| Day
1 |
Istanbul
to Cappadocia |
| |
Tranfser to Istnabul Airport for evening flight
to Kayseri.
Transfer from airport to hotel |
| |
Stay overngiht
in Cappadocia |
| Day
2 |
Cappadocia
Tour |
| |
Depart from your
hotel to visit Devrent Valley to see the unique fairy-chimneys.
Then visit Zelve Open Air Museum, where three canyons
meet in the valley.
Drive to Pasabagi (Monk's Valley) to see the most interesting
mushroom-shaped pinnacles. Drive to the city of Avanos
for lunch. In the afternoon visit another beautiful
open-air museum at Goreme where the remains of rock-cut
churches and frescoes and Christian settlements date
back hundreds of years. Lastly, before returning to
your hotel, visit the natural rock castles at Uchisar |
| |
Stay overnight
in Cappadocia |
| Day
3 |
Cappadocia
Tour |
| |
Depart from your
hotel to visit Red valley, explore the famous rock-cut
churches and hike 5 km through the Güllüdere
valley. Then visit Cavusin village.
This village is famous for the houses and churches of
the Christian clergymen. Drive to the pigeon valley
for lunch. In the afternoon visit Kaymakli underground
city where Early Christians lived in fear and faith.
On the way back visit the natural rock castles at Ortahisar
and the Greek village of Mustafapasa. |
| |
Stay overnight
in Cappadocia |
| Day
4 |
Cappadocia
to Kahta Nemrut mount tour |
| |
Early departure
from Cappadocia for Adiyaman. Visit the Seljuk Karatayhan
Caravanserai on the famous Silk Road. Then drive through
the Taurus Mountain Chain. After having lunch in Tekir
Forest, we head towards Kahramanmaras, which is famous
for its ice cream.
We arrive in Kahta in the late afternoon and visit the
Karakus tumulus where the royal family members were
buried. We then visit the Old Roman Cendere Bridge over
the Cendere Stream. We visit Mithridates I Hierothesion
in Arsemia, which was once the capital of the Kommagene
Kingdom.
Finally we go to Mt. Nemrut to see the Colossal God
statues while the sun is setting |
| |
Dinner at Atatürk Dam |
| |
Stay overnight
in Kahta |
| Day
5 |
Kahta to Urfa
tour - Harran |
| |
After breakfast
at the hotel we visit Atatürk Dam, which is in one
of the
biggest project of Turkey (GAP). Arrive to Urfa and
have lunch after which we will then visit another archeological
site, Harran, mystical and ancient 'bee-hive' house
built of mud-brick, which is mentioned in Genesis as
being a place where Abraham lived.
At the same site we will visit the first Islamic University
of the world. Visit the birthplace of the Prophet Abraham
with its mosques, Abraham's birth-cave, and beautiful
gardens.
Hve dinner at a local restaurant |
| |
Stay overnight
in Urfa |
| Day
6 |
Harran tour
to Diyarbakir |
| |
We leave Urfa
for Mardin. It looks spectacular. In Mardin, with its
tiered layers of houses, mansions, mosques and churches
rising out of the endless, level plain and clinging
to a huge citadel-topped rock, we visit Deyrulzafran
monastery (Saffron
Monastery), which is still used by the Syrian Orthodox
communities. After visiting
the monastery, we drive to Diyarbakir |
| |
Stay overnight
in Diyarbakir |
| Day
7 |
Diyarbakir
tour - Van tour |
| |
We visit the city
walls of Diyarbakir, which were built by the Romans.
Then
we visit the Ulu Cami, the first of Anatolia's great
Seljuk Mosques. Afterwards drive to Bitlis to visit
a 13th century Caravanserai. Catch the ferryboat to
Akdamar Island, situated in the biggest lake in Turkey,
to view an exquisite example of an Armenian Church |
| |
Stay overnight
in Van |
| Day
8 |
Van tour |
| |
First we visit
Van Castle, which is 100m high and 300m wide at the
base. It was the site of an Urartian temple, of which
only a couple of arched niches remain.
After visiting Van castle we continue to Çavuştepe,
the site of an Urartian Royal Palace, built between
764 and 735 BC by King Sardur II. The next stop is Hosap
Castle, which was constructed at the behest of Sari
Suleyman Mahmudi, a local Kurdish strong man, in the
1640s. |
| |
Stay overnight
in Van |
| Day
9 |
Van - Dogubeyazit
tour |
| |
We leave Van after
breakfast and travel to Dogubeyazit. We stop at the
wonderful Muradiye Waterfall. Then we head for Ishakpasa
Palace, a 17th century palace set on a 200m high plateau
overlooking the town. |
| |
Stay overnight
in Dogubeyazit |
| Day
10 |
Dogubeyazit
- Kars tour |
| |
We drive to Kars,
which has a spectacular castle and still has fine
examples of Armenian architecture, one of which is the
breathtaking site
of the ancient city of Ani located on the Armenian-Turkish
border. |
| |
Stay overnight
in Kars |
| Day
11 |
Kars - Trabzon
tour |
| |
We drive west along the Black Sea to Trabzon,
founded by the Kingdom of
Miletus, the largest city in the Black Sea region.
The route isthrough a forested region, passing through
small, unspoiled villages untouched by tourism. We shall
arrive in Trabzon in the late afternoon, giving some
free time to enjoy the city at your own pace |
| |
Stay overnight in Trabzon |
| Day
12 |
Trabzon |
| |
After breakfast we visit the Hagia Sophia Museum
with its spectacular frescoes. We then head inland to
visit the mystical Sumela Monastery, dating back to
early Christianity, which was built high into the side
of the steep cliff face |
| |
Stay overnight in Trabzon |
| Day
13 |
Trabzon to
Istanbul |
| |
Transfer to Trabzon airport for your morning flight
to Istanbul |
| What's Included |
| * |
All land
transportations |
| * |
Domestic
Flight tickets |
| * |
Accommodation in 3* or 4* hotels on HB
basis |
| * |
Experience Tour Guide |
| * |
Guided
tours as per itenerary |
| * |
Entrance
fees |
|
| What's NOT Include |
| * |
Expenses
of a personal nature |
|
|
