Escorted & Package Tours

Cultural Tours

Turkey is, essentially, one big open-air museum, and it would be difficult not to have a learning experience while traveling in such a historically rich country. For their Turkey trips, Intrepid Travel (tel. 877/847-8192 in the U.S.; www.intrepidtravel.com) manages to effectively combine authentic experiences with an optimal cultural overview.

If you're looking for luxury without compromising the authenticity of your Turkish experience, INCA (tel. 510/420-1550; www.incafloats.com) provides nature and cultural adventures.

If you're planning to drag along unwilling offspring, try booking through Thomson Family Adventures (tel. 800/262-6255 or 617/864-4803; fax 617/497-3911; www.familyadventures.com) for kid-friendly trips without adult compromise. Thomson takes an added interest in your children, establishing departure dates according to the school calendar, and they provide fun educational activities prior to departure.

Depending on your commitment to the educational aspect of your vacation, you may want to connect with one of the outfitters geared specifically toward this type of travel. IST Cultural Tours (tel. 800/833-2111) organizes painstakingly researched tours for the traveler who's looking for a more in-depth cultural experience, and a partnership with the History Channel ensures a high level of quality. Far Horizons (tel. 800/552-4575; www.farhorizon.com) offers eight archaeological tours for small groups, including a 10-day voyage by sea. Tours hook up with local professionals like archaeologists, scientists, and experts as guides. In 1994, archaeologist and professor Peter Sommer (Peter Sommer Travels, tel. 1600/861-929 in the U.K.; ) set out from Troy on foot to walk the 2,000-mile path taken by Alexander the Great. His 19-day tour, aptly named In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great, retraces this trajectory and includes a short gulet cruise through some of the more scenic of the country's turquoise waters. His gulet tour of the Carian coastline makes the most of the Blue Cruise and of many of the region's off-the-beaten-track highlights.

Using a local travel agent can make anybody a bit skittish, but expert in the region is the English-proficient Credo Tours (tel. 0212/254-8175 in Istanbul; fax 90-212/237-9670; www.credo.com.tr), specializing in creating theme tours on special request. A recent program organized visits to select fine-arts galleries and exhibitions during the 2007 Biennale. Faxes and e-mails are answered within 24 hours, and there is no request that is too unusual.

Culinary Tours

Only a true foodie can appreciate the rewards of planning a vacation with a special emphasis on the eating habits of a country. In Turkey, where much of the language and expressions refer back to the kitchen, there's no better way to get to the heart of this culture. Kathleen O'Neill's Culinary Expeditions in Turkey (tel. 415/437-5700 in the U.S.; fax 925/210-1337; www.turkishfoodandtravel.com) provides a gateway to the tradition, hospitality, and gastronomy of Turkey through "eating expeditions" that focus on the food of Turkey's eastern Mediterranean, either in the region of Gaziantep or cruising along the Turquoise coast.

Active Vacations

Gorp Travel (tel. 877/440-4677; www.gorp.com) offers the most variety of choices, with excursions organized around trekking, watersports, and cycling. Gorp is also one of many U.S. booking agents for The Imaginative Traveler (tel. 800/225-2380; www.imaginative-traveller.com), the U.K.'s leading adventure tour company.

Not for the faint of thigh, Great Explorations (tel. 800-242-1825; www.great-explorations.com), based in Canada, runs fairly hard-core combo cycling and Blue Cruise tours along the coast from Bodrum, through Datça, to Dalyan, and along the coast to Kas, Fethiye, and Olympos on its way to Antalya. Check their website for details and departure dates.

Argeus Tourism & Travel, based in Ürgüp, Istiklal Cad. 13 (tel. 0384/341-4688; fax 0384/341-4888; www.argeus.com.tr), is the most qualified local company for tailor-made tours and packages in Cappadocia, and the exclusive representatives for REI activities in Turkey. Guides are knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Middle Earth Travel, Gaferli Mahallesi, Cevizler Sokak, Göreme (tel. 0384/271-2559; www.middleearthtravel.com), targets the hardiest of independent adventure travelers, with 6-day to 2-week treks into the Kaçkar Mountains, an 8-day climb up Mount Ararat, 2-day volcano climbs, and organized expeditions along the Lycian Way and St. Paul's Trail.

If river sports are more your speed, Medraft (based in Antalya; tel. 0242/312-5770; www.medraft.com) combines off-the-beaten-track travel with rafting trips in the canyons around Antalya and overnights at their rustic "Mountain Lodge." Medraft also runs a 9-day rafting trip into the Kaçkar region along the Black Sea coast. They also send their expert sportsmen to lead cycling adventures and jeep safaris to these regions.

