THE TURQUOISE COAST OF TURKEY

10 days
Highlights: Six days of yachting along the beautiful Turquoise Coast; visits to the archeological sites of Ephesus, Didyma, Caunos, Xanthos, Myra  and a tour of Istanbul’s historic Sultanahmet District.

Day 1 ARRIVE ISTANBUL, WELCOME DINNER
Arrive to Istanbul and self transfer to our hotel. Night at the hotel.

Day 2 TOUR ISTANBUL
While having your breakfast around 08.00 am you will meet with your guide who is going to be with you during the entire trip. Following breakfast we start to tour the main sites in Istanbul, including the Aya Sofya, built by the Roman Emperor Justinian in the 6th Century AD and the largest building in the world for at least a thousand years; The Blue Mosque, built in the 17th Century and still one of the largest and most beautiful mosques in the world; the Hippodrome, where Romans raced chariots, and Topkapi Palace, the fabulous home of the Sultans and their harems. Night at the hotel. B,L,D

Day 3 – FLY TO IZMIR, DRIVE TO KUSADASI, TOUR EPHESUS
We take a morning flight to the coastal city of Izmir, and drive to Ephesus, one of the most famous and extensive archeological sites in the Mediterranean.  After Istanbul Ephesus is the most visited place in Turkey.  The site was continuously inhabited since around 3000 BC, when it was the center for the worship of the goddess Cybele, later called Artemis.  It then became Ionian, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine as each succeeding civilization enjoyed its fine harbor.  Its Library of Celsus is one of the most photographed buildings in the world.  Ephesus slowly faded as the Little Meander River silted in this harbor in the 5th century AD.  St. Paul and St. John preached here, and we still have Paul’s “Letter to the Ephesians.” Mary is said to have followed John here, and we might visit a house many feel was the site of her home.  
After visiting Ephesus we drive to the town of Selcuk to visit the Basilica of St. John, where the Saint is buried, and the Ephesus Museum, with its wonderful statues of Artemis.  Then we return to our hotel to relax before dinner. Night at the hotel. B,D 

Day 4 – DRIVE TO MARMARIS, BOARD YACHT (GULET)
We drive southeast to Didyma. Didyma was home to an oracle similar to that found at Delphi. The huge temple to Apollo, commissioned by Alexander, was a work-in-progress for over five centuries but never completed, probably because it became so huge that it surpassed the engineering of the day.  Even today it is an amazing ruin, because of both its huge size and the intricacy of the stonework. Then we continue driving to Marmaris, where we board our yacht.  We may spend the evening berthed in Marmaris, and walk about this busy resort city, or we may leave and anchor in a remote cove. Night on the yacht. B,D

Day 5 – EKINCIK BAY, DALYAN RIVER, CAUNOS
We sail to sheltered Ekincik Bay, where we board a smaller boat and ride up the meandering Dalyon River to the ruins of Caunos, another Lycean city with wonderful rock tombs and an incredibly high acropolis.  After lunch in the town of Dalyon we head back to our yacht, and spend the night in Ekincik cove.  Night on the yacht. B,L,D

Day 6 – AGALIMANI, KAYAKOY, GEMILER ISLAND
In the morning we sail to the beautiful cove of Agalimani, which means “harbor of the respected elders.” We will anchor here for breakfast.  Those who wish may enjoy swimming, kayaking, wind surfing and relaxing before we head to the beautiful beach at Oludeniz, one of the prettiest - and most photographed - in Turkey.  Those who wish can hire local boats for water skiing or parasailing.  We will anchor here for lunch and in the afternoon we drive to the ghost town of Kayakoy.  Once a thriving Greek village, the town has been deserted since 1924 when the villagers, along with more than a million other Greeks, were expelled to Greece.  The town has sat empty since then. Only in the past few years have Turks --mainly artists-- begun to move in.  From

Day 7 – KALKAN, LUNCH WITH VILLAGERS, XANTHOS, KAS
In the morning we sail to Kalkan, then drive high into the mountains to visit the village of Yayla, where we have lunch in the home of some villagers. Then we drive to Xanthos, ancient capital of Lycia whose citizens were legendary for their fierce independence. Twice in history they committed mass suicide rather than surrender: First in 540 BC, to avoid capture by the Persian general Harpagus, and again in 42 BC when under siege by the Romans under Brutus. Appropriately, the site still has a large necropolis, with many sarcophagi. Much of Xanthos was carried off to the British Museum in the 1840’s, but there is plenty to give us a feel for the place and time. Then we drive to Kas to meet our yacht.   Kas was a Greek fishing village named Andifli until the population exchange of 1924, when its inhabitants were expelled to Greece.  It is now a bustling resort town, but much of the Greek architecture remains.  We will spend the evening in the Kas harbor, and according to the choise of our group we may spend the night at a more silent bay or at the Kas marina to have time to sample its nightlife.  Night on the yacht. B,L,D

Day 8 – KAS, APERLAE, KEKOVA
This morning we will finish our exploration of Kas and sail to Aperlae, where we can swim over sunken ruins and old sarcophagi, and perhaps walk across a peninsula to meet the yacht.  We will sail on to Kekova Island, here we can again swim and float over sunken ruins. Night on the yacht. B,L,D

Day 9 – DEPART YACHT, DRIVE TO ANTALYA, FLY TO ISTANBUL
We say goodbye to the crew and yacht and drive to Demre, where St. Nicholas (yes, Santa Claus) was Bishop in the 4th Century. While the church there is not the original one, it is perhaps the oldest church in Asia Minor. Our drive then takes us to Myra, to visit its rock tombs and Roman theater. We continue our drive to Antalya airport, to catch our flight back to Istanbul. Upon arrival to Istanbul airport self transfer to your hotel and the tour ends. Night at the hotel. B

Those who wants to extend their vacation for Cappadocia please let us know.