Led by Brian & Eileen Anderson
(31st May- 10th June 2009) (10 nights, 11 Days)
This special tour
has been especially designed for flower lovers, especially those who want to get
a close-up view of Turkeys abundant stock of
Orchidaceae. Led by experts in
the field, the tour has been especially timed to coincide with the flowers most
beautiful blooming season. The tour is also unique in that guests will have a
chance to walk among breathtakingly beautiful valleys and meadows and to visit
out-of-the-way villages in rural Turkey, to thus to step back into time and
witness first hand the traditional lives of Turks.
Steveniella satyrioides picture left
Brian and Eileen lived in Turkey for many months while researching Landscapes walking guides for Sunflower Books. They came to love the Turkish way of life and have returned many times since. Both are very experienced tour guides and Brian a field botanist. Brian & Eileen have a special knowledge of the orchid flora.
Day 1, Sunday Istanbul / Aya Sofya Mansions or similar special category hotel
Guests are met by a Peten Travels staff member upon their arrival at Atatürk Airport and are then taken to the hotel and assisted through check-in. Group participants meet each other and staff with a welcome drink before sitting down to dinner. (D)
Day 2, Monday Abant / Büyük Abant Hotel (5-star)
After enjoying our breakfast we leave the city for the countryside, driving 275 kilometers (170 miles) eastwards to densely forested Bolu (approximately half way between Istanbul and Ankara) and then travel on 55 kilometers southwest to Lake Abant (alt. 1500 meters). On the way we stop at Gölköy to see Cephalanthera epipactoides, Cephalanthera damasonium, Orchis morio ssp. morio, Cephalanthera rubra. Lake Abant and its environs are lush and beautiful and we appreciate the high quality accommodations along its shores. We check into our hotel and enjoy dinner there (B, L, D)
Day 3, Tuesday Abant / Büyük Abant Hotel
We explore the area around Abant and Mudurnu and hope to find Ophrys oestrifera, Neottia nidus-avis, Orchis mascula ssp pinetorum and Limadorum abortivum amongst others. The area is famous for its fauna and beautiful natural surroundings. (B, L, D)
Day 4, Wednesday Safranbolu / Asmazlar Mansion
After enjoying a breakfast eaten in an area of pristine and robust air, we continue our journey around Abant and Mudurnu to see more Orchidacea and its species and continue to the heart of the highlands of the Black Sea. We stop at Bulak village before we check in the Asmazlar residence, one of the finest of the old Turkish houses of Safranbolu. Safranbolu is a museum-town which preserves some of the most beautiful surviving examples of traditional Turkish civil architecture. (B, L, D)
Day 5, Thursday Toprakçılar Konağı
Daday- Azdavay-Pınarbaşı-Ağıl-Seydiler-Kasabaköy- Kastamanu
Leaving Safranbolu, we head for Kastamanu, our base for the next four nights. There will be plenty of stops en-route, the first at the Ballıdağ (Honey Mountain) on the way to Daday. From Heracles we learn that in ancient times the name of this town, known for its rich forests and fauna, was Dadybra, meaning fertile forest soil. Here we have the opportunity of seeing many orchids along the roadside and in the woodlands, including the lovely white butterfly orchid Platanthera chlorantha. These species become even more abundant as we near Küre and in the wetlands we see Dactylorhiza and its species. When we return to Kastamanu from the old road via Devrakani, the tall, pink Cephalanthera rubra might be seen under the Quercus along with other orchid species. We stop at Kasabaköy to visit the wooden mosque of Mahmut bey is an altogether unlikely masterpiece for this out-of-the way rural backwater. It was built in 1366 by an otherwise unknown Mahmut Bey. No nails were used in the construction. (B, L, D) Primula auriculata right
Day 6, Friday Toprakçılar Konağı
Aşağı Emerce köyü Köçeli yöresi Çiftlik bölgesi
