Eastern Turkey 12-Day Sightseeing Tour from Trabzon
All our tours are a product of constant careful research and evaluation enhanced by direct local knowledge of the region and our thirty years experience.
Covering 12,000 years of Anatolian history, this unique 12-Day tour of Eastern Turkey takes in three distinct climate zones and four major civilizations as well as the oldest monumental megalithic structure in the world; you will see tea plantations on the Black Sea, the Biblical Mountain of Ararat where Noah's Ark came to rest, stunning Lake Van, the capital city and principal citadel of the Kingdom of Urartu before ending where it all began, with the astonishing site of Göbekli Tepe at 10,000 BC!
ItineraryDay 1: Trabzon, Sumela Monastery and Hagia Sophia,Black Sea coastline-Tea Factory-Overnight ArtvinStop At: Trabzon Hagia Sophia Museum, Fatih Mah.Ayasofya Sok. Merkez Karadeniz manzarali, sahil karşisi., Trabzon, Ortahisar 61080 Turkiye
Take the morning flight from Istanbul to Trabzon (or you can arrive a day before) .The guide will be at the airport to collect the party. We will start the tour with a visit the Hagia Sophia Museum, a significant 14th century Byzantine church, overlooking the Black Sea, which boasts some frescos of considerable importance.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Sumela Monastery, Trabzon, Ortahisar Turkiye
From Trabzon we travel a short way up the Zigana Valley, to Macka
in the Altindere National Park to visit the Monastery of the Black
Virgin at Sumela. In this truly spectacular setting, the seven story
Sumela Monastery hangs from the side of a 1200 ft cliff overlooking
a steep river valley.
This has been a monastic site as early as the 4th century AD and was a renowned monastic community partly because of its remarkable location and the ascetic principles characterised by the early years of Christian monasticism. Drive to Artvin via Rize and hopa along the coast of Black Sea.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Altindere Vadisi National Park, Merkez Altindere, Macka, Trabzon, Ortahisar Turkiye
Trabzon city tour and Altindere national park
Duration: 3 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Grand Artvin Hotel (4*)
Day 2: Georgian Valley-Ishan and Osvank Churches-Yakutiye Madrasa. Overnight ErzurumStop At: Ishan Church, Village of Ishan Yusufeli, Artvin Turkiye
After breakfast, drive to Ishan Church via Artvin. We will stop to see the Bocka Dam and then drive through the Coruh Valley characterised by beautiful wild landscapes all along the raging river, and Georgian valleys including castles and churches.
Visit the mountain village of Ishan. In this village, which was once
an Armenian then a Georgian bishopric, stands the ruins of an 8-9th century cathedral and a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in
1006.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Tortum Waterfall, Erzurum Turkiye
Via Goergian valley we will stop at Tortum Lake to see the waterfall. The Tortum Waterfall is the tallest waterfall in Turkey. We will walk down to the bottom of the waterfall. This place is good for picnic too.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Yakutiye Medresesi, Lalapasa Mahallesi, Erzurum 25200 Turkiye
After arriving Erzurum, we will have a look Yakutiye Medrese and the little museum inside. Yakutiye Medrese is a historical 14th century Madrasa and today it is used a musuem too. It is right in the city center. We will take a walk around Yakutiye and see the local life.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Polat Renasiance Hotel (5*) or Zade Boutique Hotel
Day 3: Erzurum-Kars-Ani,Overnight KarsStop At: Erzurum, Türkiye
After breakfast see the Great Mosque, Double minaret, Medreses and other central sites including the bazaar, three tombs and Ulu cami. We will walk in the city center through the historical sites. When we walk we will have a chance to see the local life of Erzurum.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Ani Antik Kenti, Kars Turkiye
Arrive in Kars and continue for Ani, the former capital of the great medieval Armenian kingdom. In the mid-10th century, nothing in Europe could rival this capital of Ani in terms of either size or magnificence. The remains of the ruined city include several churches as well as the shell of the Cathedral of Ani, the citadel and a mosque along with an extensive and well preserved defensive wall. There are also some exciting remains of frescoes in the Church of St Gregory (Tigran Honentz) despite exposure to the elements for centuries.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Ani Cathedral, Kars Merkez, Kars Turkiye
According to various historical sources and inscriptions, it is known that building work started in the year 989 under King Smbat II (977-89) and was completed, after a halt in construction, by the year 1001 (or 1010 depending on the reading of the inscription) by order of Queen Katranideh (Catherine), the wife of King Gagik Bagratuni, Smbat's successor.
Duration: 3 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Cheltikov Boutique Hotel or Katerina Sarayi or Simer Hotel
Day 4: Ararat-Dogubeyazit- Overnight VanStop At: Mount Ararat, Eastern Turkey on the Armenian border, Agri Turkiye
We continue our journey south skirting around the western edge of
Mt Ararat.Mount Ararat is 5137m (16854 ft).
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Ishak Pasha Palace, Dogubeyazit Yolu 5., Dogubeyazit 04400 Turkiye
In Dogubeayzit, we visit the spectacular Ishak Pasha Palace 1685 -
1784 with unique fusion of architecture from Seljuk, Ottoman,
Georgian, and Armenian/Persian styles. Even in its ruined state the
opulence and originality of art and impeccable taste coupled with
the ambition of its owner instantly grasp the imagination. Out on
the remotest reaches of the empire, far from central authority in
Istanbul its creators produced provincial palace that could rival any
in the empire. Built as the seat of the government in the province of
Mount Ararat in Eastern Anatolia
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Muradiye Selalesi, Muradiye, Van Turkiye
Stop for refreshments at the charming Muradiye waterfall.
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Montana Hotel or Ramada Hotel
Day 5: Akdamar Island-Hosap Castle, Van Castle-Overnight VanStop At: Akdamar Island, Lake Van Bitlis Van Yolu, Gevas, Van Turkiye
We will go to the island of Akdamar where we visit the beautifully restored 10th century Armenian Church of the Holy Cross, or Sourp Khach; built as a part of a palace and religious complex between 915 and 921 by the Armenian King Gagik Ardzruni.Although, it is one of the best known examples of Armenian architecture. It is also unique in that there is no comparable example in terms of the reliefs and decorative features that adorn the exterior of the building.
The grace and simplicity of the original structure is superb although it has been somewhat marred by later additions. A chapel was added in 1293 at the south eastern side of the church and dedicated to St. Stepanos and a further chapel was added at the north eastern side by the Catholicos Zakarias I (1296- 1336) while the section in front of this chapel serves as an entrance. Catholicos Tovmas (Thomas) built an addition at the front of the church producing a lower “split level” floor plan.
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Hosap Castle (Hosap Kalesi), Merkez Gurpinar Merkez, Gurpinar, Van Turkiye
After breakfast we will leave for Hosap to see Hosap Castle.
The main castle structure of Hosap was built straddling the Silk Road and served as both a means of protecting the road and as a point of charging tolls on travellers. Constructed in 1643 by a local
Kurdish chieftain called Mahmudi Sari Suleyman (or Blond
Suleyman) The castle is built on a rocky outcrop on the north bank
of the Hosap River. The structure that we see today dates mostly
from 1643 when Hosap's governor Sari Suleyman Bey rebuilt the
castle and added a new entrance tower. A castle was probably built
at this location as early as the Urartu Kingdom (9th c.- 6th c. B.C.);
it is certain, however, that the structure was built early on and
modified numerous times until the seventeenth century.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Van Castle (Van Kalesi), 5 Km From The City Center, Van Turkiye
The Fortress of Van is a massive stone fortification built by the ancient kingdom of Urartu during the 9th to 7th centuries BC, and is the largest example of its kind. It overlooks the ruins of Tushpa the ancient Urartian capital during the 9th century which was centered upon the steep-sided bluff where the fortress now sits.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Ancient Urartian site of Cavustepe (Sardurihinilli), 25 kms from Van on the Hakkari road, Van Turkiye
Cavustepe is an Urartian Royal palace and fortress.
