Yoga & Meditation Retreat in Cappadocia: Hiking, Hot Air Balloons & Underground Cities

The retreat runs for seven nights, based in Mustafapaşa rather than in tourist-heavy Göreme, which means evenings are quiet and you're still only about 20 minutes from the main sites. Mornings typically begin with a 90-minute yoga class, then breakfast, then an outing or free time. Afternoon yoga is an hour long and dinner follows at around 7.30pm.

The schedule makes room for several days out. On the balloon morning you're up before dawn to watch sunrise from above the valleys and fairy chimneys — the morning yoga class is dropped that day. Another day is given to the Göreme Open-Air Museum, the rock-cut Byzantine churches with their frescoes, plus Uçhisar Castle, Monk Valley and Pigeon Valley. Hiking days depend on what the group wants; there are trails right around the village and further afield. You'll also go down into one of the region's underground cities — Cappadocia has more than 200, carved into soft basalt, and the one visited has tunnels reaching about 100 metres below ground. A hammam scrub and massage can be arranged as an extra.

What sets this apart from a generic yoga holiday is the setting and the teaching style. Marija's classes are structured as workshops on alignment, body awareness, pranayama and meditation, aimed at understanding how the practice works rather than nailing a pose — useful if you've been to classes where you felt lost, and still interesting if you've practised for years. The accommodation is a converted 19th-century Greek mansion with a garden and library, and the food is cooked on site rather than brought in.

Getting there is straightforward: fly into Kayseri (about 1h15min away) or Nevşehir (50min), both connected to Istanbul with several daily flights, and Kayseri also has international services from Western and Eastern Europe. The team can arrange individual or group transfers, or help you plan the route yourself.

What's included

- All yoga and meditation classes - 7 nights accommodation - Two meals per day (breakfast and dinner)

What's not included

- Any additional food or drinks - Personal expenses - Daytrips and entry tickets - Other activities (hot air balloon, horse riding, hammam, etc.) - Transfers to and from the airport (can be arranged for an extra fee) - Travel insurance