Day 1 ~ Depart USA.

Day 2 ~ Cappadocia
Arrive Istanbul, transfer to domestic flight to Kayseri. You will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel for the night. 

Day 3 ~ Cappadocia
Today we start exploring this fascinating area, created by volcanic activity eons ago and creatively formed by wind and water erosions. The special composition of the rock, called tufa, allowed the carvings of entire underground cities. In the morning we will drive to the village of Soganli (The onion village) . Once in Soganli, a lovely and unspoiled area whose open-air Byzantine churches and monasteries are carved from outcrops of rocks, we will take an easy 3-mile walk through the valley, ending in a lively village which is famous throughout the country for its dolls. You will visit one of these underground cities where 20,000 to 30,000 people used to live. In the afternoon, we will walk through the beautiful and diverse Ilhara Valley, meandering along the Melendiz River that runs through these pleasant gorges. While we walk, we will see Byzantine churches carved into the tufa around us, many wild flowers, and trees. Our walk will be 4 miles, starting in the village of Ihlara and ending in the village of Selime.

Day 4 ~ Cappadocia
This morning we will drive towards Kayseri to start our walk at the top of Ulas village. This is a spectacular spot from where you can view the volcano Mt. Erciyes on one side, and from the other side villages covered with vineyards. Our 5 mile walk will take us through the farmer's fields and orchards and end in Sofuler village. Then we will have time to visit some farmer’s wineries. This region has been famous for its wine throughout the millennia. We will also visit Sinasos or Mustafa Pasa village, a Greek village until 1923, with its churches, mosques, old inns, and interesting houses.

Day 5 ~ Cappadocia
Today we will hike through Uchisar, whose unique landscape is a combination of ravines and rocks beaten by wind and rain into odd-shaped cones and pyramids. The view of the Goreme Valley from the top of the castle here is breathtaking. Then we will walk approximately 4 miles down to the Ak valley. This valley is full of fruit trees, wild flowers and the unusually shaped rocks called “fairy chimneys". For our afternoon walk (4 miles), we will return to Uchisar via a very scenic route through the Uchisar Valley, passing many tufa-carved churches, monasteries, and homes. Our walk ends above the village of Goreme, where we will overlook the so-called “Lovers Valley” where romantic fairy chimneys seem to be talking to each other.

Day 6 ~ Cappadocia
Todayour 6-mile walk starts in Urgup and winds through one of the most interesting areas in Cappadocia, called the Kizil Cukur or Red Valley, famous for its farmer's gardens and fascinating Byzantine churches. Then we will visit the unique Pasabagi area, whose landscape is dotted with the odd-shaped “fairy chimneys”. According to ancient legend, magical fairies capable of casting spells inhabited these stones. Our walk will be about 4 miles and will end above Cavusin village where we will view the most dramatic sunset in Cappadocia.

Day 7 ~ Egirdir
This morning we will leave Cappadocia and drive to Konya where we will walk 2 miles through town to visit the Mausoleum of Mevlana, founder of the Whirling Dervishes in the 13th century.  Then our scenic route takes us through rolling apple-growing plains to Egirdir Lake.  We will stretch our legs with a pleasant 3-mile walk around the island in this lake, with its ancient ruins dating back to Roman and Byzantine times. Egirdir is famous for its rose products, which come from nearby Isparta.

 

Day 8 ~ Antalya
Today we will drive through the Taurus Mountains toward the Mediterranean via the rose city of Isparta for our 6-mile walk to Thermessus. This city, located high on a mountainside on the Cilician Gates, earned its proud place in history by refusing to submit to Alexander the Great. We will see a most interesting necropolis whose tombs are scattered about; its acropolis; and a very dramatic Roman theatre, which appears to be “hanging in the air”. From the acropolis, we have a great view over the Anatolian plateau on one side and the Mediterranean on the other side.

