Cappadocia to the Mediterranean by Bicycle

We ride a total of 432 km over 7 cycling days. We begin with three rides in Cappadocia, taking us across a hilly terrain of volcanic valleys and high plateaus. After a bike-free day to visit Derinkuyu Underground City and transfer to Konya, we have a longer ride across the Anatolian plateau before two stages in the Taurus Mountains. A cool-down ride from Side on Day 9 offers a relaxed way to finish while taking in the Roman sites. With several vehicle transfers before and/or after our rides, we avoid busy roads, focus on the most enjoyable routes, and leave time for sightseeing.

This is an action-packed tour with a busy daily schedule, combining moderately challenging cycling with a heavy dose of history, culture, and cuisine. The heavy hitters are, of course, ancient sites like Derinkuyu, Göreme and Side, but we also visit lesser-known places such as the Hittite monuments of Eflatun Pinar and the 'button houses' of the Taurus Mountains. In just 10 days, this tour provides a vivid snapshot of Türkiye you won’t get by any other mode of travel. In Cappadocia, you have the option of joining a hot-air balloon ride (a must for many); this is not included in the tour cost but can be arranged on request (advance booking is required).

The trip is fully supported, and your guide’s expert knowledge of the area and terrain means that you always know what is coming up in terms of distance and difficulty. This makes a tremendous difference, as does the constant supply of water and refreshments along the way.

Suitability: This is an active-level tour, and riders can expect to be challenged by both the route and the terrain in various ways. Daily distances and climbing are fairly consistent, typically between 50–60 km with +600–1,000 m of gain, with the exception of the two days in the Taurus Mountains where we ride between 75–85 km and gain +1,000–1,500 m. The downhills are just as prominent (if not more!), especially as we descend to the Mediterranean coast on Day 8. We have one day off the bikes (Day 5) to visit Derinkuyu and hike in the Ihlara Canyon, so our legs will still be busy. The majority of the riding takes place on paved roads, so there is no technical manoeuvring, but good handling skills for long bumpy sections and the occasional bit of gravel or sand are necessary. Riders with less experience are welcome, and this is a fantastic intermediate-level tour to help push your boundaries — just be sure to prepare by building stamina for the distances and strength for the climbs. A support vehicle is available at all times to provide refuge for weary riders.

Biking Conditions: On this tour, riders can expect around 90% of the route to be on paved surfaces, consisting of a mix of high-quality tarmac and older "chip-seal" country roads that can be bumpy or coarse. The remaining 10% is made up of hard-packed gravel and vehicle-width dirt tracks. While much of the route follows quiet backroads with minimal traffic, we will regularly share the road with cars, tractors, buses, and, of course, flocks of sheep and goats. There are a handful of unavoidable sections along main provincial roads, but these are few and far between. Türkiye can get windy — which, at different times, works both in and against our favour — and rainfall is not uncommon, especially at higher elevations, during the times we schedule our tours. We generally ride rain or shine, but based on the guide’s discretion or your comfort level, modifications to the planned route can be made. It’s all part of the adventure!

Accommodations: We stay in a wide range of hotels and lodgings fitted to the unique character of each region visited. In Kayseri, we have one night in a classy city hotel before three nights of Cappadocian charm in a restored 19th-century Ottoman-era mansion. In Konya and Beyşehir, we stay in centrally located 3* hotels with Turkish flair, while in the Taurus Mountains, we get cosy in a rustic collection of restored 'Button Houses'. And finally, in Side, we treat ourselves to two nights at a boujee seaside resort with all the bells and whistles. While all accommodations provide clean rooms, private bathrooms, hot water and heating, extras like pools or AC aren't available (or necessary!) at every stop. Please be aware that some older properties, while charming, may show signs of wear and tear. Room sizes may vary, and beds can be firmer than you are used to. For larger groups, we may need to use more than one accommodation and, in case of limited availability, switch to an alternative property of a similar standard to those listed in the itinerary.

Bikes

Because some people can't imagine going on a trip without their own beloved bicycle, we do not provide them as part of this tour. However, you can hire bikes locally for the price listed in the tour pricing section. We provide high-quality hybrid bikes by Merida or similar. E-bikes by Carraro or similar are also available. If you bring your own bike, a hybrid or gravel bike is ideal. A road bike with wider tires (30mm+) or a mountain bike with slicks will also get the job done. Whichever bike you choose, please ensure it is in excellent mechanical order before arrival.

