top of page

WINTER ADVENTURE

8 Days

1 Country

Cities

COME AND ENJOY THE OTTOMAN STORY, DELICIOUS FOODS, SKI LODGES, CAVES HOTEL, BREATH-TAKING SCENERY AND SHOPPING !

4 UNESCO World Heritage Site

 2 Nights stay in Cave Hotel Cappadocia

Free Ski Pass

Roof Top Dinner in Istanbul

Day 1  ISTANBUL - CAPPADOCIA 

           Uchisar Castle, Pasabag Valley, Goreme Open Air Museum, Avanos

Day 2  CAPPADOCIA

           Pigeon Valley, Dervent valley, Cardak Underground City, Carpet

    .      Weaving Centre.

Day 3  CAPPADOCIA - KONYA - PAMUKKALE 

           Caravanserai, Mellana Museum, Textile Outlet

Day 4  PAMUKKALE - KUSADASI

           Ancient city of Hierapolis, Cotton Castle, Ephesus, Turkish Delight & 

           Olive Oil Outlet

Day 5  KUSADASI - BURSA

           Silk Market, Grand Mosque , Leather Outlet

Day 6  BURSA

            Mt Uludag, Cumalikizk Village

Day 7  BURSA - ISTANBUL

           Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar & dinner 

           at roof top restaurant

Day 8  ISTANBUL TRANSFER
           Transfer to airport

Day 1

Day 1   Arrival Istanbul & Flight To Cappadocia

Upon arrival into Istanbul International Airport, we will immediately proceed with a connection to Cappadocia. Depending on your arrival time, we will take a visit to Unesco World Heritage Site of Uchisar Castle, which is one of the town's defence buildings. Here you will be rewarded with a glimpse of the most magnificent, panoramic view of the surrounding towns and endless magical fairy chimneys, which make Cappadocia magical. Its history lies in the Ottoman Period from Rome (Byzantine) Era. At the beginning, the East Rome Time (between 15th and 16th centuries) was a place to sign mirrors or lights to inform the inhabitants of any threat approaching. As trade became vibrant, it served as a center for the connection of Royal Road and Silk Road  during the Persian and Seljuk era. In Ottoman Time, the castle was again a main location for protection and maintenance.

 

We will continue our adventure to Pasabag Valley, which is known as the “Village of the Monk”, when it earned its name from the many monk refuges carving into the soft rock cones for home. Here you can find spectacular cone topped rock pillars known as Fairy Chimneys standing tall throughout the vineyard. Here some of the most impressive pillars are 15 meters tall and split into twin chimneys, some even support three chimneys.

 

St Simeon was one of the many monks to take refuge in Cappadocia, attracted by the solitude and isolation that the region provided, St Simon built his home 15 meters above the ground in one the fairy chimneys, descending only to collect the offerings of food and water that his followers brought to him. By the 4th century, Cappadocia was largely inhabited by monks and many of their excavated homes can be found in this valley. The monks were able to hollow out the soft volcanic tuff inside the pillars and create narrow staircases leading up to the cone-shaped shelters which they used as living quarters. For fantastic views of the area, you can crawl inside the rock and climb the staircases to gaze out over the moon-like landscape. Also in the valley, you can visit a chapel dedicated to St Simeon and abandoned hermit cave homes.

 

We then proceed to another UNESCO World Heritage site, the Open Air Museum. Here you will take a walking tour starting from the main entrance. Inside this fascinating ancient dwelling, you will experience a Byzantine monastic settlement. The settlement has 9 churches and chapels, and a monastery. The fully restored Dark Church, famed for the vivid colours and excellent preservation with walls and ceilings here are fully covered with Biblical depictions including Christ as Pantocrator, Christ on the cross and the Betrayal by Judas. 

 

We will follow the cobble pathed tour, we will reach the 11th-century Chapel of St Basil, dedicated to Kayseri-born St Basil, one of Cappadocia's most important saints. In the main room, St Basil is pictured on the left; a Maltese cross is on the right, along with St George and St Theodore slaying a (faded) dragon, symbolising paganism. On the right of the apse, Mary holds baby Jesus with a cross in his halo.

