Walking Tour

18 Days: Monday - Thursday

Day 1 Flight Day
Flight from the United States.

Day 2 Istanbul
Arrival in Istanbul meet with your guide and transfer to the historical part of Istanbul. We will have an orientation walk and visit the Hippodrome, the Blue Mosque and the St. Sophia. Dinner on your own and overnight at the Ottoman House Hotel. (D)

Day 3 Istanbul
Today we will visit the Topkapi Palace, the second Ottoman palace after the conquest has been used until the 19^th Century. Having lunch in the Palace grounds, we will visit the Basilica Cistern, an enormous underground gallery which collected the palaces main water supply. In the afternoon we will visit The Grand Bazaar is a labyrinth of streets and passages housing more than 4,000 shops. We will have dinner at the famous Kumkapi Fish market and overnight at the Ottoman House Hotel. (B/D)

Day 4 Ephesos / Kusadasi
Transfer in the morning to the airport for flight at 08:00 TK 312 to Izmir. Meet with your guide in Izmir and drive to Ephesos. We will have a morning hike along Polio Aqueduct, and continue to Selcuk for lunch. After lunch we will visit the Museum.

Than, we will visit Ephesos and its environs. After visiting the city we will drive to the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Dinner will be at a local restaurant and overnight at the Kalehan or Sirince Pension. (B/D)

Day 5 Priene - Didyma - Labranda Hike / Bodrum

Our first stop will be Priene, one of the 12 cities of the Ionian League. After leaving Priene, we will drive to Didyma, and visit the Temple of Apollon. After visiting Didyma, we will drive to Labranda, a Carian city located in the mountains, after having a light picnic lunch we will have a brief visit of the city and take a hike for 3 hours to Kargicak Village following the ancient trail that led from Labranda to Mylasa. We will drive to Bodrum for dinner and overnight. Dinner on your own & overnight Bodrum Kos Hotel. (B)

Day 6 Caunos - Dalyan Hike / Dalyan
We will drive to the village of Dalyan on the bank of the Dalyan  River, the ancient Chalbis. A short boat ride along the river will take us to the lovely site of the ancient Karian city of Kaunos. We will take a 3 hours hike over the Kaunos ruins and see the magnificent view on the Acropolis. Our boat will take us to the beach where the river meets the Mediterranean. After taking time for lunch and swimming, we will cruise back to the village of Dalyan . Dinner & overnight Dalyan Antik Hotel. (B/D)

Day 7 Kekova

Today we will drive to Kekova, a whole ensenblage of picturesque islands and numerous bays. We will have a morning hike for about 3 hours from the Ancient road leading down to Theimiussa, the central village of Kekova Island. Having lunch in Theimiussa, we will have a boat ride to the Lycian site of Simena, overlooking Kekova Bay and situated below the ramparts of a Roman castle which houses a small theater cut into the rock. Having a swimming break, we will have a optional 1 hour hike from Simena back to Theimiussa. Dinner on your own in a fish restaurant by the sea and overnight Kekova Pension. (B)

Day 8 Myra - Ulupinar - Chimera Hike / Olympos

Today we will drive to Myra. At this site many splendidly carved rock tombs overlook a magnificent Roman theater. St. Nicholas was the bishop of Myra during the fourth century and died there in 342 AD. We will visit the church where he is buried. We will continue to Ulupinar for a light lunch, and take the wonderful 2 hours hike to Chimera, home of the legendary Homeric Dragon, which was killed by Bellerophon and buried seven layers below the ground. The flames of the monster can still be seen, as believed for centuries by both the Lycians and the local people. After the walk we will have time to swim on the preserved beach of Chimera and visit the ruins of the coastal city of Olympos. Dinner and overnight at the Blue Garden Hotel. (B/D)

Day 9 Tahtali Dag / Antalya
Today we will drive to the “Beydagi Mountains”, a National park along the Mediterranean, a beautiful mountain chain rising immediately from the coast to almost 10.000 feet high. We will begin our 8 hours hike, from Godene Village, crossing through old cedar forests we will cross over Tahtali Mountain down to Beycik. Our van will meet us in Beycik and we will drive to Antalya. Dinner & overnight Dogan Hotel, which is a renovated Ottoman House from the 19^th century. (B/D)

Day 10 Termessos / Antalya
Meet the bravest and toughest people of Anatolia, the Pisidians. Visit Termessos, the biggest and most impressive city within the grounds of Termessos National Park. We will have a nice leisurely hike through the ruins scattered in the mountains. Picnic lunch at Termessos and drive back to Antalya. Dinner in town and overnight at the Antalya Dogan Hotel. (B/D)

Day 11 Selge - Koprulu Canyon National Park / Bungalows
Drive to the entrance of the canyon where the ancients built a stone bridge, still in use since the 2nd century A.D. We will drive to the ancient city of Selge, where we will begin our walk through the village and the ruins, down to the path where the nomads wandered for centuries and still do. Dinner and overnight at the Bungalows overlooking the Great Canyon. (B/D)     

Day 12 Caravan Trails / Konya
In the 12^th century A.D., the Seljuk Turks rebuilt the entire Roman Road System and built Caravanserais along the trade routes. Today, we will walk the Kargihan – Eynif Han trail. Our bus will meet us the Eynif Han and we will drive to Konya. Dinner & Overnight Konya Ozkaymak Hotel. (B/D)

Day 13 Ihlara Valley / Cappadocia

Drive to Aksaray for lunch. Continue to Ihlara Valley. Visit the rock-cut churches of Ihlara and walk along the stream down to Belisirma. Drive to Goreme for dinner and overnight at the Kelebek Cave Suites Hotel. (B)

Day 14 Pigeon Valley - Goreme / Cappadocia
Walk through Pigeon Valley to Goreme open air museum. We will have a picnic lunch on the way. Dinner in town and overnight at the Kelebek Cave Suites Hotel. (B)

Day 15 Red & Rose Valley / Cappadocia
Walk through the Kizilcukur and Gulludere Valleys. Both valleys offer the most spectacular views of the Cappadocia region. Dinner in town and overnight Kelebek Cave Suites Hotel. (B/D)

Day 16 Phallic Valley - Cavusin / Cappadocia
Walk in the phallic valley noted for its interesting rock formations called "fairy chimneys", followed by a visit to the underground cities, carved 7 layers below the ground in the 6th century B.C. We will route our way through the galleries carved into the rock. Dinner in Goreme and overnight at the Kelebek Cave Suites Hotel. (B/D)

Day 17 Cappadocia - Istanbul / Istanbul

Transfer to Kayseri airport for flight TK261 at 10:55 am to Istanbul. Arrive to Istanbul and transfer to your hotel. Day on your own in Istanbul. Overnight Ottoman House Hotel. (B)
Day 18 Departure Day
Transfer to airport for return flight to the United States. (B))