Turkey's Sacred Lands & Ancient Civilizations (2012)

Istanbul • Van • Kars • Erzurum • Trabzon • Cappadocia • Antakya (Antioch) • Gaziantep • Adana
  • 19 days
  • from only:
  • $3995
  • $211 per day
    Land Tour Only
  • 20 days
  • from only:
  • $4295
  • $215 per dayIncludes international airfare and government taxes
IN THIS SECTION:
Detailed Itinerary
NEW-Private Departures
Is this Adventure Right for You?
It's Included
Unique Accommodations
Extend Your Adventure
Istanbul, Turkey
Cruising the Turquoise Coast: Ephesus, Izmir & Turkey's Hidden Coves
Optional Tours
Your Travel Handbook
Air information
LearnMore
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Customize your trip

Learn how to customize your adventure, or view standard air routing and travel times. The choice is yours with our True Choice program.

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Customize your trip

With our True Choice Program, you can choose to stay longer before or after your trip on your own, or combine two adventures to maximize your value. Here are more ways to create the OAT adventure that’s right for you:

  • Choose our standard air routing, or work with us to select the airline and routing you prefer
  • Make your own international flight arrangements directly with the airline, applying frequent flyer miles if available
  • Stay overnight in a connecting city before or after your trip
  • Request to arrive a few days early to get a fresh start on your adventure
  • Choose to “break away” before or after your trip, spending additional days or weeks on your own
  • Extend your adventure with our optional pre- and post-trip extensions
  • Combine your choice of OAT adventures to maximize your value
  • Upgrade to business or premium economy class

The air options listed above will involve an additional fee of $100 per person for confirmed requests (as well as incremental airfare costs based on your specific choice). This service fee will be waived for Inner Circle/Sir Edmund Hillary Club members.

Or, when you make your reservation, you can choose our standard air routing, for which approximate travel times are shown below.

GATEWAY

TRAVEL TIME*

Atlanta, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco

16hrs

Boston, Miami, Newark

14hrs

Chicago, Washington, DC (Dulles)

13hrs

Houston, Seattle

15hrs

New York (JFK)

17hrs

Phoenix

18hrs

San Diego

21hrs

* Estimated total time, including connection and layover. Actual travel time may vary.

The information above reflects approximate flight times from the gateway cities listed to Istanbul, Turkey. Routing is based on availability and subject to change. You will receive your final air itinerary approximately 14 days prior to departure.

REFER and EARN

Earn increasing rewards as a Vacation Ambassador

REFER and EARN as a Vacation Ambassador with
the BEST referral program in the industry

Inspiring new travelers to join the OAT family is a rewarding experience—both for you and your new travelers.

Share your love of travel with others and, for each referral who embarks on an OAT trip, you will earn $100 in CASH or credit. With your 4th referral departing on a 2012 departure, your reward increases to $200 in CASH or credit per person. And once you refer 8 travelers departing in either 2012 or 2013, you'll earn a FREE trip valued up to $4,500 per household—which will bring the total value of your earned rewards up to $5,600.

And you are also passing along savings to your new traveler: We'll instantly deduct $100 off the cost of their reservation when they mention your name and Customer Number while reserving.

To learn more about the benefits of our Vacation Ambassador Referral Program, please call us toll-free at 1-800-955-1925 or click here.

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Post-Trip: Cruising the Turquoise Coast: Ephesus, Izmir & Turkey's Hidden Coves

6 nights from only $1695
T19386

No visit to Turkey is complete without a visit to its dazzling Turquoise Coast—which you’ll explore aboard a traditional Turkish gulet-style yacht. Disembark to discover the wonders of the ancient Greco-Roman city of Ephesus, then continue on to Izmir—a gem often overlooked by other travel companies.

Single Supplement: FREE.

Please note: This extension only available on select departures. Ask your Adventure Specialist for details.

