(This program leaves any day of the week and is totally customizable.)
Program:
Day 1 - Istanbul to Cappadocia - (L)
Early in the morning, we will pick you up from your hotel and transfer you to the domestic airport for a 1-hour flight to the central Anatolian city of Kayseri. After arrival, we will transfer you to Cappadocia and continue on the program.
This day will be devoted to exploring the most unforgettable sites of Cappadocia:
* Goreme Open-Air Museum - A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Goreme is a charming and ancient town carved right out of the rock (tufa); here, you'll explore Byzantine-era churches, chapels and monasteries which house wonderfully-preserved 11th- and 12th-century cave frescoes.
* Fairy Chimneys--This strange geological phenomenon was created over millions of years, and were formed during regional volcanic eruptions. Reaching at times 40 meters in height, they are conical in shape and have a whimsical "hat" top to them.
* Devrent Valley--This valley is known as "the pink valley" because of the color of its soil. This is a lovely place to wander about and really take in the magical rock formations indicative to Cappadocia, including the Fairy Chimneys.
* Uchisar Castle, also known as Uchisar Fortress, is actually a formation of two gigantic rocks surrounded by smaller ones that together, form a natural fortress with towers. These formations were inhabited during both the Byzantine and Ottoman periods.
We'll also visit local crafts people and learn the special art of making dolls and traditional pottery.
Overnight in Urgup - Cappadocia
Day 2 - Cappadocia - (B/L)
Today will be spent walking through an underground city where ancient people once fled for their lives escaping the Arab invaders, wandering through Ihlara Gorge and spending time in an Anatolian village.
Sites you’ll see today:
* Underground City of Derinkuyu--You'll gradually make your way down into the depths of the earth of this ancient settlement that has 18-20 floors with depths reaching to 40 meters. (Don't worry, we'll only go down to the 8th floor!) Youll marvel at the fact that Derinkuyu is just one of 36 Cappadocian underground cities, which archaeologists date back to the time of the Hittites around 4,000 years ago.
Timeless Derinkuyu will leave you with a sense of awe of how the dwellers of these cities lived. As you wind your way down, you will begin to feel as if you are in a maze of epic proportions. Everywhere you look, there will be nooks and crannies carved into the rocks: holes, windows , paths, alleys, little rooms. You will see ancient kitchens and stables; storage jars for oil, wine and water; rock-carved tables, chairs, and beds; and deep wells for water. You will be amazed at the elaborate ancient ventilation the residents constructed.
* Ihlara Valley is an oasis in the middle of the Anatolian plain. We'll explore this canyon and take in the beautiful green scenery as we stroll alongside the river. Here, you'll see ancient monasteries complete with pigeon holes carved into the cliffs by the monks; the pigeons acted as messengers to communicate with neighboring monks!
Ihlara is a 16-km -long gorge cut into volcanic rock and is the result of several eruptions of Mount Erciyes. The whole canyon is honeycombed with rock-cut underground dwellings and churches from the Byzantine period.
The early Chistians escaping from Roman soldiers hid here, and there are hundreds of antique churches carved in the volcanic rocks.
* Traditional Anatolian village -- You'll see head-scarved women in the fields (where they work from sun up until sundown) and the mustachioed, vest-wearing men hard-at-work playing cards or tavla (backgammon) in the kahvehane (coffee shop). You'll get time to stroll in a village such as this and see the average Turkish villager at work...or play.
Overnight in Cappadocia
Day 3 - Cappadocia to Konya - (B)
After breakfast, we will depart for our drive to the town of Konya.
After we arrive, we'll check-in the hotel, and begin your historical site tour. We will visit the Mevlana Museum which is a important holy site for Muslims, as it is the former lodge for the whirling dervishes.
Then, we will pay a visit to Karatay Medrese, which houses an outstanding collection of Iznik ceramics and tiles. This 800-year-old building was once a Selcuk Turk theological seminary. Overnight in Konya
Day 3 - Konya to Pamukkale - (B/D)
After breakfast, we will begin our drive west from Konya to Pamukkale. When we arrive in Pamukkale, you'll check-in the hotel and then enjoy the rest of the day at your leisure. Overnight in Pamukkale
Day 4 - Pamukkale - (B/L/D)
Sites you'll see on today's tour:
* Pamukkale ("cotton castle" in Turkish), is a natural site that contains hot springs and travertines, and terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing water. It is located in Turkey's Inner Aegean region, in the Menderes River valley, which has a temperate climate for most of the year.
Pamukkale's terraces are made of travertine, a sedimentary rock deposited by water from the hot springs.
The former Roman Bath of the ancient city of Hierapolis has been used as the site of the Hierapolis Archaeology Museum since 1984.
In this museum, alongside historical artifacts from Hierapolis, there are also artifacts from Laodiceia, Colossae, Tripolis, Attuda and other towns of the Lycos valley. In addition to these, the museum has a large section devoted to artifacts found at Beycesultan Hüyük that includes some of the most beautiful examples of Bronze Age craft.
* Hierapolis is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was founded as an ancient healing care center in 190 BC, taking advantage of the mineral waters. It was one of the most important intellectual, artistic, religious and commercial centers of the Roman Empire. Over time, the city hosted large numbers of both Jewish and Christian residents.
In the afternoon, you will have free time at your hotel to relax in its on-site natural, thermal spring waters. Why not treat yourself to a mud bath, a massage, or both? Overnight in Pamukkale
Day 5 - Pamukkale to Istanbul - (B)
After breakfast, we will transfer you to Denizli Airport (about a half-hour drive) and put you on a flight back to Istanbul; after your arrival, we'll transfer you to your hotel in either the Sultanahmet or Taksim Square area.
Prices are starting from 685 Euros per person in a double, contact us to get a price quote for your dates
Price includes
* All hotels (each of them individually-chosen)
* All land transfers in comfortable vehicles
* All of the meals mentioned in the itinerary (B-breakfast, L-lunch & D-dinner)
* Professional, English-speaking tour guides
* Domestic flight tickets from Cappadocia to Istanbul
* All taxes and service charges
Excludes
* Drinks with meals
* Hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia (15% discount if booked with this tour)
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