Cappodocia on Crutches
 

We have made plans to travel to Istanbul, Ephesus and Cappodocia starting 19 November 2011. Unfortunately my daughter has fractured her ankle and is now in a cast as of today. My question is it possible to visit and truly enjoy the sights in Cappodocia with her being on crutches. I believe we will not be able to visit the underground cities at the very least. An y thoughts/comments on possible itineraries or should we scrap the idea of going to Cappodocia. Thank you for any feedback.

I would scrap Cappadocia. Many of the most interesting church frescoes require going up steps and are narrow and crowded inside; but they are at the core of experiencing the historical culture of that area. Of course, the landscape can be seen from easily accessible viewpoints, and a balloon ride is a possibility.

The chimneys are something you would enjoy from your vehicle. As stated above, places like Open Air museum in Goreme would be out. Ilhara valley you could go for lunch at the restaurant, but even with flat land hiking, the churches are climb ups.

What a shame. But the area can be challenging even for able bodies. Uneven ground, up/down, narrow openings/tunnels. Views are beautiful, but I think you'll have to give it a pass.

I agree with all those above. It is difficult enough without crutches.

Thank you for the feedback I suspected this would be the case but wanted to confirm my suspicions that it would no longer be feasible.

We were there last year. A major attraction of the area are the visuals. Yes it would be frustrating. But I just took a family poll as to whether people would have preferred not to go to Goreme et al if they had had a broken ankle, knowing what they know now. The vote was 5-0 that they would still want to go.

The images will never be forgotten. And maybe you could still do a balloon ride?

I have to agree, Cappadocia is a tough surface for crutches, but you also know your daughter better than anyone. Since she's fractured her ankle, my guess is she is an active, strong woman!
If she is in a lot of pain, it will be tough, but if she's able to move around, no doubt there will have to be some modifications, but she might find it fun navigating through difficult terrain on crutches. Not to mention the amazing family adventure stories that will result!

What about arranging for a slow horseback ride through the valleys? Maybe the ride outfitter will have a small horse-drawn cart that your daughter can sit in? That combined with a balloon ride (could be tricky getting in/out though) will give your daughter a good landscape view of Cappadocia.

I'd definitely go if it were me. True that there are things she won't be able to do, including the underground cities. But SOME of the churches at the open air museum would be navigable. And just seeing the rock formations from a car is fantastic. A balloon ride would definitely be doable. She'd need help getting into and out of the balloon, but I don't think it would be insurmountable. I vote go.

I think this depends entirely on what your daughter is into. You would definitely not be able to do the underground cities, but that's a pretty quick (and not necessarily the best) part of an overall experience. You could navigate the external part and many of the ground level rooms of Goreme. I loved the frescoes, but there aren't really that many that are spectacular, and unless she's got a real obsession with frescoes, she could probably navigate her way up the stairs that would let her get a feel for the best ones. Most of the fairy chimneys and landscapes are reachable via car. If she's a real hiker or climber, perhaps it would be too sad for her to be in the area and not be able to do those things, but otherwise, I think you could experience a lot of Cappadocia, even on crutches.