Turkish Delight 10 Nights 11 Days -( Customized )

Arrival at Ankara airport. Transfer to your hotel and check-in. Dinner and overnight in Ankara. (Dinner)

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Ankara – Cappadocia

After breakfast we will visit the Mausoleum of Atatürk, founder of theTurkish Republic. We will then visit the internationally aclaimed Anatolian Civilizations Museum. Afternoon drive to Cappadocia. Dinner and overnight in Cappadocia. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Ankara: Turkey’s cosmopolitan capital, sits in the country’s central Anatolia region. It is a center for the performing arts, home to the State Opera and Ballet, the Presidential Symphony Orchestra and several national theater companies. Overlooking the city is Anitkabir, the enormous hilltop mausoleum of Kemal Atatürk, modern

Turkey’s first president, who declared Ankara the capital in 1923. 

Cappadocia Optional: One-hour hot air balloon flight early in the morning. This is one of the highlights of the trip. You will enjoy the unique view from the air of this stunning landscape.

Today we will visit some of Cappadocia’s most impressive sights, starting with Devrent Valley, situated on the northern slopes of Aktepe. The ruins at Devrent are spread over three valleys, which also house several pointed fairy chimneys with large stems. We will then stop at Love Valley, the best place to see three-headed fairy chimneys. Pasabag, the Pasha’s Vineyard, is surrounded by incredible natural rock formations; a spectacular scene.

Our tour will stop in Avanos, a center of terra cotta work of art since 3000 BC, and a town where you will be invited to visit a traditional pottery workshop, which is possibly set deep into the hillsides. The clay, which comes from the Red River passing through the town, gives life both to the land and to the local economy. We will then stop in Uchisar, a troglodyte town situated right in the middle of Cappadocia. It is named after the enormous piece

of rock in the center of the town, which was once used as a castle. This extraordinary rock is the highest peak of the area with the view of whole Cappadocia and Erciyes (Argeus) Mountain. Overnight in Cappadocia. (Breakfast, )

Cappadocia

After breakfast we will continue our tour of Cappadocia. Some of the sites include Kizilcukur, an isolated valley behind Urgup. It has beautiful rock formation with some great hidden rock-carved churches. The most interesting part of this area are the countless tracks connecting the small villages and towns through vineyards and gardens, like a spider net. It is always possible to see villagers working in the area and offering you grapes, apples or apricots. Cavusin is one of the oldest settlements in the area, situated 2km from Goreme. The Church of St. John the Baptist offers a panoramic view of the village. This church and its paintigs date back to the 5th century, making it the oldest church in the region. Visit the Pigeon houses and rock formations. We will also get a magnificent

view of Mt. Erciyes near Kayseri. We may stop in Kahramanmaras for a taste of Turkey’s most famous ice cream.

Drive towards Mount Nemrut. Dinner and overnight in Kahta. (Breakfast)

Mount Nemrut

Rise early for the drive and the walk up to the summit of Mount Nemrut. See the magnificent relics of the tumulus of the Commagene king Antiochus Epipanes I atop Mt. Nemrut (2150m above sea-level), located near Adiyaman and Malatya. The amazing statues of the Gods on the Nemrut summit make it a very impressive site. View a fantastic sunrise from the East Terrace. Visit the East and West terraces, fire altar, statues of Apollo, Zeus, Hercules, Tyche and Antiochus Epipanes I, tumulus, and see the world’s first horoscope. Descend down the mountain through small villages and beautiful scenery. Stop in Arsemia to see the old castle and remains of bridge made during the time of Alexander the Great, then cross the Cendere Roman Bridge built by Septimus Severus in the 2nd century AD and still in use. Visit Karakus, which is the tumulus of the royal Commagene women. Breakfast

and pack up at hotel. Drive to Derinkuyu Underground city. On the way back visit the monastaries in Selime village. Drive to Konya. Overnight in Konya. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) Derinkuyu underground city: It is an ancient multi-level underground city in the Nevşehir Province, extending to a depth of approximately 85 metres. It is large enough to have sheltered as many as 20,000 people together with their livestock and food stores. It is the largest excavated underground city in Turkey and is one of several underground complexes found throughout Cappadocia. The city at Derinkuyu was fully formed in the Byzantine era, when it was heavily used as protection from Muslim Arabs during the Arab–Byzantine wars.

Konya – Antalya

After breakfast we will visit the Whirling Dervish Museum and Mevlana Mausoleum. Konya is the most religious city in Turkey, best known for its devout followers of the Sufi sect of Islam. The Dervish Museum is filled with religious relics. Afternoon drive to Antalya. Dinner and overnight in Antalya. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Mevlana Museum: Konya’s iconic sight is the distinctive green conical dome above the tomb of 13th-century philosopher, poet, and religious leader Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi. Right in the center of town, this mausoleum and attached historic tekke (lodge) of the world famous whirling dervish sect of Sufism, which Mevlana Rumi founded, is the city’s main sightseeing attraction. Today, it’s the Mevlana Museum, and both pilgrims and tourists flock here to pay their respects to one of Turkey’s greatest religious mystics.

Antalya

After breakfast we will drive to Perge and commence our tour. After the tour departure for Aspendos. The Toros Daglari (Taurus Mountains) form a beautiful back drop to the fertile coast, rich with fields of cotton and vegetables. Aspendos lies 47 km east of Antalya in the Pamphylian plain. In 486 BC, Greeks and Persians had a great battle here. During the reign of he Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-80 AD) Aspendos got its theatre, which

is the best preserved of all. It was built by Romans and maintained by Byzantines and Seljuks. The ruins of the ancient city are extensive and include a stadium, an agora, and a basilica. After Aspendos return to hotel for dinner. Overnight in Antalya. (Breakfast)

Pamukkale

After breakfast we will drive to Pamukkale where we will visit the amazing travertines (calcium pools) and explore the ruins of the ancient Roman spa town of Hierapolis. This World Heritage-listed site stands as a monument to the wonder of nature. Our tour through Hierapolis includes its very large amphitheatre and free time to swim in the Cleopatra Antique Pool, where the water allegedly cures almost every ailment known to mankind.

Afternoon drive to Bodrum. Overnight in Bodrum. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Hierapolis: Deriving from springs in a cliff almost 200 m high overlooking the plain, calcite-laden waters have created at Pamukkale (Cotton Castle) an unreal landscape, made up of mineral forests, petrified waterfalls and a series of terraced basins. The hot springs have been used as a spa since the 2nd century BC, with many patrons

retiring or dying there. The large necropolis is filled with sarcophagi, most famously that of Marcus Aurelius Ammianos. The great baths were constructed with huge stone blocks without the use of cement and consisted of various closed or open sections linked together. It was added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.