EASTERN TURKEY TOUR 2012
Tour Name: Eastern Turkey Tour
Duration: 14 Days, 13 Nights
Transportation: Domestic Flights and private van
Visited Places: Cappadocia, Gaziantep, Sanliurfa, Nemrut, Mardin, Tatvan, Van, Kars, Erzurum and Trabzon
Guaranteed Departure Days: April 11th and April 22nd
May 9th and May 22nd
June 2nd, June 17th and June 28th
July 9th and July 20th
August 4th, August 14th and August 25th
September 6th and September 17th
October 1st and October 12th
ITINERARY
Day 1 (Cappadocia)
Arrival to Cappadocia. You will be met upon your arrival and transfer to hotel in Cappadocia.
Remainder of day at leisure and overnight in Cappadocia.
Day 2 (Cappadocia - Breakfast and Lunch)
Optional Hot air balloon flight at sunrise. Please do not forget to write us for the booking. You will return to hotel at 08:00-08:30. After breakfast at 09:00 in the morning pick up from your hotel.
Today, you will visit Devrent Imagination Valley and walk through this lunar
landscape. Next, visit Zelve Open Air Museum, where you will witness houses
carved into the rocks, a Seljukian mosque as well as traces of most, if not all,
ancient civilizations, Pasabaglari (the world-famous Fairy Chimneys), the
village of Avanos, where you will witness a Pottery-making demonstration
using ancient Hittite techniques, lunch at a local cave restaurant, Uchisar Rock-
Castle, (the highest point in the region, Esentepe (a panoramic view of Goreme
valley) and Goreme Open Air Museum (Rock-cut churches, frescoes,
monastery).
After tour return to hotel and overnight.
Day 3 (Cappadocia - Breakfast and Lunch)
Today, you will visit Kaymakli Underground City (See how the
people lived in this multi level city complete with stables, kitchens, storage chambers
and wine making rooms), Soganli Valley (Relaxing 3km walk through the valley with
Byzantine period rock tombs), Sobesos (A Roman Bath from the 5th century and
mosaics and graves from Byzantine Empire Period), Taskinpasa Medresesi (an
Ottoman theological school), Keslik Monastery (Churches from 8th and 12th centuries,
refectory and other complexes, used by monks) and Mustafapasa (Experience the
Ottoman and Greek architecture of this old Greek Village once called Sinasos).
Return to hotel as well and overnight.
Day 4 (Gaziantep - Breakfast)
Departure from your hotel at 08:30. Drive to Karatay
Kervansaray and visit the Kervansaray. Stop at Kahramanmaras for lunch and
a taste of its famous ice cream. Continue onto visit the world famous
Gaziantep Mosaic Museum. This museum becomes after the discoveries from
Zeugma. We will also visit the old city castle, copper bazaar and the famous
baklava shop (Baklava is originally from Gaziantep). Overnight in Gaziantep.
Day 5 (Urfa - Breakfast)
IToday we drive to Sanli Urfa. On the way we stop at Nizip (soap and olive
oil district) and see the remains of the old city of Belkis or (Zeugma) by the River
Euphrates. Importance of this settlement which demonstrates an uninterrupted
inhabiting since prehistoric ages is that it is one of the two points allowing the easiest passage across the River Euphrates with a bridge first built by Alexander the Great. Lunch in Urfa and after a walk through the local covered bazaar. Spend the afternoon at the hotel or walk through the town to discover the many hidden treasures. Overnight in Urfa.
Day 6 (Urfa and Kahta - Breakfast)
Urfa, the birthplace of the prophet Abraham. Urfa has
been occupied since the Babylonians followed by the Hurrites, Hittites,
Assyrians, Greeks. We will visit nearby Harran and see the incredible beehive
houses. Harran- according to the Bible- was the site where prophet Abraham
spent a few years with his family before moving on to Israel, the Promised
Land. We will also visit the holy sites at the Ainzelha, a lake with millions of
domesticated fish. While in Urfa we will visit the cave where the prophet
Abraham was born. There are exceptional photo opportunities in this area. In
the afternoon drive to Kahta city on the way, you will see Gobekli Tepe, a
hilltop sanctuary erected on the highest point of an elongated mountain
ridge some 15 km northeast of the town of Urfa. You will also see the Ataturk
dam, third largest in the world.
Overnight stay in Kahta. (Breakfast only)
Day 7 (Mt. Nemrut and Mardin - Breakfast)
Mt Nemrut; In the morning 03:30 am departure. Hike to the summit of the mount
Nemrut (one of the most popular UNESCO world cultural heritage sites), watching the
sunrise, be amazed by the colossal heads and statues of ancient deities, as you step
into mythology. This extraordinary landmark rests at an elevation of 8000 ft. The
mountain top complex is composed of two flattened areas strewn with statues and
separated by a false peak of crushed rock. Antiochus built the entire complex
approximately 2000 years ago as a monument to his divine ancestry. Also definitely
take time to visit the old castle, Arsemeia, cross over the still functioning Cendere
Bridge (Septimius Severus bridge) dating all the way back to the 3rd century and
Tumulus Tomb of Karakus. Then drive back to the hotel for breakfast. We then depart
to Mardin with a lovely ferry ride across the dam and lunch in Siverek. We will reach
Mardin around 16:00 check into hotel. We will take the time to visit, walk in its busy
streets and bazaars, and admire the stonework all around the town.
Overnight stay in Mardin.
