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18 Days

Travelling the road less travelled.
Explore the East of Turkey.

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Great Eastern Turkey Tour

Explore the Road Less Travelled

An intrepid traveller? Venture to the amazing East. Visit the gods at Nemrut. Wander through the bazaars of Mardin and Urfa. See the real Turkey!

A journey you will never forget to the Eastern parts of Turkey! Start in Istanbul with a tour of the Ottoman and Byzantium monuments before flying to Cappadocia to start your Eastern Journey. Nemrut Mountain with its enormous statues of the Gods follows and then to Sanliurfa before heading East to Mardin and Midyat the oldest cities of Mesopotamia. See Lake Van and the Armenian Church of the Holy Cross. On to Dogubeyazit and Mt. Araratö the home of Noahs Arkö before finally coming to Kars to see the ghost town of Ani on the Armenia border. Fly back to Istanbul before departure.

Day by Day Itinerary

EXPAND DESCRIPTIONS

DAY 1 - Arrive in Istanbul

Transfer to your hotel. Dinner in local restaurant. Evening in Istanbul.

DAY 2 - Istanbul Old City Tour

Visit ;Hagia Sophia Museum, Blue Mosque, Byzantine Hippodrome with its Obelisks, Topkapi Palace and Grand Bazaar. Dinner at famous lively Kumkapi Fish area with gypsy music. Evening in Istanbul.

DAY 3 - Bosphorus Cruise Tour

Free morning and afternoon private cruise tour on the amazing Bosphorus. Evening in Istanbul.

DAY 4 - Flight to Cappadocia/North Cappadocia Tour

Transfer to airport for flight to Cappadocia. Visit Devrent Valley and Pasabaglari Fairy Chimneys, Avanos, Uchisar Castle, Pigeon Valley and Esentepe for a panoramic view of Goreme Valley. Finally Goreme Open Air Museum. Dinner in an authentic Anatolian Restaurant. Evening in Goreme.

DAY 5 - South Cappadocia Tour

Today visit Derinkuyu Underground City, Ihlara Valley, lunch break in Belisirma Village by the river. After lunch visit Selime, panoramic viewing point and then Agzikarahan, a 13th Century Seljuk Karavansaray on the silk road. Evening Folk Dance Dinner Show. Evening in Goreme.

DAY 6 - Gaziantep via Kahramanmaras

Depart Goreme to drive to Gaziantep. En route we visit Kahramanmaras, famous throught Turkey for its ice cream. Evening in Gaziantep.

DAY 7 - Adıyaman

Morning visit the Gaziantep Zeugma Mosaic Museum, the largest mosaic museum in the world. Sample the baklava for which Gaziantep is famous and visit the copper making bazaar before driving to Adiyaman. Evening in Kahta.

DAY 8 - Nemrut Mt. Tour/To Sanliurfa

Early morning climb to the top of Nemrut Mountain. Climb the tumulus built by Anthiochus Theos with their stunning heads of the Gods. Afterwards we visit the bridge of Septimus Semus over the Euphrates and the ancient ruins of Arsemia. En route we cross the Ataturk Dam and continue on to Sanliurfa. Evening in Sanliurfa.

DAY 9 - Sanliurfa

Sites visited are The Holy Lake, Abrahams Cave, the Copper market and sample the famous Urfa Kebap in the market. Conditions permitting we travel down to Harran, to see Bee Hive Houses where Abraham. Evening in Sanliurfa.

DAY 10 - Mardin

On to Mardin, the oldest settled city in Ancient Mesopotania, with ist many mosques churches and Monasteries and wonderful Museum. We visit the Grand Mosque and Church of Maryam and others and spend time in the souks and silverware markets before dinner. Evening in Mardin.

DAY 11 - Midyat

Check out and short drive to Midyat. This is a relaxing day where you can enjoy a walking tour of the old town with its desrted Syriac Christian Churches. Evening in Midyat.

DAY 12 - Van

Heading North to Lake Van via the rugged country of South East Turkey. Stop at the Bridge of Hasankeyf on the Tigres River, then to Lake Van and Akdamar Island. Here we take a ferry out to see the restored Cathedral of the Holy Cross. Evening in Van.

DAY 13 - Van

Tour of Hesop Castle, the walled city of Van and time to visit a nearby villages known for their beatiful craft and carpet weaving. Evening in Van.

DAY 14 - Dogubeyazit

Drive to Dogubeyazit, 15 kms from Mt. Ararat. On arrival check-in and then directly we drive out to visit the Ishak Pasha Palace, with its breath taking views of the plain. Visit the stone reputed to be Noah’s Ark, and the crater close to the Iranian border. Evening in Dogubeyazit.

DAY 15 - Kars

Today we drive to Kars en route with stunning views of Mt. Ararat, Stop in the city of Agri for lunch. Evening in Kars.

DAY 16 - Kars

Full day in Kars. Visit the runied ghoest city of Ani on the Armenian border, the Russian Cathedral and Ulu Mosque. The delightful small museum in Kars is also included. Evening in Kars.

DAY 17 - Flight to Istanbul

Check out and morning flight to Istanbul. Evening farewell dinner. Evening in Istanbul.

DAY 18 - Departure

Breakfast, check-out and transfer to International Airport for departure.

Inclusions

* Airport transfers on tour
* Hotel accommodation
* Internal flight tickets
* Confortable Air Conditioned quality Mini Bus
* TURSAB qualified guide fort he whole of your tour – 16 Days
* Entrance Fees
* Meals as per İtinerary (B:Breakfast, L:Lunch, D:Dinner)
* Local taxes
*Private Bosphorus Tour
*Travel Insurance while on tour
*HOTELS
3 x Nights (Ayasofya Hotel or similar) – Istanbul
3 Nights (Stone House Cave Hotel or similar) –
1 Night (Anadolu Evleri Hotel or similar) – Gaziantep
1 Night (Zeus Hotel or similar) – Adiyaman
2 Nights (Hilton Garden Inn or Hotel El-Ruha or similar) – Sanliurfa
1 Night (Artuklu Kervansaray Hotel or similar) – Mardin
1 Night (Kasr-ı Nehroz Hotel or similar) – Midyat
2 Nights (Merit Sahmaran Hotel or similar) – Van
1 Night (Sim-er Hotel or similar) – Dogubeyazit
2 Nights Cheltikov Hotel or similar) – Kars

Exclusions

*Meals and drinks other than specified
*Drinks
*Optional activities ie Sunrise Balloon Flight
*Items of a personal nature while travelling

Payment Terms:
Upon booking a non refundable deposit of 20% is required and balance of final payment one month prior to arrival in Istanbul by credit card or bank transfer.

Cancellation Policy:
*Cancellation after booking received – retention of 20% non refundable deposit.
*After one month prior to arrival we reserve the right for a further charge of 20% of cost of tour.

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