Van Trip Overview
Highlights of Eastern Turkey
A specious private tour of Remote Turkey
A world away from Turkey’s popular resorts, this exciting new eastern borderlands tour offers adventure, scenery and cultural interest on a grand scale. Our journey begins in Van dominates the Iranian border and Lake Van, vast and mountain encircled, feeds the plains of Mezapotamia. Mount Nemrut houses 2200 years old giant statues of God and Goddess. With its broad vistas and dramatic scenery, fascinating history and culture, this trip gives a truly varied insight into a part of Turkey rarely seen by foreign visitors.
HIGHLIGHTS:
• The markets and architecture of Mardin & Urfa
• Fantastic sunset by the majestic heads of Mt. Nemrut
• Eastern Turkey cousine influenced from borderline cousines.
Additional Info
Duration: 10 days
Starts: Van, Turkey
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Van Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Van, Van Province, Turkey
Highlights of Eastern Turkey
A specious private tour of Remote Turkey
A world away from Turkey’s popular resorts, this exciting new eastern borderlands tour offers adventure, scenery and cultural interest on a grand scale. Our journey begins in Van dominates the Iranian border and Lake Van, vast and mountain encircled, feeds the plains of Mezapotamia. Mount Nemrut houses 2200 years old giant statues of God and Goddess. With its broad vistas and dramatic scenery, fascinating history and culture, this trip gives a truly varied insight into a part of Turkey rarely seen by foreign visitors.
HIGHLIGHTS:
• The markets and architecture of Mardin & Urfa
• Fantastic sunset by the majestic heads of Mt. Nemrut
• Eastern Turkey cousine influenced from borderline cousines.
Itinerary
Day 1: Van airport to Van. City Tour in Van
Stop At: Van, Van
Meet in Van airport.
Group meets with guide in Van airport and drive to hotel in city centre.it is 10 km distance or 15 minutes away. Depending on the time of arrival ,there is a chance to make a city tour.
Duration: 1 hour
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: hotel elite world 5*
Day 2: Day 2 : Van- Van Castle- Akdamar island boat trip–Ahtamar church
Stop At: Holy Cross Church, Merkez Gevas Merkez, Gevas, Van Turkey
After breakfast in hotel we drive to Van Castle , walk over the castle and reach to top to watch Lake Van. This 3000 years old castle has inscriptions from Urartu civilization.Then we visit world wide famous Van cat cat house. In the afternoon we drive to Akdamar island and visit Akdamar church where there is a well documented Armenian church with the most ornate reliefs depicting scenes from the Old Testament.We take boat to visit it.
Evening we arrive to Tatvan and check in to hotel.
Hotel (B, )
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Akdamar Island, Lake Van Bitlis Van Yolu, Gevas, Van Turkey
We take a boat to island
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Van Castle (Van Kalesi), 5 Km From The City Center, Van Turkey
We walk up tcastle and enjot the Lake Van
Duration: 1 hour
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Tatvan Kardelen Hotel 4 *
Day 3: Tatvan – Hasankeyf – Mardin:
Stop At: Hasankeyf, Hasankeyf, Batman Province
Day 3: Tatvan – Hasankeyf – Mardin:
We drive along Batman river, still spanned by one of the largest stone bridges of its kind. Turning south , we visit the ancient town of Hasankeyf. This town will, unfortunately, soon be flooded under the waters of a dam and so we will be able to learn what the local populace think about this first hand. In the afternoon we continue on to Mardin,a hillside town overlooking the plains of northern Syria.
