Guided Tours to Turkey

The travel writer Freya Stark said of Lycia: "There are not so many places left where magic reigns without interruption and of all those I know, the coast of Lycia was the most magical."

Included: a spacious cabin  with en suite bathroom on a deluxe yacht, delicious Turkish on-board meals, site & museum entries, transportation to sites, guide & resource person service.

Not included: gratuities to the yacht crew, drivers and guide, cost of alcoholic drinks, one on-shore lunch & dinner, laundry & phone charges, etc.

ACT IV: ONCE CONSTANTINOPLE/NOW ISTANBUL

October 11-15  5 days @ $2400 pp dbl occupancy

It is a city Peter Davies once lived in and has visited regularly over the past fifty some years and, therefore, knows intimately.

 Istanbul  itineraries  (prepared by Peter Davies)  the group can choose  three from:

Since our Istanbul hotel will be situated only a stone's throw from Hagia Sophia, The Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and major museums, mornings will be free for you to explore the immediate neighborhood on your own while in the afternoons excursions will take you to distant attractions or places off the beaten path. To help you plan your evenings you will be supplied with a written guide to Istanbul's outstanding restaurants and night life. Peter Davies will be available each morning to help you plan your mornings and evenings.

Included: hotel, minibus transportation to sites and  airport transfers, guide service, site entries, breakfasts and one complimentary fish dinner at Kum Kapi. Not included: lunches and dinners (except for Kum Kapi dinner), gratuities to driver, for personal services at hotels: phone, laundry, room service charges, entries to sites or museums you visit on your own. 

In Central Anatolia we visit what was Ancient Cappadocia with its bizarre lunar landscape of tufa rock formations, which resulted from two massive volcanic eruptions millions of years ago.   In our medieval period, the region became an important center for early Christianity.  It remained a largely Greek region until the population exchanges of the 1920s.  Surviving from this history are medieval rock churches and monasteries, with early frescoes, huge underground cities, and cave houses.  Your "hotel"  will be a restored cave house.  From Cappadocia you  travel overland to Konya, ancient Iconium, the center of the Whirling Dervishes and once the capital of the Selcuk Turks.  This steppe city in the eleventh and twelfth centuries was so renowned for its Selcuk architecture that the saying was "See all the world, but see Konya." 

We have calculated our costs on the assumption that we will have 10 travelers staying in 5 double rooms throughout, and based on today’s  dollar/lira and dollar/euro exchange rates.  The yacht may have varying cabin sizes, which will require adjustment between those staying in standard cabins and those in master cabins, but the overall average price cost  for those who opt for all four acts:  $8900  per person.   The individual act costs are listed at the beginning of each act described in the itinerary.  You must take a minimum of two acts.  The overall cost does not include international air fare.  There will also need to be an adjustment for anyone traveling as a single  requiring a single room or cabin, and in the event of major currency swings of greater than 5%. 

True,  there are many cheaper tours to Turkey.  The Turkana Odyssey tour, however, is:

An alternative to going on an arranged group tour accompanied by Peter Davies is working out a customized itinerary for you, your family and/or friends, which can take be scheduled at your convenience and is suited to your personal tastes.  Having lived in Turkey between 1961 and 1964 and having visited at least once a year since I have what would have to be called an insider's knowledge of Turkey.

My interests in Turkey are varied: including the archaeology and monuments of the many stages of Anatolia's history (Hittite, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Selcuk, and Ottoman).

I am also keenly interested in Turkish contemporary life, a devotee of Turkish cuisine, an expert on Turkish kilims and rugs (see the main Turkana Gallery tribal eye site), and addicted to beautiful places and scenery.  I see travel as a mix of pleasure, intellectual stimulation, and  encounters with different cultures.

If you decided to use my services I would first discuss with you what you wish to do, where you wish to go, what your interests are, how long you wish to travel, what level of accommodations you prefer, what your budget is, etc. Once I had a sense of all of this I would present you with a rough-out of an itinerary with choices of accommodations and modes of travel. Then we would together further refine this and create a detailed itinerary. I would then make the travel arrangements and reservations.

