• 6 Days / 5 Night
• Rating : ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (5.0) 162 Reviews
• Cappadocia

Istanbul to Cappadocia – Mount Nemrut – Gobeklitepe – Harran: A Tapestry of Time, Faith, and Stone

Come and join us on a 6-Day Epic Travel Through Turkey’s Soul—Soar in Hot Air Balloons, Descend into Underground Cities, and Stand Among Ancient Gods at Dawn. Imagine a land where stone giants guard mountaintop tombs, sacred carp swim in pools of holy fire, and 12,000-year-old temples rewrite human history. This is southeastern Turkey—a realm where the footsteps of prophets, the whispers of empires, and the genius of forgotten civilizations converge.

From the lunar valleys of Cappadocia, where early Christians carved secret chapels into fairy chimneys, to the sacred plains of Sanliurfa—birthplace of Abraham, father of three faiths—this journey is more than a tour. It’s a pilgrimage through time. Float above Cappadocia’s alien landscapes at sunrise, dine in candlelit caves, and climb Mount Nemrut to witness gods bathed in golden light. Unearth Göbekli Tepe, humanity’s oldest temple, where hunter-gatherers carved towering pillars to worship mysteries we still can’t fathom.

For the curious, the spiritual, and the bold: This is your invitation to walk where angels and empires fell, sleep in ancient caves, and touch the stones that shaped Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Let the Euphrates River guide you through a story 12 millennia in the making—one sunrise, one ruin, one sacred fish at a time.

Why This Journey Stands Apart:

Sleep in a real Cave: Rest in Cappadocia’s fairy-tale hotels, carved into volcanic rock.
Fly Like a Byzantine Bird: Optional hot air balloon ride over valleys that defy imagination.
Meet the Gods of Nemrut: Watch sunset ignite colossal stone heads atop a sacred mountain.
Walk with Abraham: Enter the cave where monotheism’s patriarch was born.
Unlock Prehistory: Göbekli Tepe’s 12,000-year-old mysteries—older than the wheel, older than writing.
Dive deep into Anatolia’s heart with seamless transfers, weaving Cappadocia’s wonders into the spiritual tapestry of the southeast.

Are You Ready to Rewrite Your Atlas?

The stones are waiting. The balloons are rising. The gods haven’t moved in 2,000 years. Your journey begins where history’s first pages were etched into the earth Journey through volcanic valleys, celestial statues, and sacred springs—where the echoes of prophets and ancient builders resonate across millennia.From Cappadocia’s lunar landscapes to Mount Nemrut’s divine summit and Sanliurfa’s holy pools, this 6-day odyssey spans Turkey’s spiritual and geological wonders. Explore Göbekli Tepe, humanity’s oldest temple; walk in Abraham’s footsteps; and sleep in Cappadocian cave dwellings carved by forgotten hands.

Key Notes:

Season: April–November (Mount Nemrut accessible April–November only). After November, winter season starts and the area is very cold and snowy

Minimum 2 travelers required

Days 1–3: Cappadocia – Where Earth Meets Sky

Day 1: Arrival in Cappadocia – Gateway to Another World

Flexible Start: Arrive via direct flight to Kayseri or Nevşehir airports (we arrange transfers from Istanbul hotels or assist with domestic connections).

Cave Accommodation: Settle into a boutique cave hotel in Göreme, where ancient volcanic tuff insulates you from the modern world.

Free Evening: Wander Göreme’s cobblestone lanes, where fairy chimneys cast long shadows at dusk. Dine on testi kebab (clay-pot stew) as the call to prayer mingles with laughter from lantern-lit terraces.

Day 2: Hot Air Balloon & North Cappadocia – A Symphony of Stone

Pre-Dawn Magic: Rise early for an optional hot air balloon ride. Drift silently over honeycombed valleys as sunrise paints the rocks gold—a perspective once reserved for birds and Byzantine monks.

