Eastern Turkey Tour For Groups

12 Nights / 13 Days
Eastern Turkey is cold. Trips are recommended only in Summer.

Day 01 : Arrival to Adana
Meet and transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Adana.

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Day 02 : Adana – Tarsus – Antakya
Today we will drive to nearby town Tarsus which was the birthplace of St. Paul. We will have a chance to walk the streets of Tarsus. We will continue to Antakya in the afternoon. After lunch we are covering the second largest Museum of Mosaics in the world. Visit the Church of St. Peter where early church members were called Christians. Overnight stay in Antakya.

Day 03 : Antakya – Zeugma – Gaziantep - Kahta
We will depart in the morning to visit the remains of Zeugma. This ancient city was a big trade center in the 2nd c. and fabled with its mosaics. It was excavated before it got partially covered by the nearby dam lake. In the afternoon we continue to Gaziantep to visit the museum of archaeology. Continue to Kahta.

Day 04 : Gaziantep – Mt. Nemrut – Harran – Kahta
We will depart at 4 am in the morning to watch the sun rise on Mt. Nemrut. After we tour the burial mound at the peak of the mountain and observe the gigantic statues of Commagene kingdom we will continue to Cendere Bridge and Karakus Tumuli. Stay in Kahta.

Day 05 : Kahta – Ataturk Dam – Harran – Sanliurfa
Today we depart for Ataturk Dam which is the 4th largest project in the world. In the afternoon we will continue to Harran which was the place where god told Abraham to seed his generations. Visit Sanliurfa Balikli Gol in the late afternoon.

Day 06 : Sanliurfa – Midyat – Mardin
Drive to Suryani Kadim Monastery in the morning on the way to Midyat. We will observe Midyat in detail in the afternoon which is the most famous silver jewelry producing town in the Middle East. Drive back to Mardin for an overnight stay.

Day 07 : Mardin – Hasan Kehf – Diyarbakir
Drive to Hasan Kehf in the morning and continue to Diyarbakir. Visit the old town of Diyarbakir and its Ulu Mosque. Stay in Diyarbakir.

Day 08 : Diyarbakir – Akdamar Island – Van
We will depart early this morning to visit the Akdamar Church near Van. We will take a small boat ride to get to Akdamar Island on Lake Van. This church has one of the most complete scene collections of the Old Testament carved on the façade of the church. Late afternoon tour of Van.

Day 09 : Van – Mt. Ararat – Kars
Our first sight seeing will be at Dogu Beyazit. We will observe the beauty of the Mt. Ararat from a distance. Then we will continue to Ishak Pasa Palace which is one of the oldest and most complete palace complexes in the world. Than we will continue to Kars the city built on top of the high cliffs. In the late afternoon we will walk the bazaars of Kars.

Day 10 : Kars – Ani – Artvin
Ani is one of the cities which were emptied when Turkish Government reciprocated its people with Muslim Greeks. Since then the town has not been settled therefore it looks like a ghost town. Continue to visit Artvin which is one of the most beautiful cities near the Georgian Border.

Day 11 : Artvin – Ayder Plateau – Rize
Today is completely kept for the visit of Ayder Plateau. During the day we will visit many different villages and observe the local people. We will continue to Rize for an overnight stay.

Day 12 : Rize – Sumela – Trabzon - Istanbul
The monastery of Mary in Sumela is one of the most beautiful locations on Black Sea Mountain range. The monastery is built almost 1000 feet from the sea level on the sheer drops of the mountains. After lunch near by we will continue to Trabzon and visit the castle and the Hagia Sophia Monastery. We will catch the late afternoon flight to Istanbul

Day 13 :Departure transfer. End of our servcies.

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Packed Paradise Turkey 2010