Hotel (B,)
Duration: 2 hours
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: 4* hotel in Mardin
Day 4: Day 4: Mardin- Deyrul saffaran monastery Old Mardin Centre
Stop At: Deyrulzafaran Monastery, Alimli Turkey
Day 4: Mardin- Deyrul saffaran monastery Old Mardin Centre: After breakfast we have the chance to spend some time in the evocative, stone-built, hillside city of Mardin, home to Turkey’s few remaining Syrian Christians. The architecture here is both ornate and fascinating, particularly the mosques and churches. The old markets are also well worth a wander, down lanes between stone houses as they slope on down the hill. The museum is also quite beautiful with a great view. . There are also a number of monasteries still active in the area and we hope to be able to visit one of them. The local cuisine is also rightly famous and we intend on indulging ourselves accordingly Late evening we drive to Urfa where we stay 2 nights. Sleep in Urfa
Hotel (B,)
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Mardin, Mardin, Mardin Province
we walk in old Mardin city and visit museums, churches, ulu camii mosque, bazaar and enjoy the view of Mesapotamia
Duration: 2 hours
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: 4*hotel
Day 5: Day 5: Urfa Urfa museum Gobeli tepe- Harran Abrahams Cave Balık Fish Lake
Stop At: Potbelly Hill, Orencik, Sanliurfa 63290 Turkey
Day 5: Urfa Urfa museum Gobeli tepe- Harran Abrahams Cave Balık Fish Lake
We start our day in the old Crusader town of Edessa, now called Urfa. It is believed to be the birthplace of Abraham. Its labyrinthine bazaar is both inviting for its offer of cool shade and fascinating for its wares. The cuisine in this area has a reputation for being ‘fiery’. Its old medrasses (schools) lie next to ornamental lakes with their tea gardens, giving the appearance of a harmonious union between nature and architecture. We also visit Gobelitepe and Harran Bee Hive village and overnight ,in same hotel
Hotel (B,)
Duration: 2 hours
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: 4*hotel in Urfa
Day 6: Day 6: Mount Nemrut – Arsemia site- Karakus tumulus- cendere bridge- Nemrut Mount
Stop At: Nemrut Dagi National Park, Karadut Turkey
Day 6: Mount Nemrut – Arsemia site- Karakus tumulus- cendere bridge- Nemrut Mount
After breakfast we drive to Mount Nemrut region to visit Cendere bridge, Karakus Tumulus and Ancient city of Arsemia. Then we continue to 2134m high Mount Nemrut. In 62 BC, King Antiochus I theos of Commagene built on the mountain top a tomb-sanctuary flanked by huge statues 8–9-metre-high (26–30 ft) of himself, two lions, two eagles and various Greek, Armenian, and Medes gods, such as Zeus-Aramazd or Oromasdes (associated with Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda), Hercules-Vahagn, Tyche-Bakht, and Apollo-Mihr-Mithras. These statues were once seated, with names of each god inscribed on them standing over the 2100 years on the top of mountain .After watching sunset, we turn back to Adıyaman.
Hotel in Adıyaman (B)
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: Arsemia Antik Kenti, Kahta Turkey
Ancient city of Arsemia. Then we continue to 2134m high Mount Nemrut. In 62 BC, King Antiochus I theos of Commagene built on the mountain top a tomb-sanctuary flanked by huge statues 8–9-metre-high (26–30 ft) of himself, two lions, two eagles and various Greek, Armenian, and Medes gods, such as Zeus-Aramazd or Oromasdes (associated with Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda), Hercules-Vahagn, Tyche-Bakht, and Apollo-Mihr-Mithras. These statues were once seated, with names of each god inscribed on them standing over the 2100 years on the top of mountain .
Duration: 1 hour
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 7: Day 7: Gaziantep-Zeugma museum- Gourmet tour
Stop At: Zeugma Mosaic Museum, Mithatpasa Mahallesi Haci Sani Konukoglu Bulvari Sehitkamil, Gaziantep 27500 Turkey
Day 7: Gaziantep-Zeugma museum- Gourmet tour Today we leave for Gaziantep and visit Zeugma museum and try best south eastern Turkey cousines of Gaziantep. Antep kebab, içli köfte , lahmacun, baklava, antep pistachio comes from Antep through history. In the afternoon we check in to the hotel in Gaziantep.
Hotel in Gaziantep (B)
Duration: 2 hours
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: 4* hotel in Gaziantep
Day 8: Antakya Hatay Antioch St Peter Church Samandag Vakıflı
Stop At: Antakya, Antakya, Hatay Province, Turkish Mediterranean Coast
Day 8: Drive to Antioch – St Peter church- Kurtulus street
Today we drive to Antakya and visit St Pier church, old town. City houses Ortodoks, Catholic, Protestant church mosques and Sinagogs. We visit some of the historical monuments. The town has its unique tastes.
Sleep in hotel in Antakya
Duration: 2 hours
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: 3* hotel
Day 9: Adana
Stop At: Adana, Adana, Turkish Mediterranean Coast
Day 9: Drive to Adana
Today we drive to Armenian Village Vakıflı and visit it. Then we drive Adana for our last day. We visit Sabancı mosque, town and museums. We end our tour in the evening. You can choose a flight to İstanbul or Sleep in Adana and you can fly to Spain next day( please choose a flight in the afternoon if you want to end the tour on day 9)
Duration: 2 hours
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
Day 10: Adana
Stop At: Adana, Adana, Turkish Mediterranean Coast
Day 10 : Transfer to Adana airport and fly to Home
Transfer to Adana airport from hotel
15 km or 15 minutes
Tour ends, Thank you
Duration: 1 hour
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