 

Day 9 ~ Gulet-Phaselis
In the morning, we will visit the Antalya Archaeology Museum, one of the finest in Turkey, with a wide range of exhibits dating from modern Turkey to the Paleolithic time. In the afternoon, we will board our gulet and sail to Phaselis, where we will go ashore for an easy 2-mile walk on the beach to explore the Roman and Byzantine ruins. This area is so beautiful with its tree-lined beaches that Alexander the Great wintered here on his way to Alexandria, Egypt.

 

Day 10 ~ Gulet-Olympos
After a leisurely breakfast and a dip in the Mediterranean, we will depart for the Olympos National Park. In the park, on established walking trails, we will cover a distance of 6 miles and see Roman ruins and the eternal flame, Chimaera, which is fueled by volcanic gases. This was the original flame for the first Olympic Games, and the more romantic at heart will be intrigued by the many legends and myths that surround it. Our gulet will be moored in a protected cove along the beach at Porto Genovese or Cavus village nearby, and a swim in the Mediterranean will refresh us after a day of hiking. 

 

Day 11 ~ Gulet-Sunken City
This morning we sail along the magnificent coastline headed for the Sunken City. Once docked, we will go ashore to visit the Church of St. Nicholas, where the legend of our beloved Santa Claus began, and then on to Myra where we will see the Lycian tombs carved in the cliffs above the ruins of a Roman amphitheater. Returning to our gulet, first we start our 4-mile walk on the legendary Lycian road from Gokkaya to ancient Simene from where we have the most majestic view over the sunken city. Then it is time to cruise through Kekova Bay to view the sunken ruins along its shoreline. 

 

Day 12 ~ Gulet-Kas-Kalkan
Today we sail to Kas and spend some time in this charming town, famous for its Lycian architecture and classy shops. Then we will drive to Kalkan to start our 6-mile walk - partly following the ancient Roman aqueduct and partly on an ancient Lycian road - ending in Patara, the birthplace of St. Nicholas and an ancient commercial harbor city with one of the best white sandy beaches in the world. We will visit Xanthos, once the capital and grandest city of Lycia, which is beautifully situated overlooking the Xanthos River, before we return to our gulet in Kalkan.

 

Day 13 ~ Gulet-Oludeniz-Gemile Island-Fethiye
This morning we will sail to Gemile Island near Olu Deniz. After a swim and lunch, we will start our walk to view Gemile Island with its ruins of ancient Greek churches, cisterns and a necropolis. Our pleasant 3-mile walk will take us first to the village of Kaya where we will have a very dramatic view of the Mediterranean on one side and the village with its Greek churches and monasteries at the other side. We will walk through the village and over the mountain 6 miles to Fethiye Bay where our gulet awaits us.

 

Day 14 ~ Gulet-Gocek Bay
After breakfast, we will sail to Gocek Bay, one of the most beautiful sailing spots in the Mediterranean. Anthony and Cleopatra once swam and frolicked on the beaches here, and we will visit Cleopatra’s Bath, which still remains although partially destroyed by earthquakes. We start our 8-mile walk at Agha Limani; visiting ancient villages with dramatic ruins overlooking Fethiye Bay. Standing at the top of the mount above the bath, we will have the most dramatic panoramic view overlooking Gocek Bay with its 12 small islands.  Finally we will end up at Cleopatra's Bath where we meet our gulet.

 

Day 15 ~ Gulet-Ekincik
This morning we sail to the city of ancient Caunos. Once in Ekincik Bay we will take a small, open fishing boat and motor up the Dalyan River to visit the magnificent Lycian monumental tombs carved dramatically in rocks and view Caunos, over looking the Dalyan River. Our walk from Caunos through a spectacular pine forest to Ekincik will be 8 miles where we will meet our gulet.

 

Day 16 ~ Istanbul
After breakfast this morning, we will disembark our gulet and transfer to Dalaman for our domestic flight to Istanbul. Once settled in our hotel, we have free time for relaxing, sightseeing or shopping. Our hotel is conveniently located within walking distance of the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, St. Sophia Church, the Basilica Cistern, the Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar.

 

Day 17 ~ Depart for the USA .