Day 8 (Mardin and Tatvan - Breakfast and Dinner)
In the morning visit Mardin. Mardin is very unique with lovely old-Arabic style houses. The houses are
often decorated with intricate carvings. This is a very lively trading center with people coming from surrounding villages to
buy and sell. We will have a fantastic view of the Plain of Mesopotamia. It is a city that
played an important role in the early development of Christianity.
We will also visit the
Monastery of Deyr-az-Zaferan just outside of town, founded in 762 A.D. It was the seat
of the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch for almost 800 years. We drive to Hasankeyf, with stop
at the beautiful little town of Midyat to see the Monastery and ancient houses on the
way. Hasankeyf, with its history that spans nine civilizations, the archaeological and
religious. The history of Hasankeyf goes back 10,000 years. This is three times longer
than the Giza pyramids, 10 times longer than Stonehenge, and makes the glorious
civilizations of the Maya and Inca seem as if they were flourishing just yesterday. Some
of the city's historical treasures will be inundated if construction of the Ilisu Dam is
completed. These include ornate mosques, Islamic tombs and cave churches. After lunch
by the Tigris River we depart to Tatvan, a small village on the edge of Lake Van and
watch the sun set over the lake. Overnight stay in Tatvan.
Day 9 (Van - Breakfast)
Depart from Tatvan and a beautiful drive around the lake to reach
Van city, established 13th century BC. From here, we will take a ferry across the
lake to visit the finest Armenian architectural wonder of the Church of the Holy
Cross on Akdamar Island. Step over to the huge Van Castle from the days of
Urartu and see the hieroglyphs as you sense the spirit of the once Urartu capital
Tushpa, feel the salty waters of the great Lake Van called as 'the Sea' by the
locals.
Overnight stay in Van.
Day 10 (Dogubeyazit - Breakfast)
Dogubeyazit; Drive on the "Silk Road" to Dogubeyazit. At the
Iranian border we will see a site known as the Crater Hole. This is a
beautiful, yet rugged area. We will have the opportunity to see Mt. Ararat
from all sides. It is believed by some to be the resting-place of Noah's Ark;
but to date no one has found anything that has been verified as the Ark -
yet the search is still on. We will stop and see the Ishak Pasa Palace. This
complex is a combination of a mosque, a fortress, and a palace which
originally had a room for every day of the year! Below you can also see
the remains of Eski Beyazit, and Urartian City which flourished in 1000 BC.
Overnight stay in Kars.
Day 11 (Kars - Breakfast)
An early morning departure for a 45-minute drive to the medieval Armenian City of
Ani, which lies mostly in ruins. Impressive fortified walls still encircle the ruins of numerous
churches, mosques and caravansaries. Enjoy a walk around the ruins and see the beautiful view to
the Armenian border imagining it as a city with one million people rivaling Bagdad in its time! This
city has experienced the cultures of Urartians, Armenians, Georgians, Mongols, Russians and finally
the Turks. Also visit the impressive Kars Castle and historical sites surrounding the city.
Overnight stay in Kars.
Day 12 (Erzurum - Breakfast)
Depart from Kars after Breakfast and drive southwest
to Erzurum. Of great interest will be the villages of stone houses and
black sheep on green meadows. Visit the 12th century Medrese (a
Seljukian School).
Talk with the imam at the 12th century Mosque and
enjoy the ethnographic museum. Visit an old caravan stop where the
local black stone is mounted in silver and gold by the local artists in the
most aesthetic art form. Overnight stay in Erzurum.
Day 13 (Trabzon - Breakfast)
We begin a beautiful 5 hour drive to Trabzon, winding along
the rivers with many photo stops and Karaca Cave along the way. Visit the
Sumela Monastery, also known as the Monastery of the Virgin Mary. It has
been said that it is neither on earth nor in heaven. Carved on the slope of a
mountain, it looks like a nine story high building hanging down from the
clouds and sitting on the top of the forest. A short hike through the rain
forest will leave no question in your mind about where you are in Turkey.
Evening at leisure and overnight stay in Trabzon.
Day 14 (Trabzon - Breakfast)
Visit the city of Trabzon in the morning. After
the crusaders invaded Constantinople in 1204, Trabzon became the
capital of the Byzantine Empire for a short time. Longing for the
grandeur of Constantinople, in Trabzon, they imitated the
Churches of their beloved city in a smaller scale. St. Sophia of
Trabzon though much smaller will leave with you the same sense
of religious devotion as the original one in Istanbul.
The tour will finish at noon time and transfer to Trabzon Airport
and fly back to Istanbul or other cities.
The rate of Eastern Turkey tour is 1990 Euro including;
Domestic Flights and airport transfers, Private transportation with Mercedes AC Vehicle, 13 Nights accommodation All breakfasts, 2 lunches and 1 dinner Professional guiding and all entrance fees in the tours,Hotels in Package
| Cappadocia | : Kelebek Hotel or Sultan Cave Suites |
| Gaziantep | : Asude Konak or Anadolu Evleri |
| Sanliurfa | : Manici Hotel or Cevahir Guest House |
| Kahta | : Grand Isias Hotel |
| Mardin | : Zinciriye Konak or Erdoba Evleri |
| Tatvan | : Kardelen Hotel |
| Van | : Tamara Hotel or Merit Sahmaran |
| Kars | : Simer Hotel |
| Erzurum | : Kral Hotel or Palan Hotel |
| Trabzon | : Demir Grand Hotel |
Accommodation costs are based on per person on double room. Single Supplement cost is %30
We might upgrade or change some hotels with the same quality, due to availability at booking time. Your confirmed itinerary will list the exact hotels.
Please send us an email (info@goreme.com) for booking and further information
