South Caucasus & Turkey

Itinerary

• Days 1-2: Van (Turkey), Akhtamar Island, Cavustepe

  Arrive in Van, once capital of the ancient Urartu Empire in the 9^th century BCE and ruled by Armenians until the Ottomans took control in the mid-16^th century. The next day, catch a boat across Lake Van to Akhtamar Island and the 10^th century Armenian Church of the Holy Cross. Return to the mainland and visit the Urartian Fortress & Palace complex at Cavustepe, Hosap Castle, and Van Castle.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • Take a boat to Akhtamar Island and visit the 10^th century Armenian Holy Cross Church perched above the beach.
  • Pay a visit to Hosap Castle, built by a Kurdish warlord in 1643, and Van Castle, with it’s spectacular view overlooking Lake Van and the ruins of old Van.
  • Try and spot the Van cat, a unique feline bread with distinctive long white fur, one blue eye, and one green eye.
• Days 3-4: Dogubeyazit, Kars, Ani

  Make your way across Eastern Anatolia to Kars via Dogubeyazit, a kurdish town set in the shadow of 15,000-foot Mt. Ararat. Visit the Ishak Pasha Palace and stop at the broad Muradiye waterfalls before arriving in Kars and touring the city with its old Citadel. The next day, head towards the Armenian border to visit the UNESCO-listed ruins of Ani, once the medieval capital of the Armenian Kingdom. Return to Kars to explore the Kars Cathedral.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • Pay a visit to the Ishak Pasha Palace, which took 99 years to build, and the Muradiye waterfalls on the Bendhi Mahj River.
  • If the weather is favorable, enjoy views of 15,000-foot Mt. Ararat, said to be the resting place of Noah’s Ark.
  • Tour Kars with its old Citadel perched above the town and the 10^th century Armenian Church of the Apostles (Kars Cathedral), which was turned into a mosque in 1993.
• Days 5-6: Erzurum, Hopa

  Head west toward Erzurum to spend a night, then north toward the Black Sea coast and Hopa, passing through Ishan, Artvin, and the Georgian Valleys along the way. Located on the Black Sea coast near the Georgian border, Hopa is a small port city specializing in tea and hazelnuts. Enjoy a night in this coastal town before continuing to your final destination.

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • A visit to Ishan Georgian Church, one of the oldest Georgian churches in Turkey located on top of a dramatic mountain road.
  • Driving through the scenic areas of Arvin and the Georgian Valleys.
  • Overnight in Hopa, a small port city on the Black Sea coast.
• Days 7-9: Trabzon

  Make your way west along the Black Sea cost to lively Trabzon, the largest Black Sea port in eastern Turkey with an ancient bazaar and many cafes and restaurants. Visit the old Greek Orthodox Monastery of Sumela, clinging to a steep cliff in a forested area outside Trabzon, as well as the Church of Hagia Sofia (Ayasofya Mosque), the Ataturk Pavilion, and Uzungol (Long Lake).

  HIGHLIGHTS

  • Tour the city of Trabzon, once a 7^th century Greek colony where the local Turkish dialect is still understood by Greek speakers.
  • Explore the impressive Sumela Monastery, originally founded in the 4^th century with vivid frescoes still covering the walls.
  • Stop at the 13^th century Church of Hagia Sophia (now known as the Ayasofya Mosque), the jewel of Trabzon’s Christian monuments overlooking the Black Sea on the site of an ancient pagan temple.
  • Visit the Ataturk Pavilion, the four-story lodge where the new leader stayed on his first tour of the new republic.
  • Hike around Uzungol (Long Lake) – a hidden paradise in the Pontic Alps.