This 13 day tour, starts and ends in Istanbul, Turkey.
Welcome to Istanbul! You will be transferred to your hotel and the remainder of the day is yours, free to explore.
After breakfast, you enjoy a fully guided tour of the only city to span two continents, visiting the Blue Mosque, St Sophia Museum, Topkapi Palace (including Hagia Irene) and the Hippodrome.
This afternoon we will fly to Van.
Morning drive to Çavustepe, to explore the ancient Urartian citadel before continuing to the village of Hosap. Early afternoon from the town of Gevas we take a boat excursion to Akdamar Island which is home to the 10th century Holy Cross Church.
Today we drive along the north shore of Lake Van to visit Ahlat, Tatvan and the picturesque town of Bitlis. Late afternoon arrival in Diyarbakir.
Morning drive to Hasankeyf, to visit the cliff top Roman ruins of ancient Cephe, and the old town of Midyat, an architectural treasure.
On the way to Sanliurfa, we will visit Göbeklitepe which will allow you to discover the region and observe the excavation currently running at the site. Visit the famous 'beehive' village houses of Harran and the ancient city of Urfa, home of Abraham. Discover the "City of the Prophets" as we visit Abraham's Caves, the pool of sacred carp and the busy and colourful bazaar.
We have an interesting drive today as we pass by Bozova and see Ataturk Dam before arriving in Adiyaman.
We set off for Mt. Nemrut before dawn and after a short ascent of the mountain watch the magical sunset over the plateau, and visit the massive ancient rock statues. Visit the ancient Roman city of Zeugma and tour Gaziantep, and the Mosaic Museum where the superb Roman mosaics of Zeugma are displayed.
After breakfast we set off for Cappadocia, stopping off at Kahramanmaras (produces Turkey's best ice cream!) along the way.
Marvel at the lunar landscape of Cappadocia as you visit the Goreme Valley Open Air Museum, the fairy chimneys and explore the many levels of an underground city.
After breakfast, we drive via Kozakli to the city of Hattusa, the capital of the Hittite Empire in the late Bronze Age. First we visit Yazilikaya, the ruins of the open air temple where there are rock carvings of Hitite gods. Then we go to Hattusa, 'the Great Temple', the city ruins including the Lions' Gate and the Royal Gate and the summer palace of Hitites. Then we drive to Alacahoyuk seeing the Sphinx Gate and the Royal Tombs.
This morning we visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, an award winning museum located near the ancient citadel of Ankara and then continue on to Istanbul.
After breakfast our tour concludes and we say goodbye to our new friends before being transferred to the airport for your onward flight.
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