Hike the Fairy Chimneys of Cappadocia in Winter

Marta Marinelli, raised in Italy’s serene Prosecco Hills, dreamt of global adventures, inspired by her father's travel stories. Her passion evolved into a career, backed by a decade of studies including degrees in international tourism and destination management. She’s worked in the adventure travel sector since 2012, living in Italy, the UK, and now sunny Portugal.

Over twenty years, Marta has explored over 55 countries, visiting remote areas like Ghana, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Haiti and Nepal’s Upper Mustang region. As a Senior Adventure Expansion Manager at Much Better Adventures, she focuses on creating life-changing experiences, ranging from multi-activity adventures, challenging treks to ultimate adventures in iconic places. She loves the challenge of finding the best local adventure hosts around the world, collaborating on adventures that offer genuine immersion, pushing beyond the beaten path and working on exclusive itineraries that challenge your comfort zone.

What makes her tick? Enabling people to live adventure-rich lives while positively impacting and empowering local communities around the world, generating sustainable opportunities for both the host, guides, community, and the environment.

Tips are not included in the trip cost. These are entirely at your discretion but there is an expectation to tip for good service. Your guide will help with advice, however, we suggest the below as a guideline per person:

€20-25 per person for the trip

Of course, you are free to tip more or less, and the amount should be reflective of your perception of service and quality – a tip is not compulsory and should only be given when you receive excellent service.

The local tap water in Turkey is generally not safe to drink and at times heavy chlorination is used to purify the water often makes the taste unpalatable. Please bring along your own reusable water bottles (at least 1.5L) to fill up to avoid buying single-use plastic bottles and bring water purification tablets or a different purification system for extra safety. Please find more info here

It rarely snows every day in Cappadocia between November and March, so it should be still easy to hike, explore and drive around without major disruptions. Overall, the choice of the route, the hiking distance and elevation is always decided by your local guide, taking into consideration group's fitness and the weather conditions, so small alterations can always take place with your safety in mind.

Riding in a hot air balloon above Cappadocia during winter is one of the most magical experiences you can have. Balloon flights operate all year round, but are always weather dependent: snowy, icy or windy conditions can increase the chance of it being cancelled – so for this reason, we haven't included it in the trip. Please let your host know when booking if you are interested in joining a hot air balloon flight. Your host will be able to provide all the details and exact pricing in the pre-departure information sent around two weeks before you go, and again during the first briefing, and will be able to arrange it for you.

Budget approximately €200-250 per person for the flight, which you'll pay locally to your host should the activity go ahead. A bonus of travelling in the winter months is that the cost for a hot air balloon flight is typically much lower than compared to the busy summer months. Given that you'll stay in Cappadocia for a few days, the chances that you get to fly are higher, but never 100% guaranteed. Remember, you’ll need to wrap up very warm if flying between November and March.

Most flights from Europe connect to Kayseri Airport via Istanbul so it's easy to plan an overnight stay or a few extra days in the city should you have the time. Occasionally, it may be cheaper to consider separate tickets with different airlines (e.g. Wizzair or other low-cost airlines from the UK to Istanbul, then internal flights between Istanbul and Kayseri Airport with Turkish Airlines or others).

Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.

Our team of Adventure Hunters co-create exclusive adventures which are run by highly vetted, specialist hosts. The trip is run by our trusted host partner in the destination. We only work with independent, local, in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. Read more information about the local teams we partner with. You’ll be introduced to the host straight after making a booking via the Much Better Adventures platform.

Much Better Adventures refer to the UK Government’s official travel advice when designing trips and monitoring trip operations. We recommend that all customers are familiar with the practical information provided on the Government’s FCDO website, where current travel advice can be found by searching for the applicable destination(s).

For customers joining this trip from other international destinations – please also read the official travel advice applicable to your country of residence/origin, as this may differ.

Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine.

Travel insurance is compulsory for all of our adventures and you are required to provide your policy information before departing.

Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure. We also strongly recommend it includes cancellation and curtailment insurance, should you be unable to join your trip for specific reasons such as illness.

We fully endorse Campbell Irvine as their insurance offers all of the above, so get in touch with them or call on 020 7938 1734 to get your insurance sorted. We suggest that you book travel insurance as soon as you book your adventure, just to cover you for any last-minute life changes. We know you’re an active lot and injuries do happen!

We recommend checking out the country-specific information and also talking to a travel nurse.

We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.

If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.

All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy (18+) as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. Children can be accommodated on some private departures.

You're always in good company on one of our adventures.

Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.

Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way.

It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.

Don't just take our word for it:

• 95% of people rate the group dynamics on our trips 5/5
• 90% of people recommend joining a trip to make new friends
• 75% of people have met people on our trips that they would now consider friends

See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.

Interested in a more exclusive experience? Opt for a 'Private Group' through the dates and prices tab to book this adventure for just you and your chosen companions.