Estelle Somers (Equine Adventures consultant) in Turkey

Estelle visited Turkey last year and tried our Cappadocia Bivouac Trail

Cappadocia is a UNESCO World Heritage site in the centre of Turkey. The landscape is made of soft volcanic rock that has eroded away leaving valleys, plateaus and steppes which are scattered with all sorts of weird and wonderful rock formations known as Fairy Chimneys. Fairy Chimneys are basically strangely shaped rock formations, which can be pillar shaped, pointed, mushroom like, cone like and even capped by other rocks balancing precariously on top. Within the valleys, cliffs and rock formations the local people have carved their homes and churches into the rock for centuries, virtually everywhere you go there is some sort of deserted rock dwelling that can be explored. For every deserted dwelling there are also just as many occupied ones, whole villages are built into cliffs and fairy chimneys. A fascinating area to see.

I flew with Turkish Airways from Heathrow to Istanbul and then on to Kayseri. The connection times are quite long and it means that you have approximately 6 hours wait on the way out and 7 hours on the way back. There are earlier flights from Istanbul to Kayseri and back but these just miss the minimum recommended connection time and I would definitely not go for them as my flights were delayed both on the way out and the way back. The good thing is that your luggage is transferred all the way through (or should be, one of the Dutch ladies on my trip had her luggage lost at Istanbul for 2 days), anyway as long as it goes to plan then this is a good thing as it did allow me time to go into the centre of Istanbul to look around. You should allow at least an hour each way for transfers though; I took the train but have been told that traffic can get very bad. Because of the length of time between the flights some people may prefer to overnight in Istanbul on the way out to avoid the very early start and long wait.

On arrival in Kayseri I was met by a driver who was waiting just outside the airport exit; he spoke very little English but was very pleasant and friendly. It is about an hours drive from the airport to Ortahisar which is where the ranch is and the village that you spend your first night.

As we drew near to Orathisar we picked up our hosts Nicholas and his girlfriend Dominique from the roadside. They accompanied us to the guesthouse and had dinner with us. During the evening we were asked to complete a form regarding the type of horse we wanted. The following morning we were taken to the ranch to meet the horses. Over a cup of tea, we were given a brief run down on what was expected from us during the ride and were given a printed copy to read later. We then had a brief familiarisation with the tack and were then shown to our horses, who were already tacked up.

All of the horses used are mares and are cross-Arab breeds. There are 16 horses in total (one of which is a gelding who is not used on the trails and two of which are a mare and her foal). The horses are all fairly small ranging from approximately 14.2-15.2HH. The majority of them are ridden unshod. They were all very well natured on the ground and all seemed well behaved when ridden. Some were obviously stronger and faster than others but I rode 3 horses whilst I was there and all were very responsive.

All of the horses are ridden in Hackamores and McClellen saddles. The saddles are fitted with saddle bags large enough to fit 1 litre of water in each side together with rope, brush, hoof pick, camera, picnic box (which is supplied) and a lightweight waterproof. The saddles were all relatively new and a lot more comfortable than I had imagined, but they did tend to dig in slightly on you inner thigh. The saddles were also fitted with breastplates and a cropper. The horses wore rope head collars all of the time and the majority of the bridles were made of rope as well. My tack was grubby but was secure and in good condition.

Each day begins and ends with a 15 minute walk (on foot), for riders and the horses to warm up/relax. On average, you ride about 25 km and spend 5 to 6 hours in the saddle each day. There is normally about an hour for lunch and a couple of other breaks taken during the day. The circuit includes some difficult passages where you will be asked to dismount and walk (some days you will have to dismount 5 or 6 times). These sections can be long stretches of very steep up or down hill walking on difficult terrain whilst leading your horse - so you need to be fit and in good physical condition.

The riding is mostly walking however each day there are usually two or three fast canters/gallops when you reach the steppes and plateaus. Clients need to be able to control their horses at all paces and be confident when riding on difficult terrain. There are lots of steep, narrow, rocky paths which often have sheer drops to the side of them. The terrain is a mix of valleys, plateaus and steppes. When entering and riding in the valleys the tracks are often covered in thick thorny bush - so long sleeve tops are essential otherwise you will get scratched to pieces!

I joined the Bivouac trail which has 4 nights camping and 3 nights in guesthouses. The trail starts and ends in a guesthouse in Orathisar. This guesthouse is really a homestay, it is clean and pleasant and the family members are very friendly and helpful - the property is in a village of which some houses are built into the cliffs and rocks. The rooms all have en-suite bathroom but only two of the rooms have beds, the remainder just have mattresses on the floor (which are actually surprisingly comfortable), there is a pleasant terrace where breakfast and dinner are taken. The other guesthouse we stayed in was on the 4th night in the village of Uchisar. Again this was very clean and the staff very friendly. This was more like a traditional guesthouse, all rooms were clean and had en-suite bathrooms but this time all had proper beds. There was a restaurant and a terrace giving views to the cave village of Goreme.

The other four nights were spent camping with a support vehicle meeting us each evening. On two of the four nights you sleep out in rock caves although a tent can be pitched if you prefer. Dinner is cooked over a campfire and there is one mess tent/cave where the evening can be spent. Washing facilities are basic but private and are available 3 out of the 4 nights camping - there is one private wash tent which has a large pale of water which can be heated using a gas cylinder, clients have to replenish the water from the nearby natural water source. There are no toilet facilities other than a spade and loo roll.

The food the whole way through the trip was superb and very tasty! Breakfast and lunch whilst camping generally included home made breads, fruit, salads, cheese, eggs, local preserves and cold meat. Dinner was varied and amazingly good especially considering it was cooked over a campfire - typical dishes included vegetable/meat clay pot, vegetable/meat pasta, vegetable/meat chilli. In the evening there is a cool bin offering a few soft drinks, wine and beer that can be purchased at local prices as required.

During the week you have one afternoon at leisure when you can visit the popular historic town of Goreme where there is an Open Air Museum featuring some of the very best examples of rock houses and churches in Cappadocia. Also on the final night you have the opportunity to visit a Turkish Baths to steam, soak and have a very welcomed massage!

I had an amazing trip, the scenery was fantastic, the terrain was challenging, the horses were all good to be around and the camping gave a great 'get away from it all' experience!

Click here for further details of our Cappadocia Ride.