Clients of Cappadocia Tours based in Ürgüp (tel. 0384/341-7485; fax 0384/341-7487; www.cappadociatours.com) leave Turkey with a deeper attachment to the country thanks to a grass-roots approach that moves beyond the museums. In addition to the must-sees of Cappadocia, they also lead safari tours into the mountains, to waterfalls, and to off-the-beaten-track villages and little-explored underground cities.

In the past few years, Turkey has caught the golfing fever, and it seems that everybody with a hankering and disposable greens fees wants to get in on the act. A number of developers have recognized the investment potential, and this year (2008), the number of courses in Turkey is expected to hit 21, up from 11 in 2005. Most of these courses are located in the province of Antalya, taking advantage of the mild Mediterranean winter months. For more information, log on to www.bookyourgolf.com.

All About the Blue Voyage

The Mavi Yolculuk, or "Blue Voyage," emerged in the late 1920s, when Cevat Sakir Kabaagaçli, a dissident political writer whose "punishment" was exile in Bodrum, began cruising visiting friends around the idyllic Gulf of Gökova. Today tooling along the Turkish Mediterranean coastline is one of the highlights of any trip to Turkey, and in some cases, the only way to visit the small fishing villages and islands of the southwestern coast. But to do it right, you should plan in advance and know your options.

The traditional Turkish sea excursion is either by the traditional wooden broad-beamed gulet, or sleek yacht cruiser. Hiring a private yacht (or bareboat charter) is a popular choice for those with sailing proficiency and a taste for independence and adventure. Captained yachts are also available as an option. But so are captained and crewed gulets, which typically accommodate 8 to 12 people (or more) and come equipped with many modern conveniences.

In addition to chartering the entire gulet, it is also possible to charter a cabin on an individual basis. This last option, however, is riddled with pitfalls, not the least of which can be safety concerns. Generally, the gulets used for individual cabin charters didn't make the first cut for that season, thanks to torn cushions, faded decks, clogged toilets, smelly cabins, and a boat that should have been sent out to pasture long ago. Many tour operators and yacht agents have responded by acquiring and chartering out their own gulets, so check at the time of booking to make sure you'll be on one of these more recent acquisitions. If your booking agent can't or won't give you specific information about the boat you'll be on, be prepared for the worst, and negotiate a discount in advance if the gulet you were promised gets substituted at the last minute.

The most popular gulet cruises depart from Marmaris and ply the waters to Fethiye and back, stopping at (conditions permitting) Cleopatra's Baths, Dalyan, Kaunos, Istuzu Beach, and Ölüdeniz. See if you can get your agent to book you an excursion out of Marmaris in the opposite direction (to Datça) or start in Finike and loiter around Kekova Bay.

Weeklong gulet cruises commonly depart on Sunday mornings (boarding Sat nights) and last 1 week, although it's also possible to arrange mini-cruises departing from anywhere your heart desires. A typical weeklong Blue Voyage will run you anywhere from 350€ ($508/£250) and up per person, with as much as 70% added on for a single supplement. Meals are usually included, but all drinks, even water, are extra (but available and reasonably priced onboard). Boats may come equipped with air-conditioning, but even on a private and comparatively luxurious boat, the generator, and thus the A/C, gets shut down at night.

Although most Turkish boat operators offer their services directly to the public, every travel agent and his brother has a friend in the boat business. The problem is wading through all of the brokerage options, especially when the ship's captain lists his boat with multiple agencies. The best way to ensure quality in booking your gulet or yacht cruise is to use one of the reputable local tour brokers that I recommend under "Boat Trips," above. Through long-standing relationships and extensive scrutiny of the boats, these brokers/tour operators can ensure a level of quality, as well as act as your agent in the event of unexpected developments. You will also have the added insurance of dealing with an outfitter working to protect you and your investment. Be an informed buyer and get a detailed description of the boat, keeping in mind that vessels need a complete renovation at least every 5 years. Also, decide whether a hose attachment to the sink faucet is sufficient as a shower or whether you require an enclosed stall. Finally, flush toilets (as opposed to the hand-pump type) are considered a luxury.

But look, the cabin charter is not all bad news. There's really no way to ruin a week of tooling around turquoise waters with a culturally and linguistically diverse passenger list. Hold your nose and just dive in.

