Cappadocia
Beyond the Veil

An In Depth 10-day Tour of Turkey and Anatolia

Insights for Women Travelers - Men are welcomed as well
Tour starts : Weekly on Fridays

Turkish women's roles in home and society are changing dramatically. They welcome new educational and career opportunities, but want to preserve traditions and family values. Come with us to meet Turkey's women, see how they live, share meals with them, and go beyond misconceptions- beyond the veil. We'll meet artisans and learn their crafts, hike through striking landscapes, and explore the deep history, art, culture and society of biblical Cappadocia from a woman's point of view.Compare with the 8 -Day version , or add a foray into Greece , or compare with the Jewish Heritage Tour of Turkey

Suggested Itinerary

DAY 1 - WELCOME TO ISTANBUL! Friday (D)
Tour starts in Istanbul : Fridays. For private touring arrive ANY day. We meet your flight at Istanbul's Atatürk International Airport and escort you to your hotel located in the heart of the city's historic district. After freshening up, we visit the spectacular Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, followed by dinner at our hotel. Extend to Cairo, special air fare with tax: $250

DAY 2 - ISTANBUL'S TOP SIGHTS- Home Hosted Dinner Saturday (BLD)
Today we explore Istanbul's top sights, including the imperial palace of Topkapi, with its sumptuous 500-room Harem, ruled by the second most powerful person in the vast Ottoman Empire: the Valide Sultan (Queen Mother). A short walk takes us to the Byzantine Hippodrome and, beneath it, the eerie Sunken Palace cistern. Finally, we dive into the Grand Bazaar, the world's oldest "shopping mall," to look for treasures in its 4000 shops.

This evening we'll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread . . . right into the homes of some of the people of Istanbul! You'll be invited to a family dinner, and while you enjoy wholesome home-cooked specialties, you'll learn about and appreciate the outlook, aspirations, and way of life of your hosts. Be assured, as curious as you may be about your new friends, they're sure to have questions about your own background. Once the ice is broken, you'll enjoy a lively evening, and find that you have more in common than you ever suspected. Of course, you may enjoy dinner in a quiet restaurant with your travel companions, by letting us know your preferences.

DAY 3 - ISTANBUL: BOSPHORUS CRUISE Sunday (BLD)
In the morning we board a traditional Istanbul ferryboat for a cruise-tour up the Bosphorus, the broad waterway which joins the Black and Marmara seas while dividing Europe from Asia. We cruise north past a half-dozen Ottoman imperial palaces, traditional yalis (waterside villas) and shore villages. Later, as we drive south, we stop to visit the castle of Rumeli Hisar and the sumptuous imperial palace of Dolmabahçe. Returning to the mouth of the Golden Horn, we delve into the colorful sights, vibrant sounds and intriguing scents of the Egyptian Market (Spice Bazaar) before returning to our hotel.

DAY 4 - ISTANBUL to CAPPADOCIA Monday (BD)
A morning flight takes us across Anatolia ("Great Mother" in Turkish) to Kayseri, from which we drive into the eerie volcanic landscape of biblical Cappadocia. We settle in at one of the cave hotels or Kappadocia Lodge , or similar, in the afternoon, we explore the foremost sights in this historic, visually striking region. Our first stop is the Göreme Open Air Museum, with its dozens of ancient cave-churches carved from the soft volcanic stone. Many still contain their beautiful colored fresco decoration. Next we explore the monastic valley of Zelve, where whole monasteries were carved into the rock. In the Pasabag and Dervent valleys we view the "fairy chimneys," pinnacles of volcanic rock formed by wind and water erosion over millennia. We enjoy a panorama of the Red and Rose Valleys before we head back for our hotel to enjoy a typical Turkish dinner.

DAY 5 - EXPLORING CAPPADOCIA Tuesday (BLD)
We drive across the rolling steppe of Central Anatolia to the town of Derinkuyu and descend into an underground labyrinth carved thousands of years ago. Hundreds of cave-rooms and passageways descend eight levels into the earth. Storerooms, kitchens, larders, and churches show that this "underground city" was capable of housing thousands of people when danger threatened. On our way back to our hotel we stop at the striking Agzikarahan Caravansaray, built by the Seljuk Turks in the 11th century as a way-station for the rich camel caravans plying the Silk Route between Europe and Asia. Late afternoon drive to Avnos , a traditional potter- making town to visit the local artisans, and admire the fine detailing of the famous Iznic ceramic designs. In the evening we visit an underground restaurant for a traditional Turkish folklore show, with dances and costumes from several regions rich in folklore, including Gaziantep, the Mediterranean, and the Black Sea. The mysterious and alluring art of belly-dancing, and an enjoyable evening of traditional Turkish dance.

