15-Day Turkey Encounters Tour

Comprehensive tour of Turkey's ancient sites, beautiful Mediterranean coastline, and scenic wonders of Pamukkale and Cappadocia

Experience Turkey's vibrant culture & ancient civilisations on our 17-day Turkey Encounters tour, which will give you comprehensive insight into this Middle-Eastern gem. The Turkey tour starts and finishes in Istanbul, where you’ll learn about about modern history at the war memorials and ANZAC cemeteries at Gallipoli before developing deeper into the past with tours of some of the region's most important historic sites at Troy, Ephesus, Hieropolis and Aspendos. Travellers can also expect plenty of stops to relax and enjoy the seaside at the coastal towns of Kusadasi, Fethiye and Antalya, as well as an included 12-island boat cruise in the Gulf of Fethiye. The tour also visits south eastern Turkey including sunset at the top of Mt. Nemrut, a visit to see the mud-brick 'beehive' houses at Harran, and the towns of Gaziantep and Sanliurfa before spending time exploring the amazing scenery at Cappadocia. We then finish with a drive or flight back to Istanbul. Accommodation is in a mix of locally rated 4 and 5 star hotels, plus some more boutique style properties. Book this tour privately If our departure dates don't work for you, or you would prefer not to travel with a group, we can also run this tour privately according to your needs. Don’t hesitate to contact us for more information and prices.

Day 1 Arrive in Istanbul, transfer to hotel A person from our team will welcome you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel in the centre of Istanbul. The day is free for you to settle in and explore Istanbul. A welcome meeting will be held in the hotel lobby normally at 7pm this evening, where you can meet your guide and fellow travellers. OVERNIGHT: Istanbul 5-star hotel MEALS: None EXTRAS: Single room supplement, Extra day in Istanbul - pre-tour Day 2 Istanbul, old city tour. Optional Bosphorous cruise We officially kick things off with a tour of the old city of Istanbul - lying across two continents, this historically important city played an integral role in the development of both the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. We also visit the 17th century Blue Mosque, the Aya Sofya museum and explore the former residence of the Ottoman Sultans at Topkapi Palace before ending at the famous Hippodrome. Today you will also have the option of an afternoon trip on the Bosphorous Cruise to take a view of the city from a narrow strait of water which separates Europe from Asia. OVERNIGHT: Istanbul 5-star hotel MEALS: Breakfast Day 3 Gallipoli battlefields and memorials tour Today we start the tour with a morning for the drive to Gallipoli where we will receive a fully guided tour of this World War I battlefield site. Although home to some of the fiercest fighting during the war, the site is full of poignant memorials set against a subdued wooded landscape. Our tour will include the Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair memorials, ANZAC Cove, Johnston Jolly as well as The Nek and Gallipoli Museum. OVERNIGHT: Canakkale 5-star hotel MEALS: Breakfast, Dinner Day 4 Tour of Troy and the Acropolis of Pergamum Today we visit the ancient city of Troy - undiscovered until midway through the 19th Century the excavations here brought the legend of the Trojan horse and the poems of Homer back to life. We also drive south to the acropolis of Pergamum - a former kingdom we enjoy a full tour of the site including the Temple of Trajan and the famous library which is believed to have rivalled the library of Alexandria and helped shape Pergamum into a renowned cultural and political centre. OVERNIGHT: Kusadasi 5-star hotel MEALS: Breakfast, Dinner Day 5 Kusadasi, Ephesus Roman ruins, village of Sirince After breakfast we’ll visit the Roman site of Ephesus - the city that at one time housed 250,000 people and is regarded as one of the best preserved ancient cities in the Mediterranean. We’ll visit the Temple of Artemis, and explore the ancient marble streets of this ruined Roman city. Later today, we visit the fruit wine growing village of Sirince and learn about the history of carpet weaving in Turkey. OVERNIGHT: Kusadasi 5-star hotel MEALS: Breakfast, Dinner Day 6 