Cappadocia Trail 2027
- Next event : 20 Sat ➜ March 26, 2027Date confirmed
The event in a few words
The chimneys of Cappadocia never smoke, yet your calves will heat up from the very first strides 🔥. The Cappadocia Trail is based in Ürgüp, in the province of Nevşehir, in the heart of Central Anatolia, in Turkey. This multi-day trail takes place at the end of March, a time when the thermometer wavers between morning fleece and afternoon cap 🧥. Pack a bit of everything, the weather likes to shuffle the cards ⛅.
No question of swallowing 70 km in one go: the program splits the effort into six timed stages, spread over the week. You will zigzag between fairy chimneys, valleys tinted pink and red, stony steppes and troglodyte villages 🏘️, in the middle of wild, little-visited nature 🌿. The third stage dives into the Ihlara Valley, a canyon 100 m deep dotted with rock-cut churches 🪨. The final stage, named after the Uçhisar pinnacle, packs in 500 mD+ over 15 km and feels like a final exam 🏰. In total, expect about 1,700 mD+ cumulative: a rolling profile, leg-breaking in places, where it bites mostly at the end of the week ⛰️.
The Cappadocia Trail adopts the Trip&Trail format, a house concept of Contrastes Running, a sports travel agency specializing in trails and marathons around the world: trail in the morning, heritage in the afternoon 🗺️. The courses are marked, scouted in advance and supervised by experienced guides, so you can forget the compass 🧭. Runners and walkers share the same routes, the latter with fewer kilometers, and the human-sized group waits for each other at the finish line. Only runners enter the overall ranking 🎽, but every participant leaves with a commemorative medal 🏅.
In this unusual location, the cultural program is anything but a simple warm-up. The afternoons lead to the Göreme open-air museum 🏛️, then to the underground city of Kaymaklı, where your legs go back downhill, this time underground 🕳️. A whirling dervish ceremony adds a touch of spirituality to the week 🕌. On the plate side, Turkish gastronomy fills the tables of the trip, and the region's vineyards produce a wine that can be enjoyed in many local restaurants 🍷. The trip also offers options: a hot-air balloon flight, weather permitting 🎈, or a horse ride or quad bike ride during the free afternoon 🐎. To extend the note, the "Cappadocia Ultra-Trail" takes over in the fall around Ürgüp 🍂.
Medal around your neck and red dust on your ankles, you will have well and truly passed the Cape, without going round in circles, unlike the dervishes 😄.
6 reasons to join this race
A distance for every taste
70 kmTOP
53 km
- 20 Sat ➜ March 26, 2027
- Elevation gain : 1700mD+
- 1 loopx70 km
A few more words
This long trail unfolds over six timed stages, throughout the week 🏃. "In the Footsteps of the Fairies" kicks things off with 11 km and 180 mD+ among the chimneys. "The Steppes of Damsa" follow with 12 km and 370 mD+ across the steppes, quite leg-breaking 🌾. "The Ihlara Valley" proves to be the most runnable, with 14 km for only 150 mD+. "Pink Valley Red Valley" ramps up the pressure again: 12 km and 320 mD+ over colorful volcanic tuff 🌋. The next stage is still to be determined, before "The Uçhisar Pinnacle", the final tipping point: 15 km and 500 mD+ that bite after four days of racing in your legs 🥵. The final ranking is then announced, and the finish line feels like a trophy 🎯.
53 km : Walking 53 km
Walking- 20 Sat ➜ March 26, 2027
- 53 km
A few more words
The walk follows the runners' routes, in a shortened version 🚶. The week kicks off with the "Sur les Traces des Fées" (In the Footsteps of the Fairies) race, to be covered in full over 11 km, just enough to meet the first fairy chimneys. "Les Steppes de Damsa" (The Damsa Steppes) is then limited to 6 km, while "La Vallée d'Ihlara" (The Ihlara Valley) stretches over 10 km. "Vallée rose Vallée rouge" (Rose Valley Red Valley) goes back down to 6 km, with tuff hues that well deserve a photo break 🌹. The fifth stage is still to be confirmed. The finale, "Le Piton d'Uçhisar" (The Uçhisar Rock), is walked over its full 15 km, with 500 mD+ that will make even the most contemplative break a sweat 🌞. There is no walker ranking: the goal is to reach the finish line each day, with a commemorative medal as a reward.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
2027 info coming soon.
The trip begins on Saturday, March 20, 2027 with a flight from Paris and ends on Friday, March 26, 2027. The six stages are run from Sunday, March 21, 2027 to Thursday, March 25, 2027, at a rate of one stage per day, except on Wednesday, March 24, 2027, which has two stages back to back, the second one after lunch. 2027 info coming soon for the start times and locations of each stage.
Yes. Each participant must provide a medical certificate confirming fitness for running, stating that there is no contraindication to taking part in the Trip&Trail.
2027 info coming soon.
The bib costs €120 and is added to the travel package, offered from €2,910 per person in a double room. The single room supplement is €470.
No cut-off times have been announced for now (2027 info coming soon). The race management reserves the right to switch a runner to walker status if their safety requires it. A runner who completes a stage as a walker is ranked last among the runners.
The stages are run in self-sufficiency. A flask and a whistle are mandatory. Water is provided at the start and finish of each stage, and mineral water is available unlimited during the races and meals. The rules do not provide for any solid food aid stations.
A flask and a whistle are mandatory. The organizer also recommends:
good trail running shoes
a hydration pack
clothing suited to the climate
poles, depending on the destination
The race director sends the full list of recommended gear two months before departure.
The travel package includes:
scheduled flights Paris, Istanbul and Kayseri outbound and return, in economy class, with airport taxes and fuel surcharge
round-trip transfers between the airport and the hotel
travel by air-conditioned coach with a French-speaking guide
accommodation in a double room in a 4* hotel
full board, from dinner on the day of arrival to breakfast on the last day
unlimited mineral water during the races and meals
all the visits in the program with a French-speaking guide
race organization with timing
the presence of a French-speaking Turkish guide-escort and a Contrastes Running team throughout the trip
a commemorative medal
repatriation and medical assistance insurance
Not included are the bib, the single room supplement, the hot-air balloon flight (payable on site, subject to availability and weather), optional comprehensive travel insurance, tips for drivers and guides, personal expenses and drinks other than mineral water.
The trip departs from Paris: meet at 5 a.m. at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport on Saturday, March 20, 2027, in front of the airline counter. The flight takes off at 7 a.m., stops over in Istanbul and lands in Kayseri at 3:40 p.m. local time. A 1h10 road transfer then takes you to Ürgüp. On Friday, March 26, 2027, the flight leaves Kayseri at 11:50 a.m. and lands in Paris at 5:20 p.m. local time, with a stopover in Istanbul. The passport must remain valid for at least 150 days after the date of entry into Turkey and, according to the organizer, no visa is required.
The rules state that accompanying persons may, if they wish, assist the organization. To offer your help, contact Contrastes Running directly, whose contact details are given in the next question.
If you still have questions, you can contact the organizers by email: sdias@contrastes.com ;
or by phone at 04 93 87 28 63
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