TURKEY TOUR #10
- 8 DAYS, 8 NIGHTS Gay friendly
tours by experienced gay owned travel agency of Turkey
SAFRANBOLU,
CAPPADOCIA, KEKOVA, PAMUKKALE, KUSADASI, SAMOS TOUR FROM ISTANBUL
ATTENTION:
This package tour is available starting everyday of the year.
We organize these tours in cooperation with other non-gay
tour operators. Remember that there is no such a big potential for
such gay exclusive
tours that will be organized everyday in Turkey. Consequently, it is
just a coincidence if there will be other gay or lesbian clients at
the same time you reserve this tour. The other clients who join
these tours are mainly American or European tourists. Also note
that we are a disclosed gay company, and we only cooperate
with real gay friendly companies, tour operators, guides and hotels.
DAY
1 : ISTANBUL-SAFRANBOLU
PS: Mentioned times can change slightly from season to season.
Exact times will be informed after reservation process is completed.
23:30 Departure
for Safranbolu, overnight drive by bus. Transfers to/from bus
stations
DAY
2 : SAFRANBOLU-CAPPADOCIA
06:00 Arrival in Safranbolu. Free time in Safranbolu.
There are no regular guided tours in Safranbolu, but the town itself
is like a museum anywhere and around the town reflects the living
history of Ottoman period small cities. You can wander in narrow
streets, do nature walking, souvenir shopping, sit it mystic
traditional cafeterias, eat best samples of Ottoman dishes in fairly
cheap restaurants.
01:00 am Overnight bus to Cappadocia via Ankara, including transfers
to bus stations.
A typical Safranbolu street
Old Safranbolu house
An Ottoman style restaurant
SAFRANBOLU:
Safranbolu is a town boasting a glorious collection of old Ottoman
houses, with a rich collection of pieces of art which represent
traditional Turkish life and culture. Its rich history and success
in preserving it earned the town an inclusion on the UNESCO World
Heritage List.
Best known for its old Turkish houses, the town is attracting more
attention especially as these 19th century homes are gradually
disappearing from other areas of Turkey. Visitors enjoying walking
along the old narrow cobbled streets, and seeing some of the
traditional crafts and trades that are still practiced today. It is
also known as the Capital City of Preservation, acknowledging its
ability to hold onto not only pieces of art, but also the atmosphere.
DAY
3 : CAPPADOCIA
Your bus will arrive to Cappadocia next day early in the morning at
around 06:00 am.
You will be transferred to your hotel. After you settle up at your
hotel and rest a little you will be picked up from your hotel for
the below tour: Full day Northern Cappadocia tour including transfers, guide
and entrance fee. This tour will cover the most famous parts of the
region such as Goreme Open Air Museum, Zelve, Urgup and Dervent
Valley. Lunch will be served during the tour in a nice Turkish
Restaurant.
Transfer back to hotel. Dinner at your hotel included. Hotel accommodation
in Cappadocia. Private rooms with air condition and bath/WC.
Possible hotels are Dedeli Cave or Hisarevi hotels in
Urgup. If they are not available similar quality and location hotels
will be reserved.
Amazing rock formations
Cappadocia
is Turkey’s most visited area on account of its history because of
its singularity and the strangeness of its lunar landscape. It is
considered to be one of the wonders of the world and for centuries
it has sheltered churches, frescoes, mosaics and paintings of
Byzantine art.
The history of Cappadocia begins with the
eruption of two volcanoes Lava covered the entire region changing
the landscape. In the course of millennia rain and wind eroded the tufa creating unusual valleys, fissures, canyons and bizarrely
shaped cones. Dwellings were excavated inside the rocks and after
the first Christians arrived churches and monasteries were
also built. Numerous hermits and ascetics lived in the forgotten
valleys. Under the rule of the Byzantines, Cappadocia became a
bulwark against attacks by the Arabs, and entire underground cities
were built.
DAY
4 :CAPPADOCIA-ANTALYA
One
day is never enough to see the wonders of the vast Cappadocia
region. You have so many things more to see on your second day that
will keep your eyes wide open with amazement.
