Complete Turkey

After breakfast at the hotel a guided tour to Topkapi Palace St. Sophia Blue Mosque and Spice Market. The day ends with an overnight stay in Istanbul.

After breakfast at the hotel drive to Gallipoli and visit Anzac Cove Nek Chunuk Bair Lone Pine and the 57th regiment memorial. Cross the Dardanelles. Overnight stay in Canakkale.

After breakfast at the hotel drive to legendary Troy: the site of the Trojan War. Then cross the Ida mountains to arrive at Pergamum. Visit the Acropolis. Overnight stay in Kusadasi.

After breakfast there is a short drive to Ephesus where you will have the opportunity to discover and understand the rich history behind local handicrafts like handmade carpets and tiles. Continue to the village of Sirince one of the most beautiful villages in Turkey. Free time for shopping or to taste the local wines. Return to Kusadasi for your overnight stay.

After breakfast drive through the plains and cotton farms to arrive at Pamukkale in time to enjoy the beauty of the lime cascades and visit ancient Hierapolis before continuing onto Marmaris for your overnight stay.

After breakfast drive to the lakeside town of Koycegiz where you will take a boat cruise to Turtle Beach and have the opportunity to cover yourself in mud at the local mud bath. Drive back Fethiye for overnight.

After breakfast depart for the “ghost village” of Kayakoy and continue to Oludeniz and its stunning beach where you will have time for a swim. Drive back to Fethiye for overnight.

After breakfast we drive to Demre. We take our boat to visit sunken city of Kekova. (If the weather condition do not permit to make this tour we will visit St. Nicholas Churh instead) After boat trip we will continue to Antalya. Dinner at your hotel Overnight Antalya.

After breakfast early departure for Konya stopping en route at the Aspendos ancient Theatre and at the scenic Tinaztepe sink hole and cave. Upon arrival in Konya tour the monastery of the Mervlana Whirling Dervishes. Afternoon drive to Cappadocia via Seljuk – a fine example of an ancient Silk Road Caravanserai. Dinner and overnight in Cappadocia.

After breakfast enjoy a full day excursion in Cappadocia including visits to the Kaymakli Underground City Open Air Museum in Goreme and natural fortress in Ushisar. An optional and fun Turkish folklore evening is available tonight. Overnight in Cappadocia.

Leave the Land of Beautiful Horses and weird rock formations and head out across
Turkey’s hinterland along the ancient Silk Road via Kayseri. Stop en route at Karatay Han before proceeding to Adiyaman. Overnight in Khata.

Today visit the magnificent funerary monument at the peak of Mt Nemrut standing as a testament to an ancient king’s ambition. From Khata continue to the massive Ataturk Dam and on to Urfa the ancient city of prophets. Ancient footprints truly mark this part of Turkey; Urfa was the birthplace of the biblical patriarch Abraham. Visit the cave and shrine where tradition tells Abraham was born. Nearby are the sacred pools of Abraham filled with sacred carp that are fed by the many pilgrims who visit this holy site. Overnight in Urfa.

Depart Urfa and proceed to the ongoing archaeological dig at Gobekli Tepe. Although not widely known amongst the general public Gobekli Tepe is probably one of the most important archaeological sites in the world. The site is home to the earliest religious structures built by man yet to be discovered and at about 11000- 13000 years old pre-dates pottery writing Stonehenge and the Pyramids. Comprising a series of stone walled enclosures with massive stele carved to represent human beings and cult representations of animals.
From Gobekli Tepe Hill of the Navel continue to Diyarbekir. Diyarbekir is another ancient settlement and at 5000 years old is one of the oldest cities in the world. An overwhelmingly Kurdish city Diyarbekir is famed for its ancient city walls; built by the Romans the current walls built of massive black basalt blocks is after the great wall of China the longest continuous defensive wall in the world. Overnight in Diyarbekir.

After breakfast we will visit Deir-Al-Zafaran (the Saffron Monastery) centre of the Syrian Orthodox Patriarchy and still an active monastery. The site of the Saffron monastery has been a sacred place for thousands of years. The monastery is built over Sun Temple that is dated at about 1000BC and which is an integral part of the monastery’s foundation. After lunch drive to Hasankeyf situated by the Tigris River; soon to be submerged under the flood waters of a new dam on the Tigris Hasankeyf has hundreds of caves hidden waterways tombs a larger and smaller Palace as well as ruins of the Great Mosque. After Hasankeyf we will drive to Tatvan. Dinner and overnight Tatvan.

After breakfast drive to Van via Akdamar Island where you will visit the beautifully restored 10th C Armenian Church of the Holy Cross or Sourp Khach; built as a part of a palace and religious complex between 915 and 921 by the Armenian King Gagik Ardzruni. From Akdamar continue to the city of Van where for dinner and overnight.

From Van travel south for the last leg of your journey along the Silk Road (Ipek Yol) in Turkey. Visit Hosap Castle. The main castle structure of Hosap was built straddling the Silk Road and served as both a means of protecting the road and as a point of charging tolls on travellers. From Hosap return to Van for lunch. Later visit the Citadel of Van at sunset. On a large rock outcrop the 3000 year old Urartian castle once the centre of Tushpa the Urartian capital commands wonderful panoramic views of the city of Van Lake Van and Mt Suphan to the north-west and Mt Nemrut.

After breakfast transfer to Van airport for your flight back to Istanbul.

· Shared Airport Transfers
· Welcome Briefing
· Accommodation in Moderate First and Superior Tourist Class hotels with private facilities
· Daily Breakfast Other Meals as Specified in Itinerary (L = Lunch D = Dinner)
· Activities and Entrance Fees as per Itinerary
· A/C Transportation throughout by Coach
· Group Sightseeing with Professional English Speaking Guides
· Domestic Flight Van – Istanbul
· Porterage at Hotels
· Turkey Travel Notes – issued by Innovative Travel

· Optional tours
· Customary tips to guide and drivers
· Personal Expenses