DAY 6 - CAPPADOCIA LIFESTYLE WALK Wednesday (BLD)
Morning tour of the small local bustling vegetables, fruit and spice market. Enjoy meeting locals as they do their daily shopping. Now that we've seen the highlights, it's time to really enter into the daily life of women in Cappadocia. We visit local cave homes in rock hewn villages set in spectacular valleys off the beaten track, and learn from local women how to prepare and cook several Cappadocian culinary specialties. Depending upon the season, we may pick fresh grapevine leaves to make dolma, or use a slender rolling pin to roll the dough for manti (Turkish ravioli), or prepare fresh vegetables for a savory lamb stew cooked in an earthenware crock. Best of all, we get to enjoy our culinary creations for lunch! In the late afternoon, choose any of several activities depending upon your interests. One of the most popular is to learn how beautiful Turkish kilims and carpets are created by talented Turkish female artists: we watch carpets being woven, and talk with the artists creating them. Evening at leisure. Dinner is served back at our hotel.

DAY 7 - CANYONS & LABYRINTHS Thursday (BL)
This morning we'll enjoy a brief demonstration by the Ottoman House's Chef, on the dishes served to the Sultans and Sultanas , including a variety of traditional meze (Turkish hors d'oeuvres) made with eggplant, garlic, spiced yogurts, salad greens, and goat cheese; oven baked lamb or skewered meats; and plump figs, apricots and nuts. Food- you may join in , try your hand in Ottoman cooking , memories-- are twice as good when you make them yourself! Enjoy lunch at the Ottoman House and the meal you help prepared. Afternoon at leisure.

DAY 8 - WHITE VALLEY WALK Friday (BLD)
We continue our explorations of Cappadocia with a visit to the natural rock hewn citadel of Uçhisar, one of the highest points in Cappadocia, and the nearby Pigeon Valley. Then we take a leisurely 1-1/2-hour stroll through the lunar landscape of the White Valley to see its spectacular rock pillars, fairy chimneys, tunnels, caves and passages. Our walk ends in a lavish picnic lunch, after which we return to Göreme village to meet local women in their homes We share in delicious sweets ! The afternoon and evening are yours to enjoy as you wish. You may wish to wander through Göreme's winding streets and alleys to observe daily village life, or sit and sip in a sidewalk cafe, or do some shopping, or write postcards. If you're up for more adventure, just ask us about our many optional activities and tours. Evening farewell dinner.

DAY 9 - MONASTERIES & MARKETS/ ISTANBUL Saturday (BL)
Today we visit some of the most interesting sights in Cappadocia: the striking scenery and cave churches of the Pancarlik Valley, the Keklik Monastery complex in Soganli Valley, and the Ottoman village of Mustafapasa, filled with graceful old Greek and Turkish houses. Afterwards we drive to the airport for your flight back to Istanbul and your hotel.

DAY 10 - RETURN HOME Sunday (B)
We escort you to the airport for your onward or homeward flight.

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RATES (per person) in USD $

• Comprehensive sightseeing by air-conditioned motorcoach, with professional licensed guide
• Airfares within Turkey (Istanbul-Kayseri-Istanbul)
• All admissions and museum fees
• All transfers between airport and hotel
• Hotel accommodation at the Kapadokya Lodge in Cappadocia, as well as Hyatt Istanbul, Conrad Istanbul , Marmara hotel or similar in Istanbul or an Ottoman style mansion boutique hotel in Istanbul if you prefer , all as per itinerary.
• Table d'hote (set-menu) meals as indicated in the tour itinerary: cB = continental breakfast; L = set-menu lunch; D = set-menu dinner

• International airfare (use your frequent flier tickets, or call us for special discounted fares)
• Tips to guides, escorts, drivers, hotel and restaurant staff (these are at your discretion)
• Items of a personal nature, including alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, soft drinks, tea, coffee, mineral water; phone calls; laundry service; any food not mentioned in the tour itinerary
• Insurance (travel, trip cancellation, health, etc.)
• Any other item(s) not specifically mentioned in the tour itinerary as being included
• Visa Fee : in cash upon arrival, or from any of the  Turkish Consulates.