 

Nearby is the Chapel of St Barbara. Some art historians theorise that Byzantine soldiers carved out this 11th-century church, dedicated to their patron saint, who is depicted on the left as you enter. Look up at the ceiling and note the red ochre motifs – the middle one could represent the Ascension; above the St George representation on the far wall, the strange creature could be a dragon and the two cross the beast's usual slayers.

 

Past the Chapel of St Barbara the lane loops down to the columned and nine-domed Apple Church, which contains a well-preserved picture of The Ascension above the door and Christ Pantocrator in the church center dome.

 

Heading uphill you come to the Snake Church, also called the Church of St Onuphrius, where St George's ubiquitous dragon-foe is still having a bad day. To add insult to fatal injury, the church got its current moniker when locals mistook the pictured dragon for a snake. The hermetic hermaphrodite St Onuphrius is depicted on the right, holding a genitalia-covering palm leaf. Straight ahead, the small figure next to Jesus is one of the church's financiers.

 

The small Pantocrator Chapel and Nameless Chapel with simple red-ochre geometric decorations and Maltese crosses are a little further along the path as well as a series of caves thought to have served as refectory and kitchen areas with a rock-cut table in one cavern.

 

As we walk towards the highest point you will reach the famous Dark Church. Next to the Dark Church will be the little Chapel of St Catherine containing frescoes of St George, St Catherine and the Deesis (a seated Christ flanked by the Virgin and John the Baptist). Heading downhill, the 13th-century Sandal Church is named for the footprints marked in the floor, representing the last imprints left by Jesus before he ascended to heaven. The four gospel writers are depicted below the central dome; in the arch over the door to the left is the Betrayal by Judas.

 

The Rahibeler Monastery is at the bottom of the hill, just before you get back to the museum entrance area. It was originally several storeys high and it's posited by historians that a small community of nuns resided here during the 11th century. All that remains is a large plain dining hall and, up some steps, a small chapel with unremarkable painting. But due to its flimsy situation, this place has been closed to visitors.

 

We will continue to a small village, Avanos next to the Red River. The clay from this river produces those beautiful pots for cooking. Here you may check out the artisan skilled work or probably try spinning one for yourself!

Check into hotel and overnight in Cappadocia

Hotel - 4**** Hera Gerome Cave Hotel
             5***** The Sultan Suite Cave Hotel

Day 2

Included Meals - Lunch & Dinner

Day 2   Cappadocia Day Tour (B/L/D)

After a good breakfast, we will visit the Pigeon Valley which has beautiful scenery. The pigeons in this region dated back to the 9th century and their presence here are very important to the community as their  droppings are used for fertilizing the grape-yards and farms which allowed Cappadocia to produce delicious wine. Here the fairy chimneys are craved for pigeons’ nests. Nearby there is a famous tree which is adorned with many “Evil Eyes” trinkets.

 

Following, we will stop by Dervent Valley which has never been inhabited by humans or pigeons before. Here you will find incredible pink-hued rock formations and geological anomalies that have been formed by centuries of erosion by wind and water and form Martian-like landscape. After a local lunch we will continue to the carpet weaving center to observe the well known Turkish carpet in the making. We then continued to Avcilar Valley which had been renamed to Gerome which is the center of Cappadocia, the city that was formed 60 million years ago by erosion of soft layers of lava and ash from Mount Erciyes (Argeus), Mount Hasan and Mount Güllü composing with wind and rain over millions of years. Human settlement in the Cappadocia region dates back to the Paleolithic era.

 

We stayed overnight in Cappadocia.

