Day 1 | ANKARA Arrival day. No meals
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Day 2 | ANKARA - HATTUSAS - AMASYA A guided tour of Ankara's Museum of Anatolian Civilisations before heading east to the ancient Hittite Capital of Hattusas. Overnight in Amasya, historic capital of Pontic Empire. (BD)
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Day 3 | AMASYA - TRABZON Time to explore Amasya before heading for the Black Sea Coast where you may have the opportunity to swim. (BD)
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Day 4 | TRABZON - SUMELA - BARHAL Morning visit to the striking Sumela Monastery. Later, travel via the tea producing region of Rize to Coruh river valley in the picturesque Kackar Mountains. We spend two nights in a traditional mountain house as guests of a Turkish family. (BD)
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Day 5 | BARHAL A truly outstanding area of natural beauty. You are free to either take a day hike or just relax in the magical surroundings. (BD)
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Day 6 | KARS - ANI An early start as we drive to the grasslands of Kars and visit the fabulous ruins of the 10th century Armenian capital of Ani on the border with the modern Armenian Republic. Return to Kars for the night. (BD) |
Day 7 | MT ARARAT - ISHAK PASA - VAN Visit Mt Ararat and the stunning Ishak Pasa Palace. Afternoon drive to Van. (BD)
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Day 8 | TATVAN An excursion by boat to Akdamar Island on Lake Van to visit the Church of the Holy Cross. Continue to Tatvan, a small town on the shores of Lake Van. (BD)
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Day 9 | MARDIN Drive to Mardin via Hasankeyf, where you can see the remains of old Artukids and a picturesque citadel. (B)
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Day 10 | MT. NEMRUT Free morning in the old quarter of Mardin with time to visit the castle. Afternoon drive to Kahta, near Mt.Nemrut. (BD)
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Day 11 | MT. NEMRUT - CAPPADOCIA A wonderful sunrise excursion to Mt Nemrut. A short walk takes us to the summit where we see the massive Commagene stone heads. After breakfast we leave for Cappadocia. (B)
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Day 12 | CAPPADOCIA Visit Uchisar 'castle' for a panoramic view of Cappadocia's bizarre rock formations, then hike through some of the most spectacular valleys. (B)
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Day 13 | CAPPADOCIA - ISTANBUL Morning flight to Istanbul. (B)
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Day 14 | ISTANBUL Full free day. (B)
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Day 15 | ISTANBUL Tour ends after breakfast. (B)
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This tour follows our 'Best of East & West' from Days 1-14. Turkey's eastern provinces offer a dramatic contrast to the south coast. On this tour we offer the best of our 'Best of East & West' trip and take you to the Black Sea coast via the Pontic Mountains. A truly outstanding region the East of Turkey is blessed with natural beauty. Don't miss out on Kars, Mount Ararat the Church of the Holy Cross, Mount Nemrut,Cappadocia and the ancient and modern cities of Antalya, Selcuk, Ephesus and Istanbul. 