I would look for the best rates and arrangements possible, passing on to you costs that in most cases are below the standard retail rates. In all cases my recommendations would be based on my first hand experience with what I am recommending. The savings I would realize for you would more than compensate for the cost of my fee. Any hotel or restaurant that I would recommend would have been  first visited by me.

My fee for a standard consulting job of arranging a two week Turkish trip is based on an hourly rate of  $100 for couples;  $125 for groups under 5; $200  for groups larger. On the average, a trip requires 15 to 20 hours of planning and arranging. Much of my fee, I predict,  would be "paid for" through the discounted rates I will be able to obtain for you.

1. The Five Act Insider's View of Turkey itinerary described above, or any individual sections of it, customized to your specifications (but not led by Peter Davies)
   
   
2. The Greek Dodacanese Islands & the Turkish Aegean coast by gulet (yacht)
   
   
3. Northeastern Anatolia & the Eastern Turkish Black Sea Coast: Ancient Georgia & Armenia
   
   
4. Southeastern Turkey: ancient  Upper Mesopotamia
   
   
5. Thrace and the Troad

Much of what I said above applies here. As opposed to joining a group formed by a charter arranger, you would in this case be bringing your own group made up of family and/or friends. I would determine what size yacht you need and then show you photos and information on a group of yachts I am familiar with. These would be owner-operated assuring you a good crew (as opposed to larger yacht rental companies which employ free-lance crews--always a gamble).

We would then work out what part of the coast you would visit and what the general itinerary would be, arrange for a qualified guide to accompany you, work out the various transfers and arrange such things as the daily menu, etc. The costs, of course would be determined by the  level of yacht chosen, the itinerary, the season , length of  charter, etc.

My fee for these services would be as above for customized tours.

scenes from the Lycian Coast

Turkana Odyssey avoids large touristic hotels catering to bus tours, and instead, favors small boutique (special class) hotels with local character. For the most part we patronize what is fast becoming the favored touristic accommodation in Turkey: restored Ottoman mansions in neighborhoods in close proximity to the historic sites.

 

 

One of our gulets in full sail

 

The yacht used for Turkana Odyssey trips will be comparable to the ones used in the past few years (as photographed above): a wooden gulet approximately 30 meters long, sail and diesel powered, filling the gap between standard Turkish gulets and luxury mega yachts offering generous space and comfort.

  

standard cabin

dining on deck

 

 

Attractively decorated wood paneled double cabins have portholes and comfortable beds as well as en suite WC's, basins and showers with hot and cold water.  The decks are spacious and the saloon features music, games and a small library. The galley is equipped to turn out meals in the Turkish and international styles. Meals can be modified to accommodate most special dietary requirements. The crew (captain, steward, busboy, and cook) have separate quarters.

The cook will introduce you to the best in Turkish cuisine and on request will present hands-on cooking demos. The yachts we use are suited for people who wish to be on the sea rather than insulated from it, for travelers who prefer quality and comfort. Snorkeling gear, windsails, fishing gear, and a kayak can be arranged in advance. Serious fishermen should bring their own gear. The yacht will have 24 hour ship's radio service and a cellular phone.

We have had first hand experience with  yachts we select and are rigorous in our standards.

                          

ABOUT THE TRAVEL ORGANIZER, PETER DAVIES, Ph.D:

Peter Davies, who will accompany you on all  four "acts" of the  ORGANIZED TOUR, or  who will  CUSTOMIZE TOURS  and/or YACHT CHARTERS he does not accompany, taught at the American College in Izmir, Turkey, from l961 to 1964, when he developed his interest in Turkey. He has degrees in English Renaissance poetry & theatre (M.A., U. of Illinois), and Theatre History (Ph.D, Yale).

Peter illustrates the origin of theatre at the ancient Greek theatre of Priene

listens to Gypsy music at Kum Kapi in Istanbul

and emerges from an underground city in Cappadocia

 

 

Living in Turkey for a three year period in the 1960's stimulated his interest in all things Graeco-Roman-Hellenistic-Byzantine-Ottoman and Tribal--as well as in contemporary Turkish life. While living in Turkey he traveled extensively and has since returned each year to continue his explorations.

Mr. Davies is also an expert on Turkish kilims and peasant and nomadic life and has published widely on these subjects. For further information see the main  Turkana Gallery kilim website under "publications".

