Arrive in Istanbul and check into your hotel. We stay in the Sultanahmet district, one of Istanbul’s oldest and most fascinating areas. Our hotel is located right next to the Haghia Sophia, and a five-minute walk to the Hippodrome. Our first night’s dinner is in a Michelin-recommended restaurant, a convenient five-minute walk from our hotel. Here, you will have your first taste of a cuisine resulting from Istanbul’s position as the meeting point between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. We will dive in by starting with a rich variety of “Meze”, the Turkish “antipasti” which allows you to taste small portions of many different dishes. Indeed, Turkish food is meant to be shared, so we will follow up with platters of different dishes so you can treat your palate to a myriad of tastes. Turkish wine has existed for centuries, and lately, some producers have taken it to a whole new level. You will not be disappointed by the excellent wines on offer. Overnight Istanbul.  Hotel and dinner included.

This morning, we visit the spectacular Santa Sophia church, erected 1,500 years ago by Emperor Justinian and once the largest church in the world. Then, we descend beneath Istanbul to the vast cisterns that enabled Constantinople to withstand numerous sieges. Hundreds of Roman columns support centuries-old vaulted ceilings, making this a visually unforgettable experience. After a delicious lunch in a local Lokanda, we visit the outside of the Blue Mosque (if there is not an endless line-up, we will go in) built 1,000 years after Santa Sofia and one of the most beautiful mosques in the world. Your guide will also take you to the Hippodrome, where chariot races once entertained the Byzantine Emperor thousands of years ago. This evening, we take you over the Galata Bridge and up the second-oldest tram line in the world to have dinner in the Beyoğlu district. Although inhabited since the time of Constantine, its 19th-century European architecture is a testament to its history as an enclave of European bankers, merchants, and diplomats during the Ottoman period. Today, the district has a vibrant nightlife frequented by locals of all ages. Overnight Istanbul. Hotel, breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Today, we experience the opulent and elegant Topkapi Palace, which was home to the Ottoman Sultans for 500 years. We walk to lunch and then to the Grand Bazaar, a thousand-year-old shopping mecca with over 3,000 shops packed into 60 streets. After orienting you, your guide will give you free time to enjoy the bazaar, or you can try a Turkish Hammam. Dinner this evening at an excellent Indian restaurant with a view of the minarets and dome of the Hagia Sophia.  Overnight Istanbul. Hotel, breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

We have a morning transfer to the airport for our flight south to Dalaman, on the Mediterranean coast. We are met at the airport and have a 20-minute van transfer to Göcek village, where we will board our yacht. We then cruise to a secluded bay and drop off for a short hike along the Lydae peninsula. Our destination is Hammam Bay, the Roman baths where Cleopatra once met her beloved Marc Antony en route to battle. We are picked up by the boat and spend the night anchored in a protected bay. The Hike: 1.5 hrs over rocky, undulating terrain. Distance:  4 km (2.5 mi). Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included.

Enjoy a refreshing plunge into the warm waters of the Mediterranean before breakfast on the aft deck. Around 9:30 we start our two-hour walk to Aliman Bay. Follow an ancient trail that leads from semi-submerged Roman ruins up to a hidden valley, home now to a solitary farmer and his family but formerly the site of the Roman town of Lydae, whose ruins remain 2,000 years later. We descend along an ancient road to a gorgeous bay where the boat awaits us. It's time for a swim, then we have lunch on board and relax as we cruise across the Gulf of Fethiye. We anchor in the lee of Gemiler island, whose Byzantine ruins we explore in the soft glow of the evening light. Formerly a stopping-off point along the pilgrimage route to Jerusalem, the island is covered in chapels and tombs dating from the 5th – 8th centuries as well as a mysterious covered walkway. Lunch and dinner on board. Morning Hike: 2.5 hours with some moderate climbing on rocky trails. Distance: About 8 km (5 mi) Afternoon Hike: 1 – 1.5 hours with a short climb. Distance: About 3 km (2 mi) Breakfast, lunch, and dinner included.

Enjoy a morning swim, then motor to Olü Deniz, one of the Mediterranean’s most beautiful bays. From here, we take a van up to the village of Kirme and begin our walk high above the coast. We stop for tea in Faralya village, with great views over dramatic Butterfly Bay, then continue along terraced olive groves and through a pine forest to reach Kabak Bay. We have lunch at a small restaurant overlooking the sea and our yacht in the bay below. The afternoon is free for swimming and relaxing. Dinner on board. The Hike: 3 hrs, with one long downhill, one short uphill, and a long flat traverse. Shorter options are available. Distance: About 12 km (7.2 mi). Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included.