North Cappadocia Tour: Early Christians found refuge in its caves, just as Hittites sought subterranean safety. A land where survival and spirituality intertwine in Cappadocia

Devrent Valley: “Imagination Valley,” where wind-sculpted rocks mimic camels, seals, and the Virgin Mary.
Pasabag: Wander among “fairy chimneys” where hermits sought solitude in rock-hewn cells.
Avanos: Master the Hittite kick-wheel at a pottery workshop, crafting clay as artisans have since 2000 BC.
Göreme Open-Air Museum: Byzantine frescoes in rock-cut churches depict saints and sinners under UNESCO-protected skies.
Evening: Sip apple tea at Sunset Point, watching pigeons swirl above Uçhisar Castle.

Day 3: South Cappadocia & Underground Cities – Journey to the Depths
Red Valley Hike: Trek 3 km through crimson-hued cliffs, discovering hidden chapels and vineyards still tended by local families.
Çavuşin Village: Explore the 5th-century Church of St. John the Baptist, its crumbling frescoes whispering of early Christianity.
Kaymaklı Underground City: Descend into a labyrinthine refuge where 3,000 Hittites hid from invaders. Squeeze through tunnels, marvel at granaries and wineries, and ponder the ingenuity of ancient “mole people.”
Pigeon Valley: Toast the day with çay (tea) amid terraced cliffs pockmarked with dove cotes—a testament to Cappadocia’s historic fertilizer trade.

Day 4: Crossroads of Empires – Cappadocia to Kahta
08:00 Departure: Leave Göreme, traversing the stark beauty of Central Anatolia.
Karatayhan Caravanserai: Step into a 13th-century Seljuk inn, where silk-road merchants once bartered under star-vaulted ceilings.
Tekir Plateau: Lunch amid jagged peaks, then drive southeast through apricot orchards and Kurdish villages to Kahta.
Evening: Unwind at your Kahta hotel, sampling lahmacun (spiced meat flatbread) as the Euphrates whispers nearby.

Day 5: Mount Nemrut – Gods of the Mountain
Karakus Tumulus: A lone eagle column guards the tomb of Commagene royalty, offering panoramic views of Atatürk Dam.
Cendere Bridge: Traverse a Roman marvel, its stones trodden by legions en route to Persian battles.
Mount Nemrut Summit: Ascend 2,150 meters to Antiochus I’s tomb-sanctuary. Gigantic stone heads—Zeus, Apollo, Tyche—watch the sun bleed into the horizon, a ritual unchanged since 62 BC.
Night in Kahta: Reflect on syncretism under a star-strewn sky, where Greek, Persian, and Anatolian gods once mingled.

Day 6: Sanliurfa & Göbekli Tepe – Birthplace of Faith
Atatürk Dam: Gaze at modern engineering’s answer to the Euphrates’ ancient might.
Sanliurfa (Edessa):

Pool of Sacred Fish: Carp glide where Nimrod’s pyre became Abraham’s salvation—a site revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Prophet Ibrahim’s Legacy from Urfa’s sacred pools to Harran’s ancient streets, Ibrahim’s unyielding monotheism echoes across religions. His story—of fire transformed to grace—unites billions in shared reverence.
Prophet Ibrahim’s Cave: Enter the humble grotto where Abraham, father of three faiths, was born. Feel the weight of millennia in its damp, dim silence.

Göbekli Tepe: Circle 12,000-year-old T-shaped pillars adorned with leaping foxes and stalking cranes. This pre-agricultural temple challenges history, suggesting ritual predated farming. Did hunter-gatherers build this temple to commune with gods—or each other? Its unanswered questions hum with humanity’s eternal quest for meaning.

Harran: Explore beehive houses and the ruins of Islam’s first university, where scholars once mapped the stars.

Journey’s End with epic connections in your mind: Transfer to Sanliurfa airport and fly from Sanliurfa to Istanbul, carrying visions of stone gods, subterranean cities, and carp that outlived empires. This tour weaves Cappadocia’s geological marvels with the spiritual heartland of southeastern Turkey  for a seamless Anatolian immersion. End of our services.