Hotel - 4**** Hera Gerome Cabe Hotel
             5***** The Sultan Suite Cave Hotel

Included Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3

Day 3 Cappadocia - Konya (227 KM 4 Hrs) - Pamukkale (394 KM 5 Hrs)  

Enjoy a delicious breakfast and we set to drive to Konya and visit a Caravanserai of the 13th century where traders ply the Silk Route put up for their nights. Upon arriving in Konya, we will go for lunch. Konya is an important historical center that has witnessed various civilisations since ancient times to the present day. Anatolia's doors opened to the Turks after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, and Konya then became their capital of the Seljuks. Konya was annexed into the borders of the Ottoman Empire in 1465. Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, the great 13th-century Sufi saint, poet and Islamic jurist, was buried here when he died on 17 December 1273. He is the founder of Mevlevi Derviş, or Whirling Dervish Sufi order. After visiting the Mevlana Museum, we will continue our drive to Pamukkale. Upon arrival we will stop for a tour of Turkey's major export, the Textile Outlet. Check into hotel and have our dinner.

Included Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Hotel - 4**** Tripolis Hotel
             5***** Pam Thermal Clinic & Spa Hotel

Day 4

Day 4 Pamukkale - Kusadasi (189 KM, 3 Hrs)

After breakfast we will proceed to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Antique City of Hierapolis, an area of natural hot spring where it descends over cliffs which create fascinating travertines in the form of white terrace and basin, known as the Cotton Castle. It has been used as a natural healing place since the 2nd century and the ruin spread over a large area. Here you will be able to a mixture of Pagan, Roman, Jewish and early Christian influences. You may easily pick up the Roman theatre, Temple of Apollo, Plutonium, Nymphaeum and the Necropolis (burial ground). 

 

After lunch we will drive to Selcuk for the visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ephesus. Excavations have revealed grand monuments of the Roman Imperial period including the Library of Celsus and the Great Theatre. Little remains of the famous Temple of Artemis, one of the “Seven Wonders of the World,” which drew pilgrims from all around the Mediterranean. Since the 5th century, the House of the Virgin Mary, a domed cruciform chapel seven kilometres from Ephesus, became a major place of Christian pilgrimage. The Ancient City of Ephesus is an outstanding example of a Roman port city, with a sea channel and harbour basin. The city, whose wealth and patronage supported its splendid building and design was dedicated to the goddess Artemis. We then proceed to stop for some shopping at Turkish Delight and Olive Oil Outlet. Dinner and overnight in Kusadasi.

Included Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Hotel - 4**** Marina Hotel

             5***** Ramada Hotel & Suite

Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8

Day 7  Bursa - Istanbul (153 KM, 2 hrs 40 Min)

After breakfast, we will drive to Istanbul.We will visit Hippodrome, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, the seat of the Ottoman Empire after it shifted the capital from Bursa. 

 

The Hippodrome of Constantinople, located in Sultanahmet/Istanbul, was a public arena mainly for chariot races. The word hippodrome comes from the Greek hippos (horse) and dromos (way). The Hippodrome of Constantinople was also home to gladiatorial games, official ceremonies, celebrations, protests, torture to the convicts and so on. Hippodrome functioned all in Roman (203-330 CE), Byzantine (330-1453 CE), and Ottoman (1453-1922) periods.

 

The Sultanahmet Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii) was built between 1609 and 1617 and is also known as the Blue Mosque because of the blue tiles used to decorate the walls of its interior. The construction was commissioned by Sultan Ahmet I. The idea was to build a monument that would not only rival with the magnificent Hagia Sophia, but also surpass it.

 

Topkapı Palace Museum, Turkish Topkapı Sarayı Müzesi, museum in Istanbul that exhibits the imperial collections of the Ottoman Empire and maintains an extensive collection of books and manuscripts in its library. It is housed in a palace complex that served as the administrative centre and residence of the imperial Ottoman court from about 1478 to 1856. It opened as a museum in 1924, a year after the establishment of the Republic of Turkey. The Topkapı Palace Museum is notable not only for its architecture and collections but also for the history and culture of the Ottoman Empire that it recalls. About 30 sultans ruled from the Topkapı Palace for nearly four centuries during the Ottoman Empire’s 600-year reign, beginning with Mehmed II.

