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17-Day Itinerary:
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Day 1: Depart USA
- Day 2: Arrive Istanbul, transfer to your hotel, located in the historic Sultanahmet District. Meet your guide for welcome cocktails.
- Day 3: Istanbul city tour, including Haghia Sophia, Basilica Cisterns, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Harem and Hippodrome. Afternoon walk to the Covered Bazaar and Spice Market followed by a cruise on a private boat up the Bosphorus to a seafood restaurant for dinner. (BLD)
- Day 4: Morning flight to Kayseri. Drive to Cappadocia. Visit Goreme and the potters caves and workshops of Avanos. Overnight in Cappadocia, surrounded by the dream-like lunar landscape of fairy chimneys. (BLD)
- Day 5: A full day of exploring Cappadocia, monastic valleys, timeless villages and frescoed churches. We hike from Uzumlu Kilise Church to the rock formations at Pasebag. Picnic lunch enroute. Afternoon free for relaxation or an authentic weaving presentation by local village girls. Following dinner at our hotel, we attend a local folkdance. (BLD)
Day 6: We visit the underground city of Kaymakli, then on to Belisirma Village and start our hike to the Ihlara Valley. We explore frescoed rock churches in this stream lined canyon oasis. We drive to the capital city of Ankara. After an early dinner, we fly to Antalya, overnight in the old town of this beautiful port city. (BLD)
- Day 7: After breakfast we visit the colorful Farmers Market then on to the 2C Roman theatre at
Aspendos. Returning to Antalya, we stop to explore the Greco-Roman city of Perge. Overnight in old town Antalya, with an evening stroll around the traditional old Turkish homes. (BLD)
- Day 8: Early morning hike to the mountain top site of Termessos then we visit the award winning Antalya Museum. We drive west along the coast to romantic Phaselis, then on to Olympos and a hike to the eternal fires of Chimaera. Overnight in the charming village of Cirali, a beautiful seaside village. (BLD)
- Day 9: Board our traditional Gulet at Finike Marina, then set sail to Myra's ancient port
of Andriance. In Myra we visit the Lycian house tombs. We sail to Kekova Sound for swimming and
snorkeling. Afternoon hike to ancient Simena. Overnight on yacht. (BLD)
- Day 10: After a leisurely morning swim, we sail to Kekova Island, witnessing Byzantine sunken remains. We visit Aperlai and have ample time to snorkel over the sunken ruins. Following lunch we sail to the lovely village of Kas. Dinner is on your own. (BL)
Day 11: We sail to Bucak Denizi for a morning swim and breakfast. Kalkan is our next anchorage where we meet our private van to take us to Bezirgen Village for a taste of authentic lifestyle in Turkey. We will be guests at a village home for a traditional lunch. After lunch we drive to Xanthos, the capital city of Lycia, and on to Patara, a 10 mile long deserted sandy beach for an afternoon swim. We return to Kalkan and sail off to the nearby solitude of Firnazlar Cove. (BLD)
- Day 12: We sail around the 7-Capes to the Bay of Belcekiz. After a morning swim, we hike to the Greek ghost town of Kayakoy, a truly moving place. In the afternoon we rendezvous with our yacht and sail to Gemiler Island where we anchor for the evening. (BLD)
- Day 13: We explore Gemiler Island, once inhabited by Byzantine Monks. We then sail across Fethiye Bay to a beautiful cove in Gocek Lagoon. After lunch we're off to Cleopatra's Sunken Baths. Optional afternoon nature hike, we later meet our yacht for another evening under star filled skies. (BLD)
- Day 14: We sail to Iztuzu Beach, at the confluence of the Dalyan River. We board smaller river boats and cruise up stream, arriving at natural hot springs and a therapeutic mudbath. We swim at Koycegiz Lake, then return to Dalyan for a BBQ lunch. We visit ancient Caunos and the famous Carian temple tombs. We meet our yacht in the afternoon.
(BLD)
- Day 15: We sail to the Bay of Marmaris. After lunch and swimming in a
wilderness cove, we then disembark our yacht and bid farewell to our crew.
We meet our private coach and drive to Kusadasi. We check in to our hotel,
privately situated on a rocky promontory overlooking the Aegean Sea. (BLD)
Day 16: We drive to Ephessus and tour this grandest of all cities of antiquity. Tour the Selcuk Museum and visit the small chapel known as the House of the Virgin Mary. The Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World, was located in Ephessus. We take an afternoon flight to Istanbul, and transfer to our hotel. Farewell group dinner. (BLD)
- Day 17: Group flight transfer to the airport for homebound flights.
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