Turkey- Cappadocia Arrival

Today we traveled from Washington, DC to Cappadocia to begin our horseback riding odyssey in Turkey, a country which seems so exotic to me. Startling Europe and Asia, Turkey has a fascinating history and Cappadocia in particular has a fascinating history with horses. The word Cappadocia is said to stem from the Persian word, “katpatuka,” which roughly translates to “land of beautiful horses.”

In Cappadocia, we will be riding with Ahmet Diler of Kirkit Voyage, who organizes horseback riding and other adventure activities in Cappadocia. He grew up in Avanos, where we will base ourselves for the first part of the trip. Ahmet is a horse lover. His horses are a mix of Arabian and Barb and many are full Arabians.

Ahmet picked us up from the airport, and we drove to Avanos to visit the stables and scout for the upcoming days. We’re staying in Kirkit Pension, one of his hotels. The pension was the former home of a wealthy resident in Avanos. Throughout history, Avanos has been a pottery and weaving center in Turkey. We ate in the courtyard, where local gypsies play live music each night. After a long day of traveling and scouting, everything from the tomato salad to the lentil soup to the ripe peaches tasted really good. I am going to sleep very well and hope to be on Turkish time in the morning in preparation for our first ride.

Learn more about riding in Cappadocia, Turkey.

Darley Newman is the host of the Public Television series Equitrekking®, which takes viewers on horseback riding vacations around the world. Visit equitrekking.com and purchase Equitrekking DVDs, the Equitrekking Travel Adventures on Horseback book and more at ShopDarley.com.