The second day's itinerary will be like this:
Breakfast at your hotel included Full day Southern Cappadocia Tour
including transfers, entrance fees,
guide This tour will cover Underground city of Derinkuyu or
Kaymakli, wonderful Ihlara Valley as well as a
caravanserai of Seljuk period, which is the great Turkish Empire
before Ottomans. Lunch included in a typical Turkish Restaurant during the day
tour.
Transfer back to hotel. Overnight bus to Antalya at 19:30 o'clock.
DAY
5 :ANTALYA-OLYMPOS
07 : 00 Arrival in Antalya. Transfer to Olympos
08 : 00 Arrival in Olympos and check-in to tree-house hotel in
Olympos village and camping area
09 : 30 Tour of ancient sunken city of
Kekova Island and Simena
17 : 00 End of the tour, back to the hotel for dinner and overnight
Tree Houses in Olympos village
Boats at Olympos bay
Simena across Kekova Island
Olympos:
Olympos is a village at the south coast of Turkey, 90 km southwest
of Antalya city near the Town of Kemer. The city was founded in the
Hellenistic period, sharing its name with nearby Mount Olympos. Its
coins date back to the 2nd century BC. The city became one of the
six leading cities of the Lycian federation. Near Olympos, located
in the neighboring village of Cirali, the eternal flames called the
Chimaera may be seen issuing from the ground. The fuel source for
the flames is natural gas, largely methane, seeping through cracks
in the earth. The surrounding area offers best conditions for
Trekking, Mountain biking, Canyoning, Rock climbing, Sea kayaking.
Kekova: Kekova, is a small island near Kas district
of Antalya province which faces the villages of Kaleköy (ancient
Simena) and Ucagiz (ancient Teimioussa). On its northern side there
are the ruins of an ancient town partly sunken under the sea
probably after destroyed by an earthquake during the second century
A.D. Kaleköy or is a popular Lycian site, situated upon one of the
most attractive spots of the Turkish coast. There are pensions and
fish restaurants which serve daily fish and Mediterranean style
Turkish cuisine dishes. Access to village is possible only by sea
(by yacht and by motorboats from Kas). It is an enjoyable place to
visit for its great beauty and charm.
DAY
6 :DRIVE TO PAMUKKALE
After breakfast
Drive to Pamukkale whenever ready.
Hotel accommodation in Pamukkale (possibility Koray Hotel or Kocak
hotels)
DAY
7 :PAMUKKALE-KUSADASI
Breakfast at hotel included
08:30-17:30 Pamukkale & Hierapolis tour including transfers,
entrance fees, guide
Lunch during the tour is included. (Visiting the amazing white colored travertines, hot spring
pools and water terraces have been created by nature in millions of
years on the mountain slopes of Pamukkale and the ancient city of
Hierapolis which has the biggest ancient Necropolis of Turkey with
1200 gravestones)
17:30 Drive to Kusadasi
19:30 Arrive in Kusadasi. Hotel accommodation
in Kusadasi. Private rooms with air condition and bath/WC. Possible
hotels are Atinc Hotel or Polat Beach Hotel
in Kusadasi. If they are not available similar quality and location
hotels will be reserved. Hotel Upgrade is possible upon request.
Bathing in pools is no more
allowed
Pamukkale
(Hierapolis)
Pamukkale is one of the most enchanting and remarkable sights
in the whole of Turkey with the great dazzling white plateau, almost
400 feet high, rising in a curtain of stalagmites and shallow pools,
giving one into another on hundreds of different levels, and ancient
city of Hierapolis located on this plateau. The great baths were
constructed in the second century and are so well-preserved that
they now serve as a museum. The impressive and recently restored
theatre, the Martyrium of St. Philip the Apostle of the 5th century
– a colonnaded street erected by Domitian, a monumental gate of the
same period, another bath stretching on for over a Mile, the
necropolis with a fascinating variety of tombs and sarcophagus are
the famous monuments of this antique city.
DAY
8:KUSADASI
After breakfast free day in Kusadasi.
Hotel accommodation in Kusadasi.
Besides being a popular resort,
Kusadasi is also a major base for visiting many neighborhood
ancient sights.
