The point of Ihlara is walking the gorge and stopping at the rock-carved churches along the way. There are roughly four entry/exit points along the canyon: Ihlara village at the south, the main tourist staircase a few kilometres downstream, Belisirma village halfway along, and Selime monastery at the northern end. The full walk from Ihlara to Selime is about 16 km along the river and takes a fit walker five to six hours including stops.
Most visitors walk only a section. The short version is the popular two-hour stretch from the main staircase to Belisirma, which takes in the densest cluster of frescoed churches. The hike is largely flat once you're at river level — the only effort is the descent at the start and the climb back up at the end.