ANATOLIAN JEWELS TOUR – 5 DAYS (CAPPADOCIA-EPHESUS-PAMUKKALE)

Anatolian Jewel Tour – 5 days

Anatolian Jewel Tour is a reasonably priced tour version of semi-private (small group) tours at the most popular destinations in Turkey including  Cappadocia, Ephesus, and Pamukkale. The transport between the main sites is provided by domestic flights to save your time and all your land transport during the tours and transfers are provided with comfortable A/C vans. The tour is operated all-year-round. You will be hosted at well known 4 star hotels.

Day 1 : Flight and Blue Cappadocia Tour : Pick up from your hotel and transfer to airport to take an early morning flight to Kayseri about 06.30 am. We will meet you and transfer to Cappadocia. You will visit Devrent Imagination Valley and walk through this lunar landscape. Next, visit Pasabaglari (the world-famous Fairy Chimneys), the village of Avanos, where you will witness a Pottery-making demonstration using ancient Hittite techniques. The lunch will be served at local restaurant. In the afternoon, you will visit Uchisar Rock-Castle (no interior visit), Esentepe (a panoramic view of Goreme valley) and Goreme Open Air Museum (Rock-cut churches, frescoes, monastery). Accommodation in Cappadocia. (breakfast at hotel, lunch on the tour)

Day 2 : Green Cappadocia Tour: Pick up from your hotel at around 09:00 and start full day Cappadocia tour. you will visit Kaymakli Underground City (see how the people lived in this multi-level city complete with stables, kitchens, storage chambers and wine making rooms), Soganli Valley (Relaxing 3km. walking through the valley with Byzantine period rock tombs), lunch in a local restaurant, Sobesos(A Roman Bath from the 5th century and mosaics and graves from Byzantine Empire Period), Taskinpasa Medresesi(an Ottoman theological school), and Mustafapasa(Experience the Ottoman and Greek architecture of this old Greek Village once called Sinasos). Accommodation in Cappadocia. (breakfast at hotel, lunch on the tour)

Day 3 : Flight to Kusadasi and Free Day : You will be picked up from your hotel and transfer to airport to take a day flight to Izmir. You will be met at the airport and transfer to your hotel in Kusadasi. Free day. Accommodation in Kusadasi. (breakfast at hotel)

Please note that there are limited direct flights between Kayseri and Izmir. In case, there would not be suitable flight for your travel dates, a connecting flight will be arranged for you, which might incur extra costs.

Day 4 : Ephesus Tour : You will be picked up from your hotel at around 09:00 for full-day Ephesus Ancient City Tour. Visit the premiere Greco-Roman City of the ancient world, Ephesus. Explore the Temple of Hadrian, Domitian’s temple, Hercules gate, famous Celsus Library, Great theater and other Roman sites. We will also visit House of Virgin Mary where she is believed to have spent her last years. On November 29th, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed the House of the Virgin Mary at Ephesus to be sacred. After the lunch at a local restaurant, you will visit Temple of Artemis, which is the one of the seven wonders of ancient world. The final visit is to Isa Bey Mosque situated at a high-hill of the town. The mosque is from the Seljuk period. After the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel. Accommodation in Kusadasi. (breakfast at hotel, lunch on the tour)

 Day 5 : Pamukkale Travertines and Flight to Istanbul : You will be picked up from your hotel at around 08:15 for the tour of Pamukkale, leaving the colorful town behind as you will pass through the verdant countryside. We will drive for 3 hours for Pamukkale (Hierapolis) to east of Kusadasi. Half-way through, you will have break for the needs. You will arrive at North Gate of Pamukkale (Hierapolis). You will see the Necropolis (cemetery) of Hierapolis which is one of the biggest ancient cemeteries in Anatolia with 1.200 graves, Roman Bath, Domitian Gate, and the Main Street, Byzantium Gate. Then, you walk to the natural warm water terraces which were formed by running warm water that contains calcium. The temperature of the water is about 35 oC. You can see the gleaming white travertine terraces of Pamukkale, located next to the ruins of Hierapolis. The extraordinary effect is created when water from the hot springs loses carbon dioxide as it flows down the slopes, leaving deposits of limestone. The layers of white calcium carbonate, built up in steps on the plateau, gave the site the name Pamukkale (cotton castle). After the lunch, free time at site. If you like to swim in the Ancient Pool which is also called Cleopatra’s Pool they charge extra entrance fee of 10 Eur per person. (Please have your own towels and slippers with you) The Cleopatra Pool is warmed up by hot springs and littered with underwater fragments of ancient marble columns. Possibly associated with the Temple of Apollo, the pool provides today’s visitors a rare opportunity to swim with antiquities! During the Roman period, columned porticoes surrounded the pool; earthquakes toppled them into the water where they lie today. After the tour, you will be transferred to Denizli Airport to take an early evening flight to Istanbul. Your tour ends with arrival to Istanbul Airport. (breakfast at hotel, lunch on the tour)

Price :

1100 euros per person for double/twin room sharing. If you are a single traveller, there will be a 25% single supplement surcharge.