Active sport in Cappadocia is neither mountains nor water but ground. Quads and ATVs run the same tracks as the walking routes, only faster: dry streambeds, ridges between valleys, stretches of soft tuff where the wheel sinks and you have to keep the throttle on. The standard outing is two hours with stops at viewpoints, most often from Göreme, with a transfer from the hotel.

The second option is horse riding, and here it counts as sport only loosely: the pace is walking and the route is the same. The difference is that a horse passes where machinery makes noise and dust, and in the morning hours that tells: balloons hang over the valleys and engine sound argues with the silence. Many people take the quad at sunset and the horses in the morning for exactly that reason.

Practical notes. Driving a quad usually requires eighteen years and a licence; passengers may be younger. You come back dusty from head to foot — a mask or buff helps, and pale clothing is better left behind. The season runs all year, though in winter some tracks close after rain because of mud. And do not combine a quad with a balloon flight in one morning: a five o'clock start and two hours of shaking drain you more than it looks on paper.