Pamukkale travertines, Hieropolis ruins and thermal pools This morning we travel East to Pamukkale – a site of the well-known white calcium terraces known as the Travertines. We then head to the ancient city of Hierapolis to enjoy a dip in the hot thermal pools lodged amongst ancient columns left by the Romans, who used the pools for their therapeutic powers. OVERNIGHT: Pamukkale 5-star hotel MEALS: Breakfast, Dinner Day 7 Dalyan River trip, Sultaniye mud baths We head back towards the Mediterranean coastline today as we drive first to the lakeside town of Dalyan where we'll enjoy a gentle boat ride on the Dalyan River. You can get good views from the boat of the ancient Kaunos tombs, carved into the face of the cliffs. The area is also famous for the protected loggerhead turtle which has nesting grounds in the nature conservation area of the Dalyan Delta. The turtles lay their eggs on the beach near the mouth of the river from May to October, when the beach is closed at night to prevent disturbance. Before finishing the day at the seaside town and port of Fethiye, you can enjoy a fun and rejuvenating stop at the Sultaniye mud baths. OVERNIGHT: Fethiye boutique hotel MEALS: Breakfast Day 8 Fethiye. 12-island boat cruise Today we include a relaxing day cruise around the 12 Islands of the Gulf of Fethiye, during which you can enjoy swims in the clear blue waters and views of many secluded bays, tiny islands and beaches. Lunch is included on board the boat. As part of Turkey's 'Turquoise coast', the Gulf of Fethiye is very popular for Gulet Cruises, and this gives you full day's taste of the scenery and experience on board. If you're lucky you may get to see turtles of dolphins swimming. If you'd prefer to miss the boat trip, you could take an optional day tour to Saklikent Gorge, Turkey's longest and deepest canyon. You could also spend the day relaxing at the famous Oludeniz beach, a short drive away. OVERNIGHT: Fethiye boutique hotel MEALS: Breakfast, Lunch Day 9 Deserted Greek village of Kayakoy, to Antalya We leave Fethiye this morning and start our drive to Antalya. Our first stop of the day is to the deserted Greek village of Kayakoy, where the morning light should help produce some excellent photos. After arriving back at the coast in Antalya in the afternoon we'll have a walking tour of the old town area known as "Kaleici". Whilst on the your we'll visit Hadrian's Gate, the Ancient Harbour and the Suna-Inan Kirac Museum and the Greek Orthodox Church which sits within its gardens.. OVERNIGHT: Fethiye boutique hotel MEALS: Breakfast Day 10 Aspendos, Tinatepe Cave, to Konya We leave the coast behind today and head inland towards the important city of Konya. On the way we will stop at Aspendos where we'll see one of the best preserved Roman theatres of Asia Minor, still used today for special events, concerts and an international opera and ballet festival. The theatre was built in the 2nd century seated up to 15,000 people, and is still remarkably intact. After leaving Aspendos we have a long drive, firstly along the coast and then through the hills north towards Konya. We will stop for a break en-route at the Tinatepe Cave, one of the longest in the world, extending up to 22km! There is a trail open to the public around 1.5km long to a pool at the end with lots of interesting rock formations, stalactites and stalagmites to see. It will be cold inside, so wrap up and wear proper shoes as it can be slippery on the wet rocks. OVERNIGHT: Konya 4-star hotel MEALS: Breakfast, Dinner Day 11 Mevlana Museum, Sultanhani Caravanserai and Sille We start this morning wtih a visit to the Mausolem of Mevlana Celeleddin Rum and the Mevlana Museum where we learn more about the whirling dervishes. Then we follow the ancient Silk Route today towards Cappadociat, on our way learning more about its history with a stop at the Sultanhani Caravanserai. We'll also stop at the greek village of Sille before our journey ends amidst the spectacular landscape of Cappadocia with its fairytale views full of improbable rock formations and fascinating underground cities. OVERNIGHT: Cappadocia boutique cave hotel MEALS: Breakfast, Dinner Day 12 Karatay Caravansaray, Mt. Nemrut We will return to explore Cappadocia properly in a few days, but today we leave and head towards