September 30 to October 15, 2011

WAITLIST ONLY

Itinerary

Friday, September 30

• Depart from U.S.

Saturday, October 1

• Arrive in Istanbul.
• Met at airport by guide and transferred by bus to the Ottoman Imperial Hotel, a small boutique hotel right in the heart of Sultanahmet.
• Dinner included at a neighborhood restaurant.

Sunday, October 2

• Morning of sightseeing in Istanbul, including the Hagia Sofia, with its magnificent Byzantine mosaics, the huge 17th century Blue Mosque, and the Hippodrome, once the scene of such enormous public spectacles as chariot races, executions and mock battles.
• Lunch included.
• Afternoon cruise up the Bosphorus.
• Opening dinner included.

Monday, October 3

• Morning of sightseeing, including the famed Topkapi Palace and the Basilica Cistern, inhabited by giant catfish roaming its dark waters.
• Lunch on your own.
• Afternoon visit to the Grand Bazaar led by
  Don and Gail.
• Dinner on your own.

Tuesday, October 4

• Full day of business visits to learn about the politics, economics and business climate of Turkey.
• Lunch included.
• Dinner included.

Wednesday, October 5

• Transfer by bus to airport for flight to Kayseri.
• Lunch on the plane.
• Met at airport for transfer to Uchisar and the Museum Hotel, a luxurious cave hotel.
• Dinner included at the hotel.

Thursday, October 6

• Morning tour of Zelve Outdoor Museum to explore its narrow valleys filled with cave homes and churches carved into the limestone, and a visit to Pasabag to photograph the remarkable landscape of tufa cones.
• Lunch included.
• Afternoon tour of Kaymakli, an underground city that, from the second century A.D., could house 15,000 people and their animals during enemy attacks.
• Dinner on your own.

Friday, October 7

• Morning tour of Goreme, a fascinating complex of churches, rectories and dwellings developed by
  St. Basil in the 4th century.
• Visit to Uchisar Castle, a fortress carved out of a natural hill, with beautiful views of the surrounding Cappadocia formations.
• Lunch on your own.
• Afternoon free to relax or hike.
• Dinner included at Elai Restaurant.

Saturday, October 8

• Transfer to Nevsehir Airport for flight to Izmir. Met by our bus for transfer to Kusadasi, and the Kismet Hotel, set on a promontory overlooking the Aegean Sea.
• Lunch on the plane.
• Rest of the afternoon at leisure to explore the town.
• Dinner on your own.

Sunday, October 9

• Morning tour of Ephesus, one of Rome’s great cities, with its beautiful villas, intricate mosaics and stunning temples. Visit the Ephesus Archeology Museum.
• Lunch in the garden of the Sultankoy rug factory with time to watch the local artisans at work and talk to the owners about Turkey’s economic, social and political environment.
• Afternoon visit to the Basilica of St. John, built by the Emperor Justinian in the 6th century A.D. and the House of Virgin Mary, who reportedly came to Ephesus in 37 A.D.
• Dinner included at a local restaurant.

Monday, October 10

• Board bus for transfer to Dalyan, a charming village along the Turquoise Coast.
• Lunch included along the river.
• Take a river boat to see the ancient rock-cut tombs high on the cliffs above the river and to visit the ancient of city Caunos, a Lycian city built before 400 B.C.
• Board our gulet to begin our cruise along the Turquoise Coast.
• Dinner on the gulet.

Tuesday, October 11 and Wednesday, October 12

• On board the gulet.
• We will cruise from Dalyan to Fethiye, visiting islands and coastal villages along the way, stopping to swim and hike and to visit Roman and Lycian ruins.
• All meals included on board the gulet.

Thursday, October 13

• Morning departure from gulet at Fethiye. Visit the Greek ghost town of Kayakoy, on the site of the ancient city of Carmylessus, built in the 1700’s and abandoned in 1923 when the Greeks and Turks “exchanged populations.”
• Lunch included.
• Transfer to Dalaman Airport for flight to Istanbul.
• Met by bus for transfer to Four Seasons Hotel Sultanahmet.
• Dinner on your own.

Friday, October 14

• Morning visit to the beautiful Dolmabahce Palace, the residence of the last 6 Ottoman sultans.
• Lunch and afternoon on your own for sightseeing or shopping.
• Closing dinner at “360," a restaurant high on a hill overlooking Istanbul.

Saturday, October 15

• Transfer to airport for flights to U.S.
• Services end.

Cost: The ground cost for the trip per person (based upon double occupancy and not including international airfare) is $9,920 if 10 or more people sign up for the trip and $10,920 if 6 to 9 people sign up. We will provide a single supplement quote upon request.

The trip price includes 5-star, or the best available, hotels, all breakfasts, most lunches and dinners as stated in the itinerary, internal flights, ground transportation, guides, admissions, transfers and tips. Not included are international airfare between the U.S. or Europe and Istanbul, alcoholic beverages, excess baggage charges, independent airport transfers, incidentals (such as internet access, laundry, phone and fax calls), passport and visa fees and medical expenses. Internal flights will be coach class. We will have our own private guides and private buses, exclusively for our group.

Currently, we can purchase visas at the Istanbul airport upon arrival for $20 U.S. cash. We will notify you immediately if this visa policy changes.

Please note that we may change the itinerary based on changes in airline schedules, natural disaster, or other circumstances requiring such changes.

Refund Policy: Deposits and any payments are fully refundable, less a $300 per person cancellation fee, until 120 days prior to departure. After that date, refunds can be made only if the program is sold out and your place(s) can be resold, in which case a $1000 per person cancellation fee will apply. After June 1, 2011, we cannot make any refunds unless we must cancel the trip because of circumstances outside our control (i.e., war, natural disaster). In that case, your payments are fully refundable. We recommend trip-cancellation insurance and, if the trip insurance doesn’t include it, medical evacuation insurance.

Currency Fluctuation Policy: We reserve the right to adjust the cost of the trip if exchange rates negatively affect the value of the dollar against the local currency, thereby increasing our costs significantly.

Trip cancellation: We reserve the right to cancel the trip if we do not have at least 6 people participating or if circumstances beyond our control (i.e., war, quarantine, etc.) require it. In the case of cancellation by us, we will refund your entire payment.

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