Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque at sunset

Grand Bazaar

Chimney of cave homes

Museum Hotel room

Zelve caves

Zelve church with 3 alcoves

Mushroom rocks

Zelve mill stone

Old Mother Hubbard

Sunset over Kusadasi

Don resting on the boat

Dalyan Tombs

Our gulet

Moon over the Turquoise Coast

May 20 to June 4, 2011

and
September 30 to October 15, 2011

WAITLIST ONLY

Itinerary

Friday, May 20
(September 30)

• Depart from US

Saturday, May 21
(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 on your own

Sunday, May 22
(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, May 23
(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, May 24
(October 4)

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

Wednesday, May 25
(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, May 26
(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 AD, could house 15,000 people and their animals during enemy attacks
• Dinner on your own

Friday, May 27
(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 (we have hiked the Ilhara Valley, a hike we will guide this afternoon for those who are interested)
• Dinner included at Elai Restaurant

Saturday, May 28
(October 8)

• Transfer to Kayseri 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, May 29
(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 AD and the House of Virgin Mary, who reportedly came to Ephesus in 37 AD
• Dinner included at a local restaurant

Monday, May 30
(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 Kaunos, a Lycian city built before 400 BC
• Board our gulet to begin our cruise along the Turquoise Coast
• Dinner on the gulet

Tuesday, May 31 and Wednesday, June 1
(October 11 & 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, June 2
(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, June 3
(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, June 4
(October 15)

• Transfer to airport for flights to US
• 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 air fare between the US 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 US 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 March 20, 2011 (or, for the October trip, June 30, 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.