Fethiye to Istanbul Tour via Pamukkale & Cappadocia – 5 Days

In the morning you visit Pamukkale, the 'cotton castle'. Hot springs rich in calcium have spilled down this hillside for millennia, leaving brilliant white travertine terraces filled with turquoise pools. You can paddle in the warm water, bathe or wander over the terraces as you please. Afterwards the bus sets off for Cappadocia, crossing the heart of Anatolia past farmland and small villages. You check in at your Cappadocia hotel with time to settle in before tomorrow's tour. Meals: breakfast, lunch. Overnight: Cappadocia.

If you have booked the optional sunrise balloon flight, you are picked up before dawn to see the valleys and fairy chimneys from the air as the light comes up; otherwise enjoy a slow breakfast. The guided tour then covers the Göreme area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site: the open-air museum with its cave churches and frescoes, the dovecotes of Pigeon Valley, the tall rock castle of Uçhisar and the village of Çavuşin, built into a cliff. In the afternoon there is a visit to local craft workshops. An optional Turkish Night with folk shows can round off the day. Meals: breakfast, lunch. Overnight: Cappadocia.

This morning you explore Derinkuyu, one of the largest underground cities in Cappadocia. Narrow stairways lead down level after level, about 60 m in all, past a chapel, wells, food stores and stables that once let whole communities hide from danger. The bus then heads west to Tuz Gölü, the Salt Lake, where the dry crust can look snow-white or pale pink depending on the time of year; birds gather here during migration and it is a favourite stop for photos. From there it is a long drive to Istanbul, where you arrive late in the evening. Meals: breakfast, lunch. Overnight: Istanbul.

After breakfast and check-out the tour comes to an end in Istanbul. Say goodbye to the group, or stay on to explore the city; we can help with extra nights and Istanbul tours. Meals: breakfast.