Depart the USA. Overnight flight to Istanbul.
Upon arrival in Istanbul, you will proceed to the domestic airport to take a domestic flight to Kayseri. You will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel for the night.
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 we are there, which is a lovely and unspoiled area with open-air Byzantine churches and monasteries 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. We will visit one of the underground cities where from 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 walking, 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.
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 the villages rich in vineyards on the other. Our 5-mile walk will take us through the farmers' fields and orchards and end in Sofuler village. Then we will have time to visit some farmers' wineries. This region has been famous for its wines 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.
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 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. We will end our walk above Goreme village to overlook the so-called "Lovers Valley" where romantic fairy chimneys seem to be talking to each other.
Today our 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 farmers' 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 the 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 see the most dramatic sunset in Cappadocia.
Today 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 will take 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.
In the morning we will start driving 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, entered with its proud name in the history by refusing to submit to Alexander the Great. We will see the most interesting necropolis with its tombs scattered about; its acropolis; and a very dramatic Roman theatre, which looks as if it is "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.
In the morning, we will visit the Antalya Archaeology Museum, one of the finest in Turkey, with a wide range of exhibits dating from the Paleolithic to modern Turkey 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.
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 to 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 you 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. A swim in the Mediterranean will refresh us after a day of hiking.
This morning we will sail along the magnificent coastline heading to 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 the Roman amphitheater. Before returning to our gulet, first we will have a 4-mile walk on the legendary Lycian road from Gokkaya to ancient Simene, where there is 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.
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 old Lycian road, we'll end 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.
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 on the other. We will walk through the village and over the mountain 6 miles to Fethiye Bay where our gulet awaits us.
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, we will visit Cleopatra's Bath, which still remains although partially destroyed by earthquakes. We'll start our 8-mile walk at Agha Limani; visiting ancient villages with dramatic ruins overlooking Fethiye Bay. Standing at the top of the mountain above the bath, we will have the most dramatic panoramic view of Gocek Bay with its 12 small islands. Finally we will end up at Cleopatra's Bath where we'll board our gulet.
This morning we sail to the city of ancient Caunos. Once we are 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 the rocks and view Caunos, overlooking the Dalyan River. Our walk from Caunos through a spectacular pine forest to Ekincik will be 8 miles, at the end of it we will get to our gulet.
After breakfast this morning, we will disembark the gulet and be transferred to Dalaman for our domestic flight to Istanbul. Once settled in our hotel, we have free time to relax, sightsee or shop. Our hotel is conveniently located within walking distance to the Blue Mosque, the Hippodrome, St. Sophia Church, the Basilica Cistern, the Topkapi Palace and the Grand Bazaar.
Depart for the USA.
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