Heart of Turkey Family Adventure - Turkey

Day 1: Istanbul

Upon arrival in Istanbul you are met and transferred to our hotel in the historic Sultanahmet District. Meet your guide in the late afternoon and stroll through the streets of the Old City to an open-air terrace restaurant for dinner. Your meal is an authentic introduction to Turkish cuisine and culture with an unbeatable view from your restaurant overlooking the Bosphorus, Golden Horn, Galata Tower, and the Bosphorus Bridge.

Accommodations: Senatus Hotel

Meals Included: Dinner

Day 2: Istanbul

Today explore the grandeur of one of the world’s most important historical cities, Istanbul. Visit a selection of splendid relics of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires including Topkapi Palace, Aya Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Roman Hippodrome, and the Underground Cistern. If time permits, visit the Kapali Carsi (covered bazaar). Around sunset hop onto a commuter ferry joining local residents returning home from work. The boat offers a grand view of the historic mosques and bridges and restored antique homes. Enjoy dinner at one of the lovely seafood restaurants in an upscale neighborhood on the other side of the Bosphorus.

Accommodations: Senatus Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: Free Day In Istanbul

Enjoy a free day in Istanbul.

Accommodations: Senatus Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast

Day 4: Istanbul - Kayseri - Cappadocia

Transfer to the airport for your flight to Kayseri (1 hr) where you are met and driven to your accommodation in Urgup village of Cappadocia (50 min). Visit Uchisar Castle, a natural rock formation of former residences carved out of the soft tuft, and the Goreme Open-Air Museum, a complex of medieval cave churches carved and elaborately painted by Orthodox monks.

Accommodations: Elkep Evi Cave Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5: Cappadocia

Spend the day exploring Cappadocia with your guide on foot and by private vehicle. The itinerary is flexible based on individual interests with options for horseback riding or easy mountain biking.

Hike along one of the multiple trails through the lovely valleys, looking for hidden churches and pigeon roosts in the sandstone cliffs where you get up close to the beautiful geological formations and pass by family farms and orchards.

At a master potter's workshop you learn about the origin of the potter's wheel which was invented here in Anatolia. You will have the opportunity to throw your own pots. We highly recommend an optional hot air balloon ride in the early morning (cost not included). See a Whirling Dervish performance on the first night.

Accommodations: Elkep Evi Cave Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Cappadocia - Konya - Urunlu

After breakfast, descend into the honeycomb depths of either Kaymakli or Derinkuyu underground cities where the people of Cappadocia escaped from marauding invaders and survived in tunnels and caverns for several months. En route to Konya (2 hrs), stop to view a 13^th century Selcuk Turk Caravanserai, similar to those made famous by Marco Polo.

In Konya visit the Mevlana Museum, home of the Whirling Dervishes. Continue to the remote mountain village of Urunlu via Beysehir Lake on seldom-used back roads (3 hrs). Black goat-haired yurts of Yuruk nomads can be seen in the green meadows surrounded by cedar-covered mountains. Urunlu is a traditional community rarely visited by western travelers. Villagers who participate with us in this authentic cross-cultural encounter have added beds, plumbing and more privacy so you feel comfortable as their guests. Relax with your hosts and get to know village life in rural Turkey. Stay overnight in home-stay.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7: Urunlu

Today enjoy time in the village and hiking to Golden Grotto Cave. Enjoy the rugged hike to a picnic lunch spot where you can swim and explore the cave. Stay overnight in home-stay.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8: Taurus Mountains - Antalya

Scenic morning drive over the Taurus Mountains to the Mediterranean coast, stopping at Perge and Aspendos, the best preserved, and one of the largest Roman theaters in the world (100 miles 2-3hrs). Relax and explore the old town of Antalya where Attalus II, the king of Pergamon, founded a port in 2^nd century BC.

Accommodations: Dogan Hotel, Antalya

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 9: Antalya - Olympos - Chimaera

On your way to Olympos stop to hike along the Lykian way to Phaselis, one of the most attractive ancient sites in Turkey. Continue to Olympos and end the day in Cirali, which is the home of the eternal flames of Chimaera. Bellerophon, the legendary hero of Lycian, is said to have killed Chimaera, the fire-breathing monster here. Spend the night in the village called Cirali (means “flames” in Turkish), near the Olympos beach. Spend the afternoon enjoying the beach then take a late afternoon hike through the beautiful pine forests to the Eternal Fires of the Chimaera (1.5 hrs) where the mythological hero, Bellerophon, road his winged white horse Pegasus, and killed the three-headed monster Chimaera. Today, 15-20 gas-produced flames burn perpetually from holes in the ground.

Accommodations: Emek Pansiyon, Olympos

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 10: Olympos - Kas

After breakfast, depart on the coastal road to Kas (3 hrs) with stops along the way such as in Demre to see where St. Nicholas spent his life 1700 years ago.

Then it’s on to Kaş, a charming Mediterranean seaside village with its well-preserved Greek theater, narrow cobblestoned streets and white-washed houses festooned with colorful bougainvillea and wooden balconies. You can choose to walk around the Kaş Peninsula to explore the Hellenistic theater, or enjoy the afternoon walking around town with many small shops and cool spots to watch the Mediterranean sunset and listen to good music. Overnight in Kaş [BLD]

Accommodations: Maki Hotel, Kas

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 11: Kas

Free day in Kas - you may opt (for additional cost) to take out for snorkeling or diving or kayaking to the nearby sunken cities. Spend time in town tracking the ancient Lykian tombs and enjoying the relaxed atmosphere.

Accommodations: Maki Hotel, Kas

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 12: Kas - Dalyan

Drive to Dalyan (100 miles / 2 hrs) with stops in ancient sites. In the afternoon stretch your legs at Turtle Beach, well-known as the place where the rare sea-turtle species Caretta Carettas lay their eggs. Board a fishing boat and cruise up the Dalyan River through a maze of bamboo and cattails. Hike amongst the magnificent 4^th century rock cut tombs and the Carian ruins at Caunos, and then cool off with an optional mud bath by the river!

Accommodations: Dalyan Resort

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 13: Dalyan - Sirence Village

Drive to Sirence stopping at ancient sites of Priene and Didyma. Priene is known for its sweeping view of the Meander River, a well-preserved theatre and the Temple of Athena. Didyma holds a gigantic Temple of Apollo which was one of the most famous oracles in the ancient world, equal in importance to the oracular temple at Delphi in Greece. Leave the coast and drive a short distance into the hills above the city to overnight in the village of Sirince, once used by residents of Ephesus as a cool mountain retreat. There is time to wander the cobblestone streets amongst the charming stone cottages, where local inhabitants often offer visitors homemade fruit wine, herbal soaps, olive oil, and delicious natural foods.

Accommodations: Nisanyan Evleri, Sirince

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Day 14: Ephesus - Sirence

Wake up in the morning in the heart of the village to the tickling sounds of bells as shepherds take their goats to graze and fresh Turkish breakfast is delivered to your porch. Walk throughout the impressive ancient city of Ephesus. One of the most impressive Roman ruins and important coastal cities, Ephesus attracted the world’s merchants, artists, and statesmen for centuries. Also visit the relics of Hellenistic, Roman, biblical, Byzantine and Ottoman interests such as the ancient residential area rarely seen by most visitors, the Archeological Museum, and the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Accommodations: Nisanyan Evleri, Sirince

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner