Eastern Tours
1st Day : Istanbul
Arrival in Istanbul. Meet & transfer to Ciragan Palace. Welcome cocktail and dinner. (D)
2nd Day : Istanbul - Adana - Antakya (Antioch)
Morning flight to Adana. Drive to Antakya, visit Sokullu Mehmet Pasha Caravanserai, Antakya Mosaic Museum, Grotto of
St. Peter. Overnight in Buyuk Antakya Hotel. (B,L,D)
3th Day : Antakya - Gaziantep - Adiyaman
Drive to Adiyaman, lunch in Gaziantep. Overnight at New Merhaba Hotel in Adiyaman. (B,L,D)
4th Day :
Adiyaman - Nemrut Dagi - Adiyaman Drive to Nemrut Dag, see the huge heads of Gods (Apollo, Zeus, Hercules) and Goddesses (Tyche=Fortuna)
built by Antiochus I, King of the Commagene Kingdom in the 1st century, and the artificial man made hill, 2000 meters high.
Overnight Adiyaman. (B,L,D)
5th Day : Adiyaman - Diyarbakir
Drive to Diyarbakir, cross the Euphrates River, see the city walls, market and Ulu Cami. Overnight in
Dedeman Hotel Diyarbakir. (B,L,D)
6th Day : Diyarbakir - Van
Drive to Van situated on the shores of Lake Van, one of the world highest lakes at 5,500 feet. Overnight in
Buyuk Urartu Hotel Van. (B,L,D)
7th Day : Van
Visit Cavustepe, Hosap Castle, reach the Akdamar Island by local boats, then visit Van Castle. Overnight Van. (B,L,D)
8th Day : Van - Dogubeyazit
Drive to Dogubeyazit, the closest town to Mt. Ararat, visit the famous 18th century Ishak Pasha Palace, built on a high
valley overlooking the caravan route. Overnight in Sim-Er Hotel Dogubeyazit. (B,L,D)
9th Day : Dogubeyazit - Kars
Drive to Kars. Visit Ani, the capital of an Urartian State and later of the Armenian Bagratid Kingdom from 953 to 1045 AD.
Among the ruins of this ancient city there are eight churches, a convent, and a citadel along with the main cathedral which
has alternately been a church or mosque. (B,L,D)
10th Day : Kars - Erzurum
Drive to Erzurum, the largest city in Eastern Anatolia. Visit Islamic monuments from Seljuk, Mongol and Ottoman periods.
Overnight Erzurum. (B,L,D)
11th Day :
Erzurum - Rize - Trabzon Drive to Trabzon on the Black Sea Coast. Visit the Tea Institute at Rize. Overnight in Trabzon , at the Grand Zorlu Hotel.
(B,L,D)
12th Day : Trabzon
Visit Hagia Sophia and Sumela Monastery which was well known and respected as a monastic center from the 4th century until
1923. Overnight in Trabzon. (B,L,D)
13th Day : Trabzon - Istanbul
Fly to Istanbul. Transfer to Ciragan Palace. Free afternoon. (B)
14th Day : Istanbul
Full day Historical Istanbul tour with lunch including Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, St. Sophia, and Topkapi Palace. (B,L)
15th Day : Istanbul
Spice Bazaar and Bosphorus Cruise in the morning. Afternoon free. Tonight, a Farewell Dinner at the TUGRA Restaurant of
the Ciragan Palace. (B,D)
16th Day : Istanbul - End
Transfer to Istanbul airport. End of our services. (B)