Everyone in Cappadocia ends up looking at Uçhisar, because it is the tallest thing for miles. A great knuckle of volcanic rock rises out of the village, honeycombed with windows and doorways, and for centuries it served as a citadel, the name itself meaning something like the fortress at the end. Climb the stairs inside and you step out onto the top with the whole plateau spread beneath you: valleys of pale tuff, pinnacles, vineyards, orchards, and far off on a clear day the snowy cone of Erciyes, a dormant volcano near Kayseri.
The rock is the story. Eruptions from ancient volcanoes laid down thick layers of ash that hardened into soft tuff, and wind and water have since carved it into the chimneys and cones that make this region look like a stage set. Because tuff is easy to cut and hardens on exposure, people have been digging homes, churches, storerooms and pigeon lofts into it for thousands of years. Look at the cliff faces around Uçhisar and you will see small square openings, often painted or carved, which were pigeon houses; the birds were valued for their droppings, which fertilised the vineyards.
The ride is short and gentle. From Göreme the road climbs in easy bends to the village, with good asphalt and light traffic outside the busy months, though tour buses and quad bikes crowd the lanes near the viewpoints at sunset. Wind can be strong on the exposed ridge, and the cobbled lanes inside the village are slippery when wet or dusty, so park on the edge and walk. Early morning is magical, when hot-air balloons rise from the valleys and drift past the rock in silence, their burners flaring now and then.
Practical matters are straightforward. Uçhisar is small, but Göreme, three kilometres away, and Nevşehir, about eight, have petrol stations, shops and plenty of restaurants. In the village there are cafés with terraces facing the rock, serving strong Turkish coffee, tea and sweet pastries, and a glass of local wine from nearby vineyards is easy to find in the evening. In winter the plateau can be bitterly cold and snowy, with the cones dusted white, which is a quiet and beautiful time to see it.
Bring a layer for the top, because the wind is cooler than you expect, and allow an hour to climb and look.