Turkey

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Turkey surpassed all our expectations and even after a lot of propaganda about the country by other travelers we found on the way it impressed us. Jaw-dropping natural beauties, the modern and incredibly beautiful city of Istambul, friendly people, a delicious cuisine, historical ruins everywhere and a pleasant climate. Traveling there was pure pleasure and we left wanting to see more.

Besides transportation is efficient and you can go around the country with comfort in a short time, enjoying well the best points of your path and without being exhausted. In every corner of the country you will be dazzled by the different landscapes: Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Malatia and the Mediterranean coast … Natural beauties of extreme originality and probably unlike anything you’ve ever seen. We were also impressed with the most modern Muslim people we’ve seen along the way. Certainly the mix of Europe and the Middle East gave an interesting result for the country, its people, development, architecture, culture and cuisine. Mixture approved by us!

What was worth it: Cappadocia, Pamukkale and Istanbul for its indescribable natural beauty and Olympus to be the perfect retreat for doing nothing.
What we wanted to do but we didn’t: exploring the West of the country, mainly Mount Nemrut.

A few tips:

• TRANSPORTATION: The transportation are modern, comfortable and efficient. You get everywhere by bus but remember that distances are big, many places take about 9 to 10 hours. But almost all have night option for you to save time. There are also some local airlines very cheap such as Onur Air, Atllasjet, Pegasus Airlines and Sun Express Airlines.
• CAPPADOCIA: Making a balloon flight in Cappadocia is certainly one of the most amazing experiences of life. But before arriving in Cappadocia have a look at the offers for the balloon on agencies in other cities. Often the price is better than closing the deal in the city. Find prices on the internet before to have a reference. It is also worth doing a day tour there to understand the history and how cities functioned on the rocks, but choose one that takes you to the most distant points, the other nearby points you can easily reach it and the explanations ends up being the same.
• PAMUKKALE: Many agencies and other tourists will tell you that it’s not worth spending the night there and it is better to pay a transportation/tour that pass only 4 hours there. Do not fall for it, this option is only valid for those who do not have time. The place is amazing and you can easily spend an entire day enjoying this wonder of the world, even to get a tan. If you have time ensures a full day there and remember the dress code: bikini, sarong and sandals.
• BOAT ON THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST: We made a wonderful boat tour in the coast for 4 days, leaving from Olympus and arriving in Fethiye. The trip cost about 250 USD per person, the boat was super nice and the food a delight. We loved it and we recommend. The companies offer different itineraries. We did with Alaturka Cruises, but there are other well-known company called Blue Cruises.

Our itinerary (18 days)

We flew from Amman to Istanbul and we left after 4 days by night bus to Cappadocia, where we spent 3 days. From there we also took a night bus to the Mediterranean coast in Olympus, where we went with a boat tour during 4 days along the coast of the country till Fethiye. From there we took a 4 hours bus to Pamukkale, where we spent two nights and one day. After we left by bus once more during the day to Selçuk to visit Ephesus and we finished our tour by taking a flight from Izmir to Istanbul.

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