It's Included

  • Accommodations for 4 nights aboard an intimate gulet-style yacht and 2 nights in Izmir
  • 14 meals—6 breakfasts, 3 lunches, and 5 dinners
  • 7 small group activities
  • Services of our own resident OAT Trip Leader who speaks English and the native language
  • All transfers
Day 1
Fly to Dalaman/Embark gulet

Fly to Dalaman on Turkey’s Turquoise Coast and embark our privately chartered Mediterranean gulet-style yacht. Enjoy dinner on board as we sail to a nearby cove.
Day 2
Cruise to Kayakoy and Gemiler Island

Cruise the craggy coast and disembark on a small beach to begin our hike to Kayakoy via a rarely used trail that follows the side of a hill full of carob trees, thyme, and bay, with incredible vistas of inlets and lacy coastline. Anatolian Greeks once inhabited this city of about 600 houses. During the 1920s, the entire population was relocated to Greece in the aftermath of the Turkish War of Independence. It is an eerie and moving place, a tragic reminder of how politics can affect human lives. We walk first uphill, and then descend on a well-graded but sometimes rocky path to a cove at Soguk Su, where we meet our gulet.

Lunch is served on board, and in the afternoon we cruise to nearby Gemiler Island, where we see a sixth-century Byzantine monastery and ancient churches and refectories. If you like, you can hike to the top of the island, about a 400-foot elevation gain, for a breathtaking view of the azure channel below. We return to our gulet in the afternoon, and may have time for a brief swim before dinner.
Day 3
Cruise to Friendship Cove/Hike to Lydea & Cleopatra’s Baths

In the morning, we cruise to Aga Limani, or "Friendship Cove." You may join an elective hike through forests, meadows, and spectacular coastal scenery to a little-known Greco-Roman site called Lydea. We walk a pine-shaded trail amid the smells of wild herbs, and the music of goat bells, with spectacular vistas of the Gocek Lagoon and Bay of Fethiye. As we hike, our gulet sails around to meet us in a scenic cove that shelters the sunken baths of Cleopatra, built for her by Mark Antony. Legend says that Antony gave Cleopatra the entire Turquoise Coast as a wedding gift—a present fit for a queen. This is another excellent place to swim, if you feel so inclined.

After lunch, you'll have the afternoon free. Dinner is on board the ship tonight.
Day 4
Cruise the Dalyan River

This morning, we meet up with a small river boat and take a side trip up the Dalyan River. A shimmering blue band, the Dalyan River snakes amid bamboo and cattails, glimmering like the nearby Mediterranean Sea. Named for dalyans, the fishing weirs that have supported locals for centuries, the river reveals abundant birdlife. As we cruise this lovely waterway, we may well see some of the many species of birds that live here, from the shy ibis to the fearless gull.

When our small river boat brings us to Iztuzu Beach, we may also discover the Loggerhead Sea Turtles, depending on the season, who have nested here since the age of the dinosaurs. You'll be transported by the tranquil sands, which are bordered by the Dalyan on one side and the Mediterranean on the other. We'll enjoy lunch during our cruise.

Then set out to visit the ancient Lycian site of Caunus, a beautiful ancient site, where we can stroll around the temples, baths, nympheum, and an ancient theater. We have striking views along the way of Lycian temple tombs hugging a rock face. Afterward, we return to our gulet and enjoy dinner on board.
Day 5
Disembark gulet/Visit Ephesus/Transfer to Izmir

After breakfast, set out overland for the world-famous ancient Greco-Roman site of Ephesus, one of the largest and best-preserved ancient cities in the world.

We’ll walk on the remarkably preserved wide marble streets, flanked by columns and temples. We see the Library of Celsus, a tiered façade decorated with exquisite statues. The amphitheater we’ll see is the same one where St. Paul preached to the Ephesians. And there are also remarkably preserved baths. Ephesus was also the site of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. No longer standing, it was said to be one of the most colossal temples ever built. After lunch on your own, we visit the Ephesus Museum in Selçuk, which displays incredible finds from the ancient city.

We arrive in Izmir early this evening, where you are free to explore and have dinner on your own.
Day 6
Izmir/City tour/Afternoon at leisure

Discover the highlights of Turkey’s third-largest city on an included panoramic tour featuring Kemeralti, its historic market district; the tony Alsancak neighborhood; and Asansör Street, renowned for its century-old elevator. Then, ferry to Izmir’s twin city, Karşıyaka. Your afternoon is at leisure in Izmir today, and we gather together for an included dinner tonight.
Day 7
Izmir/Return to U.S.

After breakfast this morning, we transfer to the airport for our return flight to the U.S. via Istanbul.