 

During these tours you may be able to observe a wide collection of kitchenware and porcelain, treasuries, royal antiques, courtyards, holy relics and more. We will enjoy a Bosphorus Private Cruise to soak in the marvellous Istanbul skyline. After lunch we will head to the Grand Bazaar for a wonderful shopping experience. The grand bazaar in Istanbul is one of the largest covered markets in the world with more than 58 streets and 4000 shops and serves more than 300,000 visitors daily. Tonight we will be having dinner at the rooftop restaurant. Overnight in Istanbul.

Included Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5  Kusadasi - Bursa (423 Km, 4 Hrs 30 Min)

After an early breakfast we will enjoy a morning live Fashion Show at a Leather Outlet.  We continue to Bursa for lunch. Under the UNESCO Silk Road, Bursa is recognised as an important town in Classical Antiquity.

 

After lunch we will proceed to visit the Grand Mosque, a prominent landmark in Bursa’s downtown with two towering minarets and 20 domes. Commissioned by Sultan Yıldırım Bayezid I, Bursa Grand Mosque was opened in 1399 and built in the Seljuk style of architecture, consisting of both Seljuk and early Ottoman elements. We proceed to Koza Han (Silk Bazaar). This bazaar was ordered by Bayezid 11 to be built in 1490 for merchants to do business and taxes being collected was used to finance the Sultan’s mosque in Istanbul. Transfer to hotel for dinner and overnight in Bursa.

Included Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Hotel - 4**** Kervansaray Bursa City

Hotel - 5 **** Kervansaray Thermal Convention Centre & Spa

Day 6  Bursa - Mt Uludang Ski Resort 

After breakfast we make our way to Mt Uludag ski resort for a full winter experience. After lunch we will visit UNESCO World Heritage Site, Cumalikizk Village which is home to one of the narrowest streets in the world, made significant contributions to the establishment of economic relations with Khans and complexes in the center of Bursa and the transformation of the Ottoman Empire from chiefdom to Empire. Back to the hotel for dinner and overnight in Bursa.

Included Meals - Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Hotel - 4**** Kervansaray Bursa City

Hotel - 5 **** Kervansaray Thermal Convention Centre & Spa

Hotel - 4 **** Feronya Hotel 

             5***** Radisson President Beyazit 

Day 8   Istanbul Transfer

Sfter breakfast is free and easy until pick up to transfer to the airport for your flight home.

Included Meals - Breakfast

*** Itinerary can be adjusted according to you arrival and departure of your confirm flight itinerary.

*** Itinerary can be modified to suit your travelling style and interest.

Tour Fare Per Pax

Number of Pax

4 Star (p/p)

2

N/A

Ground Arrangement

4

N/A

6-9

RM7,790

$1855

10-14

RM6500

$1547

5 Star (p/p)

N/A

N/A

Request For Quote

Request For Quote

20 Meals

Trip Details
  • Skiing or Snowboarding

  • Cable Car Ride

  • Hot Air Balloon Ride (Optional)

What's Included

8 Nights

Accommodation

Local Guide

English speaking guide

7 breakfast,

6 lunches, 7dinners

On-Trip Transportation

Tourism registered   vehicle

Entrance Tickets

  • Uchisar Castle

  • Open Air Museum

  • Dark Church

  • Hierapolis

  • Ephesus

  • House of Mary

  • Ski Pass

  • Cable Car

  • Topkapi Palace

Activities

What's Excluded

Flight Ticket

International

Turkey Tourist Visa

Insurance

Encourage to have one

Personal Expenses

Own shopping, mini bar,

porter and etc.

Blue Shopping Bag
FA3_edited.png

Different Location 

Transfer

Avatar 96

Medical Expenses

Doctor fees, PCR Test & etc

If applicable

FA3_edited.png

Emergency

Natural disaster, force majeure or government sudden restriction

Gratuities

Guide, driver & etc

bottom of page