Today, we go inland to get a glimpse of rural life and explore the ruins of ancient Lycia while our boat cruises along an exposed bit of coast. Our one-hour transfer along a beautiful back road takes us to Pinara, a Lycian city whose acropolis is perched high on a rocky promontory. The surrounding rock walls are honey-combed with carved rock tombs. We explore the acropolis of this once-important Lycian city and marvel at the ruins that date back to the 6th century B.C., including a deserted Greek theater. Lunch is prepared for us by a farming family and served under the shade of their olive trees. After lunch, we continue to the coastal village of Kalkan, where the boat will be waiting for us. Cruise to a lovely calm bay, have a refreshing swim or a cold drink, followed by dinner on board. The Hike: about 2 hours to explore the ruins; not much distance, just a bit of climbing. About 4 km (2.5 mi). Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included.

After a leisurely morning, we cruise out to Aperlae, where you can swim above the sunken remains of the ancient Roman port. We will have time to explore the ruins and then have lunch. Our afternoon walk takes us past Lycian sarcophagi to the extraordinary village of Simena, surmounted by a Medieval castle with a small Roman theater within its walls. The town spills down the hillside in a jumble of ancient rock tombs, sarcophagi, and white-washed houses. Lunch and dinner on board. Morning Hike: 1.5 hours on flat terrain. About 6 km (4 mi).  Afternoon Hike: 1.5 hours on mostly flat terrain. Distance: About 6 km (4 mi). Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included.

We have another relaxing morning of swimming and breakfast on the back deck before a scenic two-hour cruise to the charming village of Kas. We have two hours to peruse this colorful fishing village's shops, cafes, and carpet shops. For those interested, we organize a visit with Soner, our favorite and trusted carpet merchant, for a fascinating informal lecture about traditional carpet weaving. Soner is incredibly knowledgeable, and he has a vast range of carpets, kilims, and gigims to see. You will learn not only about the different techniques and types of carpets but also about their historical and cultural context. We have lunch back on the boat, anchored amongst a cluster of low rock islands. We then have a two-hour cruise to Finaz Liman Bay, where we tender to the beach for a walk up to an imposing and fascinating Roman aqueduct. We moor for the night in Finaz Liman Bay. Lunch and dinner on board. Afternoon Hike:  1.5 hrs, up a fairly steep slope and then back down. Distance: About 4 km (2.5 mi). Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included.

The boat starts early this morning while we stay nestled in our cabins. We arrive in a calm bay in time for our ritual swim and breakfast. Afterward, we put into a quiet bay and hike to the “ghost village” of Kayaköy to explore the eerie remains of this village that was abandoned in 1923 when the town’s inhabitants were sent to Greece as part of a population exchange between Greece and Turkey. We have lunch beneath the shade of enormous plane trees at a local restaurant producing delicious Turkish cuisine. Walk back through the village and down to the boat for a final swim. Dinner on board. Morning Hike: 1.5 hrs, beginning with an extended uphill on a rocky trail. Distance: 5 km (3 mi). Afternoon Hike: 1 hour, mostly downhill on a rocky trail. Distance: 5 km (3 mi). Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included.

A short cruise takes us back to Göçek village, where we disembark our boat in time for morning flights (timing can change year by year). We transfer you to the Dalaman airport for flights to Istanbul or elsewhere. Early flights can be accommodated. Breakfast and transfer to the Dalaman airport are included. 

Please note: Some details of the itinerary may change according to the departure date of your tour. Whenever we run a tour we make new discoveries. Sometimes they are good discoveries, like a wonderful new trattoria, and sometimes they are bad, like a trail has been washed away. The result is that we sometimes change our itinerary to improve it by adding new wonderful elements to the tour or by removing something that does not work anymore. Rest assured, our goal is to always provide you with the best possible experience. We will advise you of any changes to the original itinerary prior to departure.  

There is no better way to travel along this beautiful coast than on a luxurious “gulet.” A gulet is an all-wood, two-masted sailing ketch. These yachts are very broad beamed for extra stability and deck space, and the boats we use range from 26 to 34 meters in length, or 84 to 105 feet. All cabins have anen suite bathroom and shower. The boat allows us to get to parts of the coast that are only accessible by sea. Using a boat means we can unpack for a week and yet our floating hotel has a different view every day! Furthermore, it means that some members of the group can choose to relax on the yacht, enjoy a swim, try sea kayaking, or just lie around on one of the sun beds or in the shade of an awning while the others walk. The crew of four are very friendly and available to serve you drinks and snacks. The crew cleans your cabin daily, and sheets and towels are changed every three days. All of the sea travel is done during the day, so nights are generally serene.

We take paths that shepherds and local farmers frequently use. The terrain is often rocky (hiking shoes are recommended), and we do some climbs. We hike from 2 to 5 hours daily, with options to extend or shorten the hikes. Of course, the boat allows us to relax and watch the beautiful coastline unfold as you lie on deck with a good book. The choice is yours.

The food is a highlight, with an emphasis on fresh, vegetables and fruit, fish, chicken, beef, and lamb, with a few pastas thrown in for good measure. Turkish “Efes” beer is excellent, especially nice and cold on a sunny deck. Turkish wine is also surprisingly good!