NEW YORK -- Operators are getting clients golfing, walking and
sailing this spring in Turkey. A sampling follows:
World of Oz tailored two new programs to travelers looking for
an active holiday: Istanbul & Cappadocia and Istanbul &
Antalya.Both packages incorporate hiking and walking in addition to
general sightseeing.
For land-only arrangements, the Istanbul & Cappadocia tour
is priced at $1,425 per person, double. Departure dates are May 18,
June 29, Aug. 31 and Oct. 19.
The Istanbul & Antalya program, which departs June 1, Sept.
28 and Nov. 2, is priced at $1,810.
Both tours are limited to no more than eight participants and
include hotels, most meals, transfers and an English-speaking
guide.
Istanbul & Cappadocia spends four nights in Istanbul, three
nights in Cappadocia and one night in Ankara.
Walking tours in Istanbul are on the itinerary, with visits to
the city's well-known sites, including the Blue Mosque and Topkapi
Palace.
While in Cappadocia, guests will participate in walking
excursions among the rock churches and underground city complexes
as well as along valley paths and canyon trails.
A farm lunch and walk in the village of Polonezkay near Istanbul
and a Bosphorus cruise are other tour features.
In Cappadocia, a sunrise ballooning trip is available at an
additional cost.
The trip's final stop is in Ankara for a visit to the Museum of
Anatolian Civilizations.
The Istanbul & Antalya tour offers the same components in
Istanbul as the Cappadocia program.
In Antalya, where the stay is four nights, a walking tour of
ancient Perge and the ruins of a basilica, an agora and an aqueduct
is part of the plan.
Guests also will travel to Kokova to board a private boat for a
cruise to the ancient city of Phaselis (with picnic lunch and swim)
and drive to Gulluk Mountain National Park to tour the ruins of
Termessos and trek for three hours.
Virginia Beach, Va.-based World of Oz also designed one-day
hiking excursions to off-the-beaten-path sites on Turkey's
Mediterranean and Black Sea coasts.
These excursions can be added to most regular programs.
All one-day outings include transportation, English-speaking
guide and lunch.
For details, call World of Oz at (800) 248-0234 or (757)
496-8108. The Web site address is www.worldoz.com.
Tursem Tours of New York introduced a golfing vacation that
spotlights the sport as a new Turkish delight.Golfers stay at the 420-room Gloria Resort, located outside
Belek, about 40 minutes from Antalya.
It is the only resort in Turkey with its own on-site links.
Other features include indoor and outdoor pools, a fitness center,
a Turkish bath and tennis and squash courts.
French designer Michel Gayon laid out the par-72 course, which
is surrounded by pine forests and seven lakes and is within view of
the Mediterranean Sea.
Tursem's seven-night package includes roundtrip air from New
York to Istanbul, domestic flights from Istanbul to Antalya and
airport transfers.
Guests spend three nights at a first class hotel in Istanbul and
four nights at the Gloria Resort, with three days of championship
golf play, including greens fees.
When in Istanbul, clients will have a full-day private city tour
as well as a cruise on the Bosphorus.
In Antalya, a tour to the Greco-Roman ruins of Aspendos and
Perge is featured.
The tour is priced at $1,895 per person, double.
For details, call Tursem Tours at (800) 223-9169 or (212)
719-3569.
The Web site address is www.tursemtours.com.
Whole Journeys of Thorton, Colo., is combining Sailing and
Walking the Turkish Coast into a 15-night tour.The trip combines a week of easy-to-moderate hiking with a week
aboard a traditional wooden yacht.
On land, tour members will visit Istanbul and Cappadocia, with
walks among geological formations, rock churches and dwellings,
vineyards and farmlands.
Overnight accommodations are at classic small hotels, and en
route to the Anatalyan coast, one night will be spent at a family
home near Konya.
During the coastal cruise west from Antalya, passengers will
view the shores of ancient Lycia and walk to sites such as Mount
Olympus, the second century theater of Myra and the Church of St.
Nicholas.
They also will explore islands and snorkel over the sunken ruins
of Aperlai before paying an end-of-tour visit to Ephesus.
Departures are scheduled for May 19, June 2, Sept. 8, Sept. 15
and Oct. 6.
The inclusive land-cruise cost is $4,098 per person, double.
For reservations, call Whole Journeys at (877) 745-4648 or (303)
474-2374.
The Web site address is www.wholejourneys.com.