His books, The Tribal Eye (Rizzoli Press), and Antique Kilims of Anatolia (WW Norton Professiona Books) were published in 1993 and 2000 respectively. He has lectured at museums and rug societies nationwide and has organized numerous exhibitions, including a major exhibition of kilims at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, CT, in 1997.

He has taught at  the University of Illinois,  The American College, Izmir, Turkey, the University of Montreal, Tulane University, and Simon's Rock (now a campus of Bard College). He now owns and manages Turkana Gallery of Old and Antique Kilims in New York's financial district and last year celebrated its thirty fifth year in business. He also manages Turkana Farms, a farm devoted to raising heritage breeds of animals in a natural and humane way, in New York's Hudson Valley.

Periodically he has since 1976 created tours for small groups with a special interest in Turkey. In June, 1997, he began his "An Insider's View of Turkey" tours which he has led annually since. Additionally, he has annually customized a number of trips he does not accompany.

 

 

ABOUT OUR GUIDES:

Turkana Odyssey uses accredited guides trained in the Turkish government school, who hold advanced university degrees, and are fluent in English. Further, our guides are instructed not to introduce our clients into shopping situations unless they request it. Additionally, on trips he accompanies, Peter Davies provides historical overviews, and guides in situations in which he has specialized knowledge, in particular Graeco Roman theatre.

Note: remember that if you will be flying from the United States you will need to book your ticket to depart the day before the beginning of the tour. And your domestic legs will have to be coordinated with the arrangements of the group.

TURKANA ODYSSEY RESERVATION FORM

PLEASE (CLICK HERE) TO PRINT AND FILL OUT THE FOLLOWING FORM,  AND ENCLOSE IT  WITH YOUR DEPOSIT CHECK.

MAIL TO PETER DAVIES/TURKANA, 125 CEDAR ST., PENTHOUSE, NY,NY, 10006

Firefox browser users: click here to print reservation form.

(Deposit amount for spring & fall tours: : $1000 A PERSON; $2000 a couple): For customized tours or yacht charters there is a $500 deposit required Write your name exactly as it appears on your passport ___________________________________________________________________________ Your name, Passport No. Place of Issue _____________________________________________________________________________ Your name, Passport No. Place of Issue ______________________________________________ Street Address ______________________________________________ City State Zip Code ______________________________________________ Telephone (home) (business) ______________________________________________ Fax number ___________________________________________ E-Mail Enclosed is my/our check for $_____________ as a deposit for the___ Fall, ___Spring 2013 organized  tour I plan to do the entire tour package of four "acts"_____ I plan to do "acts"______     Please make  hotel reservations for me/us in the following category: ___Double occupancy ___Single occupancy   ___ Shared double: I desire assistance in finding a roommate. I understand that if one cannot be found I will be charged the single rate. I/we prefer ___smoking ___nonsmoking      If a double you require ___shared bed ___separate beds.      Note: in most of our hotels there is the option of upgrading from a ___standard double room (included in the trip cost) or  to a ___deluxe room or ____master suite (for a surcharge) On our gulet/yacht we offer  a  two person standard cabin . If you are traveling single you have the choice of sharing a cabin, or having the cabin to yourself but paying the surcharge.   Air ticket reservations: ___I would like Turkana Odyssey to book my international air ticket I would like to book a coach class round trip from______to _____ I would like to book a comfort class round trip from _____to_____ ___I plan to arrange my own international round trip air ticket ___I will not be flying Turkish Air internationally and will pay the surcharge for a domestic air ticket in Turkey. *To Reserve today please make out your DEPOSIT check to Turkana Odyssey and mail it to 125 Cedar St., Penthouse, N.Y., N.Y, 10006. Once your deposit check has been received you will receive the payment schedule for the balance due and a detailed daily itinerary. If you choose to have Turkana Odyssey arrange your international air ticket, payment will be due once the ticket has been arranged.

QUESTIONS?

If you have questions Peter Davies can be reached by phone at 212-732-0273 or 518-537-3815; or fax at 212-964-6903; or e-mail at daviesturkana@turkanafarms.com. If you would like a personal interview with Peter Davies this can be arranged either in New York City or Germantown, New York.

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