Duration: 40 minutes
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Montana Hotel or Ramada Hotel
Day 6: Nemrut Tatvan-Ahlat-Tatvan-Overnight TatvanStop At: Nemrut Krater Lake, Tatvan, Bitlis Turkiye
We will leave Van and drive along the southern shore of Lake Van
to Tatvan. After stopping for refreshments in Tatvan, we will drive to
Mount Nemrut crater and have a picnic lunch by the Crater Lakes. The highest peak of the mountain stands at 3050 meters and
is one of the largest complete calderas in the world. The volcanic
cone was believed to have originally been higher. It was at 4450
meter before its eruption. The last time it was active was in 1440
BC.
There are five lakes within the crater, and the largest two, which we
will visit, are very different. The Cold Lake (13 sq.kms) has an
average depth of 100 meters, where its deepest point is at 155 m.
The Hot Lake has a visible amount of steam rising from its thermal
springs.
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Ahlat, Ahlat, Bitlis Province
Ahlat and its surroundings are known for a large number of historic tombstones left by the Ahlatshah dynasty, also known as the Shah-Armen, Shah-i-Arman, or Ahlat-Shah dynasty.
Duration: 2 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Mostar Hotel (3*)
Day 7: Hasankeyf-Midyat-Mardin-Overnight MardinStop At: Hasankeyf, Batman Turkiye
Via Bitlis we continue down the Bitlis Gorge, via the city of Batman,
to the town Hasankeyf for lunch. In Hasankeyf on the Tigris we will visit some of the many caves and the ruins of the medieval Byzantine city.
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Mardin Province, Mardin Province
The city survived into the Assyrian Christian period as the name of Mt. Izala (Izla), on which in the early 4th century AD stood the monastery of Nisibis, housing seventy monks.In the Roman period, the city itself was known as Marida (Merida) from a Syriac/Assyrian Neo-Aramaic language name translating to "fortress.Mardin has often been considered an open-air museum due to its historical architecture. Most buildings use the beige colored limestone rock which has been mined for centuries in quarries around the area.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Deyrulzafaran Monastery, Alimli Turkiye
The Saffron Monastery was once the ancient centre of the Syriac
Christian Patriarchy. This site has been the centre of religious
worship for many centuries, the monastery itself is built over an
ancient temple, built in 1000BC and dedicated to the worship of the
sun and which now provides the foundations to the main part of the
monastery buildings - it is a fascinating structure as the roof of the
temple to the sun is, essentially, a flat arch!
Duration: 1 hour
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Gazi Konagi Boutique Hotel
Day 8: Mardin- Diyarbakir-Overnight DiyarbakirStop At: City Walls, Diyarbakir Turkiye
Diyarbakır Fortress is a historical fortress in Sur. It consists of an inner fortress and an outer fortress.
The main gates of the fortress are: Dağ (Mountain) Gate, Urfa Gate, Mardin Gate and Yeni (New) Gate.The walls come from the old Roman city of Amida and were constructed in their present form in the mid-fourth century AD by the emperor Constantius II. They are the widest and longest complete defensive walls in the world after only the Great Wall of China.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Grand Mosque, Cami Kebir, Pirincler Sk. 10 A, Diyarbakir 21300 Turkiye
The Great Mosque of Diyarbakır was built by the Great Seljuk Sultan Malik-Shah I over an older mosque, and its shape was inspired by the Great Mosque of Damascus.The mosque is considered by Muslim scholars to be the fifth holiest site in Islam after the Great Mosque of Damascus. It can accommodate up to 5,000 worshippers and is famous for hosting four different Islamic traditions.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Diyarbakir, Diyarbakir
The city tour will include Meryem Ana Church, and we will travel northwest to Diyarbakir to see the 10 Arches Bridge on the Tigris River and the 16th century Ottoman Han, called Hasan Pasha Hani,
Duration: 3 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: The Green Park Hotel (5*) or Dies Hotel (4*)
Day 9: Nemrut Adiyaman-Overnight NemrutStop At: Mount Nemrut, Adiyaman 50100 Turkiye
Leave for Nemrut via the ferry over the Euiphratesry arriving in Narlice Village in Nemrut National Park. We will travel to the top of Mount NemrutTombs of Commagene Kingdom and the Colossal Statues of Gods. Climbing up to Tumulus of Antiochos, the capital of Kommagene we will watch the sun set from the summit of Nemrut. This ancient funerary monument at the peak of Mt Nemrut was forgotten and lost to memory for nearly 2000 years. This iconic monument was only rediscovered accidentally by a working for the
Ottoman government in the early 1880s. At the peak of the mountain, 2150 metres, there is a tumulus of crushed stones beneath which, it is believed, lie the remains of the monument's builder Antiochus Epiphanes.