Bike Repairs

Basic spares and tools are carried by the guide and on the support vehicle, though we cannot guarantee having spares for every conceivable problem. Carrying a basic tool kit, a spare tube and a pump while riding is recommended.

Safety

Wearing a helmet is required on all our biking adventures and is non negotiable. If you do not wear a helmet you will not be allowed to cycle. Your tour leader is trained in first aid and emergency rescue, but to a large degree you must be responsible for your own safety while riding. It is therefore compulsory that you take out travel insurance that will cover you for a mountain biking tour.

Guides

You will be led by a local English-speaking guide and if the group is 9 people or more we will add another guide to the tour. All our guides are well informed in the history, culture and religions of the area where you are biking and are skilled at passing that knowledge on to you. Your guide is also medically trained and an experienced cyclist, able to handle most minor repairs en route.

If this is the tour for you here's what you need to do to confirm your place:

FLEXIBLE BOOKING CONDITIONS

CONFIRMING YOUR BOOKING

Just complete our online booking form or send your booking details offline (email or post), and we will confirm your participation. No deposit is needed to confirm your place on a SpiceRoads tour.

You are advised to read our Booking Conditions in full before you make your payment and should you require further clarifications of any of the conditions below, please email us or call our office.

TRIP STATUS

There is a minimum number of participants (usually 2) required to enable the trip to go ahead. Once the minimum number is reached, the trip status will change from 'Available' to 'Guaranteed to Depart'. Once a trip is guaranteed to depart you are free to book your flights and make other travel arrangements. If the trip status is ‘Limited’ will mean we have only a small number of spaces available for booking. If you are unsure about the trip status, please email us or call our office.

BOOKING ONLINE

From the tour page, click the 'Book Now' link. All departures for this tour will appear, just select the date you'd like to travel. For the next steps, you'll need to know the names of the people travelling. If you wish you can also provide extra details such as passport numbers, height (for bike hire), or you can add that later by logging into Manage My Trip (we'll set up an account for you automatically if you don't already have one). Our system will contact you from time to time to fill in the missing information, as it will be required before departure. However, if the trip that you are booking offers a child discount, you will have to fill out the date of birth of each rider (so we can calculate the appropriate discount).

If you are having any problems please send us an email, or give us a call (+66 026 3295) and one of our travel specialists will assist you with your booking.

BOOKING OFFLINE

Just call us or send an email indicating which trip you want to join and we will happily send you a list of questions and process your booking for you.

DEPOSITS AND PAYMENTS

We do not require a deposit or full payment to book a place for you on a tour.

The balance of the tour’s cost (final invoice) will need to be paid 60 days before the departure date with fees for any bicycle rental(s), single supplement(s) and extra hotel nights.

In the case where a booking is made when there are less than 60 days until the tour departure date, the tour’s cost should be paid in full within 72 hours of receiving an invoice from SpiceRoads. Payment can be made by credit card using our online payment gateway or by bank transfer. When making payment online you will need to confirm that you have read these booking conditions during the "checkout" process, which equates to agreeing to the terms of services and stipulations as indicated in this document.

In all cases, tour fees need to be paid “in full” before participation in a tour. No person(s) will be allowed to join a tour without fully settling their invoice and receiving a confirmation number from SpiceRoads.

The exception can be made for last-minute miscellaneous fees that can be paid locally (visas, additional local hotel bookings, etc.) can be settled on the day of arrival.

FULL FLEXIBILITY FOR TOUR CANCELATIONS

If the tour is cancelled or postponed by SpiceRoads because we didn't make the trip numbers and the tour can’t run, we will make a full cash refund (by bank transfer or on your credit card).

If the tour is cancelled for any other reason, including due to Covid related travel restrictions, we will give you a full credit (with no deductions for admin or any other small-print item) to use on any SpiceRoads tour with no time limit. (Exceptions being flights, special permits and other non-refundable items and these will be advised when booking the trip).

Before paying for your tour, you can cancel your booking with no charge and up until 40 days before departure, you can change your booking to another travel date or move your booking onto another SpiceRoads tour with no charges.

If you need to cancel after you have made full payment, please see our cancellation policy.

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