Boat Trips (aka The Blue Voyage) -- Club Voyages, 43 Hooper Ave., Atlantic Highlands, NJ 07716 (tel. 888/842-2122 or 732/291-8228; fax 732/291-4277), bent over backwards to accommodate my absurd itinerary, and I've later learned that this individualized attention is due not only to a love of and commitment to the trade and to Turkey, but also because owners/operators Pat and Kemal are sincerely caring people. They specialize in high-end quality private charters with or without crew, with the possibility of land tour add-ons or land-only packages.

Blue Voyage (tel. 800/818-8753 or 414/392-0146; www.bluevoyage.com) has all the gulet charter options, as well as a three-cabin boat they've added to their fleet. Depending on availability, the boats can be chartered for as few as 2 days and for as little as $575 per day if you're willing to travel in May or October.

Any of the travel agents in this guide can help you arrange a boat trip. Highly recommended are Credo Tours (tel. 0212/254-8175 in Istanbul; fax 90-0212/237-9670; www.credo.com.tr) and Argeus (tel. 0384/341-4688 in Cappadocia; www.argeus.com.tr), who can provide the optimum amount of service to best tailor your trip to your needs. Two heavy hitters in bareboat and gulet charters are Aegean Yachting (tel. 0252/316-1517; fax 0252/316-5749) and Gino Group (tel. 0252/412-0676; fax 90-252/412-2066).

V-GO Tourism Travel Agency, based in Fethiye, Fevzi Çakmak Caddesi (between the marina and the Yacht Club; tel. 0252/612-2113; www.boatcruiseturkey.com), arranges 3-, 4-, and 7-day cruises departing from Fethiye or Olympos. Information (including rates) and pictures of their substantial fleet of broad-beamed gulets, ranging in age and level of luxury, can be viewed on their website.

You can go the extra nautical mile on a Blue Voyage by signing up with a reputable sailing school. Gökova Yachting, based in Netsel Marina in Marmaris (tel./fax 0252/413-1089; www.gokovasailing.com), is the only licensed international sailing school where students can advance through the five levels of sailing proficiency from beginner to racer. Yacht master Cumhur (Jim) Gökova presides over one of the newest fleets in the Mediterranean and also handles bookings directly. Tuition is 600€ per person per week and covers one proficiency level of instruction.

Spa Vacations

It's obvious by the glossy brochure published by the Ministry of Tourism that Turkey recognizes the value of the country's natural thermal resources. But it's only recently that entrepreneurs have stepped up to the plate with suitably deluxe facilities that provide alternatives to the medicinal or blue-collar environments of some of the country's older centers. Even if Istanbul is your only destination in Turkey, the embarras de richesses of deluxe spas will keep your skin smooth, your muscles supple, and your head clear. (For more details, pick up a copy of Frommer's Istanbul.)

In the hot springs-rich peninsula of Çesme, a luxury thermal spa is now the rule rather than the exception. The Altin Yunus was the first, and now five-star properties with thermal-rich waters include the Süzer and the new Sheraton Çesme, which gears its high-tech thermal center to nothing more ambitious than treatments for pure pleasure. The Sheraton Voyager in Antalya features a high-tech wellness center.

Two other traditional centers for thermal treatments are Bursa and Pamukkale.

In Bodrum The Marmara Oteli converted five rooms into a center geared toward complete self-indulgence. The spa offers stone therapy, a "fat attack" sea-mud body pack, and the ultimate endorphin high: 60 minutes of weightless relaxation in its state-of-the-art flotation tank.

Excursions into Eastern Turkey

For the first time in more than 20 years, eastern Turkey is enjoying an extended period of calm, and slowly but surely, destinations that previously came with State Department warnings are appearing in tour brochures. Make no mistake, however -- as far as creature comforts go, it's still the Wild West out east. Alas, publisher's directives about page limits constrain me from elaborating on such wondrous destinations as Zeugma, Antioch, Mt. Nemrut, and Lake Van. Instead, I can highly recommend Credo Tours (tel. 90-212/254-8175; fax 90-212/237-9670; www.credo.com.tr) for your foray into Turkey's eastern and southeastern provinces.

Another reputable outfitter experienced in the east is Fez Travel (tel. 90-212/516-9024; fax 90-212/638-8764; www.feztravel.com), run by a group of Australians who made a name for themselves with a hop-on-hop-off circuit of Turkey's hot spots. These trips, top-heavy with Australian backpackers, are geared more toward the budget end of travel. Meanwhile, many tour operators based in Göreme, in Cappadocia, run overnight bus tours to Mount Nemrut, mostly utilized by backpackers.