KUSADASI:
Many cruising ships traveling around
the Aegean Islands stop here, especially because of its close
proximity (20km) to Seljuk. Kusadasi is a good base to explore this
and other ancient cities like Priene and Didyma. Although there is
little of historical interest in Kusadasi itself, the town is
popular predominantly because of its many hotels, restaurants,
souvenir and carpet shops, and lively nightlife.
The Kale district
has some old traditional houses and narrow streets, and gives some
indication of what the town used to be like. The most famous beach
is Kadinlar Plaji, 2.5km south of the town, dominated by huge hotels
and can get very crowded in summer. There are several small beaches
further south, and closer to town is Yilanci Burnu, the peninsular.
DAY
9 :SAMOS or ISTANBUL
Samos Island, Greece
After breakfast transfer to the port.
09:00 Ferry to Greek Island, Samos / or overnight bus to Istanbul.
SAMOS ISLAND:
Samos is an island of the
eastern Aegean Sea. It is only 1500 meters far from the coasts of
western Turkey, where ancient Ionia culture
bloomed. combines extraordinary nature with culture which hasn't had
any significant changes through centuries , along with a really long
history and old traditions of the island and its sights.
In classical antiquity the island was a centre of Ionian culture and
luxury, renown for its Samos wines and its red pottery (called
Samian ware by the Romans). Its most famous building, was the Ionic
order archaic Temple of goddess Hera - the Heraion.
Samos economy depends mainly on the tourist industry and wine
industry. Samos wines have won prestigious international awards.
PRICE,
PAYMENT AND RESERVATION
Tour Price:
605
Euro per personin single room (1 pax) 525 Euro
per person in double room (2 pax) 485 Euro
per person in triple room (3 pax)
% 7
winter discount from November 01-March
31, except Christmas period (December 23-January 03)
Ask for group discount for participants over 7 pax
Above tour prices include:
All taxes.
5 nights accommodation in private rooms at 3 star or equal quality
special class hotels.
Mentioned guided day-tours with lunch. Entrance fees for museums
All mentioned meals above in the itinerary
Transportation by non-smoking, air-conditioned long distance buses,
with Pullman seats.
All connecting transfers in between the tour period.
Ferry ticket to Samos, including harbor charges
Customize this tour package:
Flights
Instead of overnight bus on return, transfer to Izmir Airport +
evening flight to Istanbul (80-110 Euro extra cost depending on
season and early reservation)
Instead of Cappadocia-Antalya overnight bus in the middle of the
tour, transfers and
Kayseri-Istanbul-Antalya connected flight + extra hotel
accommodation in Cappadocia will be required . There are no regular
direct flights (180-250 Euro extra cost for 2 flights, 2 airport
transfers, 1 night 3* hotel, price depending on season availability
and early reservation)
Add-ons 3 star hotel in Istanbul before or
after the tour: 50 Euro single, 30 Euro double pp, 25 Euro triple
pp.
Extra 3 star hotel accommodation in Safranbolu, Cappadocia, Antalya,
Pamukkale, Kusadasi: 45 Euro
single, 25 Euro double pp, 20 Euro triple pp.
Airport transfers from/to hotels in Istanbul for your international
flights - 30 Euro - one way for 1-3 pax
Istanbul tours:
http://www.turkey-gay-travel.com/dailytours1.html
Hotels can be upgraded to 4 or
5 star or equal quality special class boutique hotels, if you pay
the extra cost. You can tell us specific hotels you want to stay in
each destination.
Click Here for Other Turkey Tour Packages
PAYMENT AND
RESERVATION
Payment and reservation:
We will request 30% of the total tour price for guaranteed
reservations. We will send you a detailed reservation contract by
e-mail after all details are confirmed mutually.
For payments we accept Maestro, Visa and Master credit cards besides
bank transfers. We also accept American express, but in that case we
will have to reflect the 7% commission to you, which we have to pay
ourselves.
Although not recommended to avoid last minute inconveniences, it is
also possible to make an open-end reservation without sending
your card information and making an advance payment if you are able
to make the payment minimum 2 days before the date of
departure in Istanbul