Turkey's Amazing History & Birding
April 14-23, 2012
Join us for a ten day tour highlighting significant historical and cultural sites, with a chance to discover nature in prime reserves and at Buyuk Menderes River Delta National Park. We chose spring to go before it gets too hot, at a time when poppies decorate the landscape with color and breeding birds announce the day with song. We will have a professional, English-speaking local guide eager to share his knowledge of history, archaeology and birding. Transportation is in a modern, air-conditioned vehicle. A one-way flight domestic flight between Izmir and Istanbul is included in the tour cost. You may want to arrange additional time in Istanbul before or after the tour.
ITINERARY
Sat., April 14 Arrival in Istanbul
There will be a group transfer today, based on our recommended flight into Istanbul. You may choose to arrive independently, and a transfer will be arranged for a small, additional cost. We know some of you may wish to come in early for more time to explore this great city with its expansive bazaar and myriad great restaurants and cultural sites.
Our local guide will greet us at the Ataturk International Airport (IST) and accompany us to our hotel, which is located in the center of the old city giving us easy access to interesting places such as the Blue Mosque, built in 1609, Haghia Sophia, and Topkapi Palace.
In the afternoon, we embark on a cruise on Bosphorus River, along the way viewing the Dolmabahce Palace, the Beylerbeyi Palace, and a nineteenth century palace on the Asian side of Istanbul. We can also watch the birds in spring migration, winging their way north from Africa. Our welcome dinner will be in one of the famous kebap restaurants of Istanbul. Our hotel is a 4-star boutique property in a fabulous location. Accommodations at the Yasmak Sultan Hotel, Istanbul. (D)
www.hotelyasmaksultan.com/en/homepage
Sun., April 15 Istanbul
We wake up early to drive to Camlica Hill, which during migration is a very popular bird 
watching point. We should find a nice selection of raptors such as Western Honey Buzzards, Common Buzzards, Lesser Spotted Eagles, Levant Sparrowhawks, as well as White Storks and many smaller birds such as European Nightjars, Wrynecks and colorful, sometimes abundant European Bee-eaters. Passerines we may see include a wide variety of chats, warblers and buntings.
We return to the old part of Istanbul where we visit historic sites of the Hippodrome, Basilica of St. Sophia, which has inspired architects and religious leaders for over fifteen hundred years. A highlight is the unique Blue Mosque which has interior walls covered with twenty thousand blue Iznik tiles. At the top of our list is the truly magnificent Topkapi Palace, once home to the great Sultans, which is filled with treasures and antiquities including twelve thousand pieces of fine Chinese porcelain.
Accommodations at the Yasmak Sultan Hotel, Istanbul. (B,D)
Mon., April 16 Istanbul – Manyas Lake – Assos
After breakfast, we drive to Assos with a fantastic birding outing on the way at what many locals consider ‘bird heaven’, Manyas Lake. Here we look for important bird species including White-headed Ducks, Eurasian Spoonbills, Greater Flamingos, and breeding populations of the vulnerable Dalmatian Pelicans.
By late afternoon, we reach Assos, home of the Acropolis, the 6th BC Doric Temple of Athena and other fabulous historic sites. The Temple of Athena is the signature of the city. Its regal setting atop the city, surrounded by olive groves is memorable. We enjoy a chance to explore, and after dinner, to enjoy the lights of the city.
Accommodations at Assos Kervansaray (B,D)
http://english.assoskervansaray.com
Tues., April 17 Assos – Pergamum – Kusadasi
Today we drive south to the ancient city Pergamum, once ruled by Alexander the Great. Famous for the invention of parchment paper, Pergamum had a library containing two hundred thousand books.
After seeing and learning more about the city, we then drive to Gediz Delta on the Aegean Coast, one of the most important waterbird breeding sites in the Mediterranean, its fresh and salt water marshes and bays alive with gulls and terns. This is a RAMSAR wetland site of global importance to birds, often called the Izmir Bird Paradise, with over 250 avian species. The Delta is also important for several threatened species of animals, including globally threatened Mediterranean Monk Seals, Dalmatian Pelicans and Lesser Kestrels.
Accommodations at Kismut Hotel, Kusadasi. (B,D)
www.kismet.com.tr
Wed., April 18 Kusadasi - Buyuk Menderes River / Miletus and Didyma, the Apollo Temple
Today’s excursions include a mix of nature and history. In the morning we focus on wetlands of the Buyuk Menderes River, home to numerous birds like avocets, cormorants, flamingos, Bonelli’s Eagles, Olive Tree Warblers, Ruppel’s Warblers, Krueper’s Nuthatches, and both Cinereous and Cretzschmar’s buntings.
In the afternoon, we visit the temples and other archaeological sites of Miletus and Didyma, including the Apollo Temple, regarded as one of the largest and most impressive temples of the Hellenistic world.