Adiyamam and Mt. Nemrut, crossing the Tekir plateau on the way. Our first stop will be at the Seljuk Karatay Caravansaray. We'll also stop at the Circassian town of Pinarbasi before seeing the ancient Severus Bridge, which has the second longest span of a Roman bridge still in existence today. Our next visit will be to the Karakus Tumulus which was the burial ground for the women of the Commagene royal family This evening we will ascend Mt. Nemrut which at 2134m can provide beautiful sunset views over the surrounding plateau. There is a 50 metre high man-made burial mount at the summit, where Antiochus's tomb is said to be hidden (though not discovered yet). The mound is surrounded by the fallen remains of giant stone statues, with several large heads scattered on the ground. Finally we will drive to Adiyaman where we overnight. OVERNIGHT: Adiyaman 4-star hotel MEALS: Breakfast, Dinner Day 13 Gobekli Tebe, Harran and Sanliurfa Our drive today heads to Sanliurfa, visiting Turkey's largest dam, the Ataturk Dam, on the way. Our first highlight is the pre-historic site of Gobekli Tepe, which is considered to be from between 9500 and 8000 years BCE (around 6,000 years older than Stonehenge!). The site includes several large circular structures and some massive stone pillars, making it the world's oldest megalithic structure. Some also believe it is the site of the world's oldest temple. In the afternoon we will visit Harran, a village mentioned in the book of Genesis as the place where Abraham lived his final years. The village is famous for its mud-brick 'beehive' houses, and we will explore the ruins including the city walls, the oldest Islamic university, and the more recent 18th century castle. Our day finishes in Sanliurfa where you can see the Prophet Abraham Cave with the Pools of the Holy Carp surrounding it, and also the Mevlid-i Halil Mosque. Also well worth exploring here is the covered oriental bazaar. OVERNIGHT: Sanliurfa 4-star hotel MEALS: Breakfast, Dinner Day 14 Gaziantep, to Cappadocia Our first top after leaving Sanliurfa is the famous Mosaic Museum at Gaziantep. Home to the famous 'Gypsy Girl' mosaic, this is the largest museum of its kind in the world and features some amazing mosaics discovered at Belkis-Zeugma, a Roman site mostly flooded when teh Birecik Dam was built. After our tour here will drive on to the magical scenery of Cappadocia. OVERNIGHT: Cappadocia boutique cave hotel MEALS: Breakfast, Dinner Day 15 Cappadocia. Goreme, fairy chimneys, underground city We'll expore Cappadocia's highlights today with a walk through the Goreme Valley Open Air Museum taking in views of the incredibly eroded fairy chimney rock formations. We'll also explore the many levels of one of the several underground cities in the region. These were able to hold up to 20,000 people, and contained miles of tunnels connecting chapels, storage rooms, kitchens and wells, stables for livestock, wine and oil presses, school rooms and living quarters. They may have first been carved out of the soft volcanic rock by the Phrygians in the 8th-7th centuries BCE, and were further expanded in Roman times. They were then used in the Byzantine era as safe refuges for the Christian population from persecution by Muslim Arabs and later from Mongolian incursions of Tamerlane. During your time in Cappadocia there is the option to enjoy an optional traditional Turkish folklore evening. OVERNIGHT: Cappadocia boutique cave hotel MEALS: Breakfast, Dinner Day 16 Drive to Ankara & Istanbul (optional flight) We leave Cappadocia early this morning and drive to Turkey's capital Ankara to visit Anitkabir, the mausoleum of the famed Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, before continuing on to Istanbul. An optional morning flight to Istanbul is available from Kayseri in Cappadocia to avoid the long drive today (please contact us for current flight times and prices). OVERNIGHT: Istanbul 5-star hotel MEALS: Breakfast EXTRAS: Kayseri to Istanbul flight upgrade Day 17 Istanbul, free time, transfer to airport The tour officially ends in Istanbul - your time is free for some last minute shopping or sightseeing until we transfer you to the airport for your included departure airport transfer. OVERNIGHT: N/A MEALS: Breakfast EXTRAS: Extra day in Istanbul - post-tour