
• The hidden churches - Kolonlu, Haçlı and Üzümlü along the paths.
• The slot paths - narrow cuts and overhangs through the valleys.
• The sunset colour - the last half hour of light on the walls.

When to go

April to June and September to November. Late afternoon, finishing at sunset - but carry a torch, because the paths are genuinely hard to follow once the light goes.

Honest expectations

Trails are unmarked, branch confusingly and involve scrambling and narrow ledges - people get lost here regularly. Carry water and a light. The rim sunset terrace is crowded and charged.

Nearby

Göreme and its open-air museum are south; Çavuşin is at the northern end of the walk.