11D10N Discover Eastern Turkey
Eastern Turkey is a region of unparalleled natural beauty that has a colorful history with many incredible historical sites and rich cultural heritage. It contains fascinating natural sites and treasured historical monuments. Since Turkey’s eastern border includes Georgia, Armenia, Iran, Iraq and Syria, our tours of eastern Turkey are on hold at the moment, however, we have provided a sample tour to whet your appetite for experiencing all that Eastern Turkey has to offer when our tours resume.
This comprehensive, 10-day tour covers the major sites in eastern Turkey, with a diversity of landscapes and a glimpse of human history from Biblical times to the present day. Sitting among the fallen statues of the monument that King Antiochus built in the first century BC to honor himself atop Nemrut Dag is an unforgettable experience, particularly at sunrise. A visit to the recently built massive Ataturk Dam on the Euphrates River certainly provides context to the ancient sites to be seen on this tour. Gobeklitepe, recently discovered and still being excavated, is a major archaeological site that pre-dates Stonehenge by 8,000 years. Other than the Great Wall of China, the city walls of Diyabakir, constructed by the Romans, are the longest continuous defensive walls in the world. They are also beautiful. Diyabakir is also known for its gigantic and delicious watermelons. Mardin is a lovely small town renowned for its stone houses and narrow winding streets. You will visit the Deir-Al-Zafaran Monastery, which is still an active monastery and the center of the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch. You’ll enjoy a short boat ride on Lake Van to Akdamar Island to view the beautiful carvings of the 10th century Armenian Church of the Holy Cross.
You will travel a bit of the famed Silk Road, watch the sun set over Lake Van, tour the exquisite Ishak Pasha Palace in Dogubayazit, and view Mt Ararat. From your walk among the sprawling ruins of the ancient city of Ani, the medieval capital of the Armenia, you can look across the Barley River to Armenia. You may even see Armenian families picnicking on the bank of the river below. You will take a short walk through a pine forest to see the Sumela Monastery, which clings to a cliff in Mela Mountains, with its lovely frescoes.
11D10N Discover Eastern Turkey
Route: Nemrut, Harran, Hasankeyf, Lake Van, Ararat, Kars, Trabzon
Tour Type: Small Group Tour
Duration: 11 Days – 10 Nights
INCLUDED
- Transportation in fully air-conditioned, non-smoking coaches
- 10 Nights hotel accommodation
- 20 Meals: 10 Breakfasts, 10 Dinners
- Entrance fees to the sites
- English speaking guide through all packages
EXCLUDED
- International & internal flights
- Visa fees
- Lunches and drinks
- Personal expenses
- Optional programs
- Tips – driver, guide, hotel staff etc.
- Any other meals or services not specified in ‘Prices Included’
- Travel Insurance
We have posted a sample tour to experience Eastern Turkey. Several more are available.
NOTE: The price quoted is based on a minimum of 2 pax staying in a double room on sharing basis
This is a comprehensive tour covering the major sites in Eastern Turkey, a diversity of landscapes and a glimpse of human history from Biblical times to the present day. Mt. Nemrut with its monuments of an ancient megalomaniac; Urfa, birthplace of the Prophet Abraham; Hasankeyf, soon to be lost under the flood waters of a new dam on the river Tigris; Van with its 3000 year old Urartian fortress; and Ishak Pasha’s pleasure palace in Dogubayazit overlooking the Plains of Ararat.
Day 1 : Istanbul/Cappadocia to Adiyaman
Your guide and bus will meet you at the Adiyaman Airport and transfer you to your hotel. You will have the rest of the day to relax and explore Adiyaman. Overnight in Adiyaman.
Day 2 : Nemrut, Urfa
We will leave our hotel two hours before sunrise so we can climb Mt Nemrut to see the sun rise from the mountain top among the fallen statues of a funerary monument which was a testament to an ancient king’s ambition. After breakfast, we will visit the massive Ataturk Dam straddling the mighty river Euphrates, and continue on to SanliUrfa, the ancient city of prophets. Overnight in SanliUrfa.
Day 3 : Gobekli Tepe, Diyarbakır
After breakfast in your hotel, we will go to the archaeological dig at Gobekli Tepe. Not widely known among the general public, Gobekli Tepe is an important archaeological site since some of the stones pre-date Stonehenge by 8,000 years. We continue to Diyarbakir, at 5000 years old, making it one of the oldest settlements in the world. Diyarbakir is famed for its city walls, constructed by the Romans. After the great wall of China, Diyarbakir’s walls are the longest continuous defensive walls in the world. We will take a short walking tour of Diyarbakir. Overnight in Diyarbakir.
Day 4 : Mardin, Hasankeyf, Tatvan
After breakfast at our hotel, we drive to Mardin, located on a high hill overlooking the plains of southern Turkey. We will visit Deir-Al-Zafaran (the Saffron Monastery),centre of the Syrian Orthodox Patriarchy and still an active monastery. After lunch, we will visit Hasankeyf on the Tigris River and soon to be submerged under the waters created by a new dam on the Tigris. From Hasankeyf we will continue to Tatvan on the western shore of Lake Van. Overnight in Tatvan.
Day 5 : Akdamar, Van
After breakfast, we will depart for Van, driving along the lakeshore and stopping en route to take a boat to Akdamar Island to see the restored 10th century Armenian Church of the Holy Cross, or Sourp Khach. Overnight in Van.
Day 6 : Van, Hosap
After breakfast in our hotel, we will drive along a branch of the Silk Road (Ipek Yolu) to visit Hosap Castle, which straddles the Silk Road. We will return to Van for lunch and a visit to its 3000- year- old Citadel to watch the sun set over Lake Van. Overnight in Van.
Day 7 : Doğubeyazit, Ararat, Kars
After breakfast at our hotel, we will leave Van and head to Dogubeyazit via Muradiye and Bendimaahi Falls. In Dogubeyazit, we will visit the Ishak Pasha Palace. We then continue around the western edge of Mt Ararat en route to Kars. Overnight in Kars.
Day 8 : Kars, Ani
After breakfast at our hotel, we will tour Ani, the former capital of the great medieval Armenian Kingdom. We will see the remains of several churches as well as the shell of the Cathedral of Ani, the citadel and a mosque, and an extensive and well preserved defensive wall. Overnight in Kars.
Day 9 : Kars, Erzurum
After breakfast at our hotel, we will visit the WWI battlefield of Sarikamis on the Aras River. We will then drive along the gorge of the Aras River into Erzurum. Overnight in Erzurum.
Day 10 : Erzurum, Sumela Monastery, Trabzon
After breakfast in our hotel, we will depart for Erzurum and drive through the Pontic Alps, in the steps of Xenophon’s Ten Thousand, along the Karasu River, the northernmost branch of the Euphrates, to Askale, with its ruined Byzantine fortress. We continue over the 2390m Kopdagi Pass, into the Coruh valley, passing the Bayburt fortress. We will visit the Sumela Monastery, dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Overnight in Trabzon.
Day 11 : Departure
After breakfast in our hotel, we will transfer you to the airport for your flight to Istanbul. Your tour ends here
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