Kahramanmaraş

Day 1: Cappadocia - Kahramanmaras – Kahta Meet your guide and driver at your hotel at 8:00 AM and depart from Cappadocia. After passing Kayseri, visit the Seljuk Karatayhan Caravanserai on the famous Silk Road. Then, drive through the Taurus Mountains, observing the countryside and everyday life of rural Turkey. After stopping for lunch, drive to Kahramanmaras and try some of the best ice cream in Turkey. Then, drive to Kahta and check into your hotel. Spend the night in Kahta. Day 2: Adiyaman - Mt. Nemrut - Harran – Sanliurfa Depart from your hotel early in the morning and head to Mount Nemrut. At the end of the road, get out of the van and walk twenty-five minutes to the summit. Watch the memorable sunrise between the colossal-sized statues and heads of the kings and Gods. Then, visit Arsemia, once the capital of the Commagene Kingdom, before continuing to the ancient Septimus Severus Bridge over the Cendere Stream and the Karakus Tumulus, where members of the royal family were buried. Continue driving to Sanliurfa and Harran. Visit the Ataturk Dam, the largest dam in the Middle East, en route. Check into your hotel in Sanliurfa and have lunch there. Visit Gobeklitepe, a 11,500 year-old hilltop sanctuary, believed by archaeologists to be the oldest sanctuary in the world. After lunch, visit Abraham's Cave and the Pools of Holy Carp surrounding it. Then, walk around an oriental covered bazaar and Gumrukhan. Drive to Harran, a village of Mud-Brick "beehive" houses mentioned in the Book of Genesis, where Abraham spent the last years of his life. Enjoy dinner and an overnight stay in Sanliurfa. DAY 3: Sanliurfa – Cappadocia After breakfast, depart from Sanliurfa to Birecik, famous for its Bald-Ibis birds, which only live in Birecik. Enjoy a visit to the Bald Ibis breeding farm. After lunch, drive up to the Taurus Mountains. Take a short tea break and drive back to Cappadocia.

Day 1 Welcome to Istanbul. After picking you up from the airport, we’ll drop you off at your hotel for a free day. Overnight Istanbul 4 star Port Bosphorus Hotel or similar Day 2 Topkapi Palace (including Hagia Irene), Blue Mosque, St Sophia Museum, and Hippodrome. In the afternoon, cruise between two continents Europe and Asia with an optional 'Half day Bosphorus cruise.' Overnight Istanbul 4 star Port Bosphorus Hotel (B) or similar Day 3 After breakfast, we travel to Ankara, the country's capital, to see Anitkabir, Mustafa Ataturk's Mausoleum, before Cappadocia. Overnight Cappadocia Boutique Cave Gamirasu Hotel (B, D) or similar Day 4 Goreme Valley Open Air Museum and the fairy chimneys, as well as the numerous levels of an underground city, marvel at Cappadocia's lunar scenery. Don't miss the optional Turkish folklore event featuring folklore and belly dancers tonight. Overnight Cappadocia Boutique Cave Gamirasu Hotel (B, D) or similar Day 5 Pigeon Valley and Red Valley, an underground city after touring the cave churches, then Cavusin, and finally Avanos town, where we learn about hand-made pottery. Overnight Cappadocia Boutique Cave Gamirasu Hotel (B, D) or similar Day 6 We leave Cappadocia and cross the Tekir plateau. The Seljuk Karatay Caravansaray will be our first stop along the route. Pinarbasi for a quick tea break. The old Severus (Cendere) Bridge and the Karakus Tumulus, where members of the royal family were buried, after visiting Arsemia, the former capital of the Commagene Kingdom. We'll head to Mt Nemrut, climb the mountain, see the spectacular sunrise across the plateau, and see the gigantic old rock statues. Overnight Adiyaman 3 star Euphrat Hotel Nemrut (D) or similar Day 7 Today we drive to Sanliurfa, stopping along the way to see Turkey's largest dam, the Ataturk Dam. After a short rest, we drive to Gobekli Tepe, which is thought to be the world's oldest temple and predates Stonehenge by 6,000 years. We then travel to Harran. We will explore the ruins of Harran, which include the city walls, the oldest Islamic university, and an eighteenth-century castle. We will then return to Sanliurfa and have the opportunity to visit Mevlid-i Halil Mosque, where you will be able to explore the Prophet Abraham Cave and the Pools of the Holy Carp that surround it, as well as meander about the oriental covered bazaar. Overnight Sanliurfa (Urfa) Boutique Narlı Ev Butik Hotel (B, D) or similar Day 8 Depart Sanliurfa for Gaziantep to see the world's largest mosaic museum, which houses the iconic 'Gypsy Girl' mosaic. Then Hatay to see the incredible Roman Titus tunnel. Hatay is a city with a fascinating past. The Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires all left their imprint here, as have Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Antakya, or biblical Antioch, Hatay's capital. A flight to Istanbul is included. The tour has come to an end at Istanbul Airport.