Ümit Gokart

In Gülşehir, at the heart of Cappadocia, in the province of Nevşehir, Ümit Gokart lays out five hundred metres of open-air track, in one of the most striking regions in Turkey. The outdoor layout is driven in the open air, and people gather as a family or with friends to string together timed laps. It is a welcome sporting outing between visits to cave sites, for those after a little speed amid the volcanic landscapes.

Karting stays open to all, with no licence or experience: a briefing, a helmet, and you head off to find your best lap. The length of the track leaves real chances to overtake and to work on your lines, and the format suits families as much as groups of friends out to race. As the activity takes place outdoors, it is best to check opening times by season before coming, as the Cappadocian winter is cold and snowy. People rarely leave after a single run.

Gülşehir is a small Cappadocian town crossed by the Kızılırmak, the longest river in Turkey. The surroundings hold a few treasures less known than Göreme but just as surprising: the rock-cut site of Açıksaray, the church of Saint John with its frescoes, and the valleys carved by erosion. More widely, Cappadocia rolls out its fairy chimneys, its underground cities and its famous hot-air balloon flights at sunrise, in a UNESCO-listed region. The town is easy to reach from Nevşehir, and the regional airport serves this whole destination, popular with visitors from around the world.