Duration: 6 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Euphrate Hotel on Nemrut or Garden Hotel in Adiyaman
Day 10: Sanliurfa- Gobekli Tepe-Overnight SanliurfaStop At: Potbelly Hill, Orencik, Sanliurfa 63290 Turkiye
We will visit the on-going archaeological dig at Gobekli Tepe. Although this site is not widely known it is one of the most important archaeological digs currently being undertaken anywhere - this site represents a major shift in our understanding of man's early history. Here lie the remains of the earliest religious structures built by man yet to be discovered.At about 11000-13000 years old and pre-dating pottery, writing, Stonehenge and the Pyramids!
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Sanliurfa, Sanliurfa, Sanliurfa Province
In Urfa we will visit the Holy Pools of Abraham andthe cave where, tradition tells us, the Prophet Abraham was born. Visit the Bazaar and Gumruk Han.
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Sanliurfa Archeology and Mosaic Museum, Camlik Caddesi, Sanliurfa 63200 Turkiye
Şanlıurfa Museum is an archaeological museum in Şanlıurfa, Turkey. It is located at 11 Nisan Fuar Caddesi, Şanlıurfa. In this Museum, findings from the surrounding area, i. e. from Göbekli Tepe or Harran, and from the Southeastern Anatolia Project are exhibited.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: El Ruha Hotel (5*)
Day 11: Gaziantep-Zeugma Museum-Overnight GaziantepStop At: Zeugma Mosaic Museum, Mithatpasa Mahallesi Haci Sani Konukoglu Bulvari Sehitkamil, Gaziantep 27500 Turkiye
Depart for Gaziantep and renown Mosaic museum which houses the mosaics taken from the city of Zeugma which is now submerged under the flood waters of the Ataturk dam. The mosaics
are a superb example of the skill and artistry of these ancient craftsmen, not to mention the wealth and taste of the citizens who commissioned them. From the museum we will leisure time visit the citadel district at the centre of the city and then to the old town to enjoy the sights and smells of old Gaziantep, one of the oldest
continuously inhabited cities in the world.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Gaziantep, Gaziantep, Gaziantep Province
In spite of all the history and in a country renowned for the excellence of its cuisine, what makes Gaziantep special is its food.
Alongside now familiar Turkish specialities, there is Gaziantep food, and the people in this part of Turkey like their food hot and spicy! Food in Gaziantep is different from the cuisine in other parts of Turkey because of the influence of Ogus Turks and Aleppo in neighbouring Syria. The difference is visible in its rice meals, soups, kebabs, meatballs, etc. Its kebab varieties include kiyma kebab or minced meat, kusbasi kebab, simit kebab, patlican (aubergine) kebab, ciger (liver) kebab and sogan (onion) kebab.and so on, some of them fearsomely hot Apart from all this, there is
lahmacun (a pancake prepared with spicy meat and karisik dolama (a preparation made of different types of vegetables), yogurtlu patates or potato with yogurt and much, much more.
Duration: 3 hours
Meals included:
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Accommodation included: Sirehan Boutique Hotel
Day 12: Transfer to Gaziantep Airport Stop At: Gaziantep, Gaziantep, Gaziantep Province
After breakfast we will transfer you to Gaziantep Airport
Duration: 30 minutes
Meals included:
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No accommodation included on this day.
Informacion Adicional
"Not wheelchair accessible"
"Stroller accessible"
"Near public transportation"
"Infants must sit on laps"
"Infant seats available"
"No heart problems or other serious medical conditions"
"Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level"
"This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers"
"Confirmation will be received at time of booking"
Duration: 12 Days
Start location: Traveler pickup is offered
We pick up all the travellers from Trabzon Aiport
Airports- Trabzon Airport, Trabzon, Ortahisar Turkiye
Cancellations and refunds:
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.
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