5 Nights / 6 Days
Anatolia's Greatest Wonders
5 Nights | 3 Cappadocia · 1 Pamukkale · 1 Kuşadası — fairy chimneys, Pamukkale's white travertines and Ephesus.
Turkey / Ancient site
Özkonak Underground City
Explore Özkonak's ancient underground city — carved tunnels, rolling stone doors and centuries of shelter beneath Cappadocia's surface.
Stone steps descend into darkness. The air cools as you move away from the daylight, and the sound of other visitors fades as you enter Özkonak's carved corridors. This underground settlement, hollowed from the soft volcanic tuff beneath Cappadocia, is one of the region's most evocative places to understand how ancient communities lived and sheltered beneath the earth.
Into the Rock
The tunnels were carved over centuries, communities expanding downward through multiple levels. At Özkonak, visitors can explore the upper sections: narrow passages, low ceilings that demand a careful walk, chambers hollowed from the same pale rock that forms Cappadocia's famous fairy chimneys above. The construction is deliberate. Round stone doors weighing several tons could be rolled across tunnel openings to seal sections from intrusion. Spy holes in strategic locations allowed residents to monitor corridors without exposing themselves.
Living Below the Surface
The chambers were organized by purpose. Kitchens with their chimney-like ventilation shafts allowed cooking without filling the tunnels with smoke. Wine-making equipment carved into the rock floor speaks to the agricultural traditions of the region. Stables provided shelter for animals. Small chapels carved from the tuff indicate spaces set aside for worship during extended stays underground. Storage rooms, hewn deep into the rock, held provisions for times when remaining below was safer than remaining above.
The Engineering Below
The ventilation system is one of the most remarkable features of Özkonak. Shafts running vertically and horizontally brought fresh air to depths where it would otherwise have been stagnant. The design reflects generations of understanding of the local geology. The tuff of Cappadocia is soft enough to carve by hand yet firm enough to maintain shape without support. Tool marks remain visible in places, evidence of the labor involved in creating this underground world.
Visiting Özkonak
Özkonak tends to be quieter than the larger underground complexes of Derinkuyu or Kaymaklı, offering a more intimate experience of Cappadocia's subterranean heritage. The entrance involves navigating some tight passages and low ceilings, which naturally slows the flow of visitors. Most spend 20-30 minutes exploring, though those who pause over the door mechanisms, the chapel architecture, or the ventilation shafts will find more to consider. The temperature underground stays cool even in summer, making it a comfortable visit regardless of season.
On the map
Find it on the map
- Özkonak Underground City Ancient site
Tours that visit Özkonak Underground City
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Good to know
Before you book you should know
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Is this trip right for you?
Our groups are capped at eight travellers, which is about a third of what the industry calls a small group. Eight people share one vehicle, one table at dinner and one guide's attention, and the day can change on the road without anybody being left behind. If you are looking for a coach, a fixed script and a microphone, this is not that.
Most days involve real walking, often on ground that was laid two thousand years before walking shoes: marble worn smooth, cobbles, uneven steps and long site paths with little shade. Bring shoes you can spend a morning in.
Some days move between regions and are largely a drive, with stops along the way. Summers are hot — well over 35°C inland — and winters are colder than most people expect, so layers, a hat and sunscreen earn their place in the bag whatever the month.
How demanding a particular trip is, is written on the trip itself: the physical rating in the header, and the day-by-day itinerary above.
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Rooms, and travelling on your own
Trip prices are per person, sharing a twin room. Each traveller picks their own room while booking, so a party can mix the three:
- Twin share — two single beds, shared with someone you are travelling with or with a traveller of the same gender.
- Travelling as a couple — one double room.
- Individual room — a room of your own, for a single supplement on top of the trip price. Availability is limited, and the supplement for a given date is shown next to the option when you book.
Solo travellers are welcome on every departure, and most of our groups have one or two aboard.
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Accommodation
The hotels named in an itinerary are a guideline rather than a guarantee. Where one is full, or has dropped below the standard we booked it for, we substitute a property of a similar standard in the same area — we would rather change the hotel than the trip.
Check-in is usually mid-afternoon. If you arrive early we will ask for the room, but no hotel can promise one before its own check-in time; luggage can normally be left at reception in the meantime. If you want the room from the night before, ask us and we will add the extra night to your booking.
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Passports, visas and insurance
Entry requirements depend on your nationality and change without much notice, so the only reliable source is the official one: the government of the country you are travelling to, and your own foreign ministry's travel advice. Check both before you book a flight.
Many countries ask for a passport valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates, and for blank pages. It is worth looking at yours now rather than at the airport.
We ask every traveller to carry travel insurance covering medical treatment and repatriation, and we would strongly encourage cover for cancellation and for your luggage as well.
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Your departure is guaranteed — the day can change
Once a departure is on the calendar it runs. We do not cancel a trip for want of a minimum number of bookings, so a booked date is one you can plan flights and leave around.
What can move is the shape of a day. Museums and archaeological sites change their hours, roads close, weather turns, a local holiday lands in the middle of the week. Where that happens your guide reorders the day, or swaps a stop for one of the same weight, and tells you why. Changes to a booked itinerary are covered by our Booking Terms & Conditions.