Accommodations at Kismut Hotel, Kusadasi. (B,D)
Thurs., April 19 Kusadasi - Ephesus
Today brings a cultural highlight, as we start with a journey to Ephesus, the largest ancient city ever uncovered. Once populated with three hundred thousand people, it has an enormous amphitheater, which can still hold twenty four thousand spectators. As we walk down the marble covered streets, we see gymnasiums, baths houses, public latrines, the library of Celsius and The Temple of Artemis.
To give you a glimpse into modern life, we visit a local municipality carpet cooperative, a sort of carpet farm where you will get the chance to explore the district from a cultural perspective. Our sightseeing continues with the House of Virgin Mary, where she is believed to have been in her last days.
Accommodations at Kismut Hotel, Kusadasi. (B,D)
Fri., April 20 Kusadasi – Lake Bafa
This morning we journey to Lake Bafa in southwestern Turkey at the mouth of the Maeander River. Once a gulf of the Aegean Sea, now cut off, the area is prime for important breeding species are Dalmatian Pelicans, Collared Pratincoles, Kentish Plovers, Mediterranean Gulls, and Caspian and Little terns. The bird list for this lake exceeds 250 species, and includes White-tailed Eagles and Smyrna Kingfishers. The region is also bountiful with flowers, including orchids and anemones. Its north shore holds steep slopes covered with old groves olive trees interspersed with natural woodland.
Accommodations in one of the smaller country towns nearby. (B,D)
Sat., April 21 Lake Bafa – Pamukkale After breakfast, we enjoy birding at Koycegiz Lake near Dalyan, situated on one of the most important bird immigration routes for raptors. We hope to find White-tailed Eagles, Common Buzzards, Black Kites, and Kestrels. We should see plenty of turquoise-clad Common Kingfishers, one of the most common birds in Dalyan area.
Our historical tours today take us to Aphrodisias, dedicated to the goddess Aphrodite. The Sculpture School of Aphrodisias enjoyed great fame and is evident by the fine marble statues and architectural relief scattered throughout the site. You can also see the largest (30,000 seats) and best-preserved stadium of the classical world.
Accommodations at Richmond Hotels, Pamukkale. (B,D)
Sun., April 22 Pamukkale – Izmir – Fly to Istanbul
We spend the morning in Hierapolis, a UNESCO World Heritage site prized for its magnificent natural formations, unique in the world. Over the last fourteen thousand years, calcium rich water from an underground thermal spring has flowed over the mountainside and slowly solidified, creating Shallow White Basins and Twisted Stalagmites.
We also visit the ancient city of Sardis, once Persian, then conquered by Alexander the Great in 334 BC, which had considerable prosperity during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Here we find the Temple of Artemis, and the remains of a large, ancient synagogue.
In the afternoon we drive to Izmir Airport to have a flight (arranged and included as part of your tour) to Istanbul. Celebrate tonight over a farewell dinner.
Accommodations at Yasmak Sultan Hotel, Istanbul. (B,D)
Mon., April 23 Istanbul / Departures
After farewell breakfast, we transfer to Ataturk International Airport for the flights back to the USA or home. (B)
PLAN AHEAD!
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Cost of the Journey
Cost of the journey is $3390.00, double occupancy, from Istanbul, Turkey (IST). The cost includes the in-country flight from Izir back to Istanbul our final full day. It also includes accommodations for 9 nights, most meals: 9 dinners and 9 breakfasts (lunch can be purchased with ease while we travel), an English-speaking professional tour guide, a Naturalist Journeys guide/host, airport welcome and transfer, park and program entrance fees, and transportation in a modern air-conditioned vehicle. This tour does include porterage.
Cost does not include: round-trip airfare to and from Istanbul, Turkey, items of a personal nature such as laundry, telephone, drinks from the bar; or gratuities for personal services.
Group Size: This is a sampler trip, maximum of 12 and minimum of 4. With fewer than 8 participants, a small group surcharge (typically $100-300) per participant may apply, or we may request that you pick up the cost of a few additional meals in lieu of this surcharge.
Guide: Peg Abbott with local guides.
Travel Planning
Please plan to arrive at the Istanbul Ataturk Airport (IST) on (or before) April 14th in time to enjoy the welcome dinner (arrive by 5PM). If you arrive early to enjoy the city, we can help you with hotel arrangements. A group flight or flights will be recommended. Plan to depart at your convenience the final day of our tour, remembering you need to be at the airport approximately three hours ahead of your flight.
Naturalist Journeys, LLC is an equal opportunity service provider and committed to the goal of ensuring equal opportunity for all in employment and program delivery.
Photo
credits
Blue Mosque and Pergamum, Talisman Tours; all other photos by Bud Ferguson. |
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