We drive up to the villages of Taşköprü. This is home to O.mascula ssp.pinetorum, O.morio, O.purpurea, O.coriophora, Platanthera chloranta, Listera ovata, Limodorum abortivum, Cephalanthera rubra, C .damasonium and various Dactylorhiza and continue over the Ilgaz Mountain through Tosya, a town nestled in the foothills of the mountains. The woodlands are home to such trees as Pinus spp., Abies bornmuelleriana, Fagus orientalis, Quercus spp., Coryllus spp., Crataegus spp., Rosa spp. This woodland vegetation offers us the species of the genus Orchis, Steveniella, Dactylorhiza and along the other route we also examine the species of genus Cephalanthera, Limondorum, Anacamptis, Corollarhiza, Neottia. (B, L, D)
Day 7, Saturday Toprakçılar Konağı
Tosya Ilgaz
In the villages between Kastamonu and Tosya we see Cephalanthera rubra, Platanthera cholorantha, Neottia nidus-avis, Limodorum abortivum, Dactylorhiza iberica, D.osmanica, D.saccifera, D.nieschalkiorum, Ophyrys oestrifera ssp.oestrifera, Anacamptis pyramidalis. We continue to Ilgaz to see D.iberica, L. abortivum ; Ilgaz-Kastamonu route shows us Orchis coriophora, Corallorhiza trifida, L.abortivium, C.rubra, N. nidus avis, D.iberica, D.osmanica, D.saccifera, D. nieschalkiorum. (B, L, D) Ophrys oestrifera picture left
Day 8, Sunday Toprakçılar Konağı
Alpaslan köyü Karaçomak Baraj çevresi Akkaya bölgesi
Today we continue to see more Orchids and their species. Before we return to the hotel, we drive up to visit the112-meter high castle to view the city of Kastamanu. (B, L, D)
Domestic flight: TK131 (Departure time: 15:00 Arrival time: 16:00)
Day 10, Tuesday Istanbul / Ayasofya konakları (special category, boutique hotel)
Full day guided tour of Istanbul on foot
After breakfast we set off to begin unpeeling the layers of Byzantine and Ottoman history. We explore the ancient buildings around the Hippodrom. Our first stop is The Hippodrome, one of the most famous monuments of Byzantine Constantinople. Many of the great events in the history of the Byzantine Empire took place here. The triumphs of victorious generals and emperors were celebrated in this wide expanse, but its primary function was as a sports center, where the regular program of chariot races and circuses served as a diversion for the people of the city for more than a thousand years. We proceed to the Sultan Ahmet Cami (Blue Mosque), one of the most prominent landmarks in İstanbul. It has the most splendid exterior of the imperial mosques in the city, with its graceful cascade of domes and semidomes, its six slender minarets accentuating the corners of the building and the courtyard, and its generally imposing but harmonious proportions. Then we cross the lovely park for Haghia Sophia (Church of the Divine Wisdom), one of the most extraordinary buildings in the history of architecture, and a monument to the golden age of the Byzantine Empire. Some of the most important events in the history of Byzantium are connected with this venerable edifice which played such a central role in the life of the city and has become the enduring symbol of Byzantine Constantinople.
In the afternoon we visit the Topkapı Palace, a stunning monument to the power of the Ottoman Sultans. It is the most extensive and fascinating monument of Turkish civil architecture in existence. Once back our hotel we prepare for our farewell dinner to be held at an exclusive restaurant. (B, Farewell dinner) / Independent lunch at the Topkapı Palace.
All guests are transferred to Istanbul international airport for their return connections. (B)
IMPORTANT NOTE: Picking or collecting the natural Orchidaceae is strictly prohibited.
Tour price
Per person in double occupancy $ 3070.-USD / £ 1535.-GBP
Single room supplement $ 550.-USD / £ 275
What is included in this price?
· Specialists leadership and tour manager
· Accommodation and meals as indicated in the itinerary (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner)
· Admission fees to all national parks
· All ground transportation by a/c, modern midi-van
· Individual arrival and departure airport transfers
· Meticulously prepared tour folder with maps and information to help participant get the most from the tour
· Domestic flight fare from Ankara to Istanbul
· Parking fares, tolled highways, local taxes
· Gratuities to hotel& restaurant, driver, guide and baggage handling
· Entrance fees to all sites in Istanbul
Whats not included?
· International return air travel
· Insurance of any kind
· Excess baggage charges, airport taxes, passport or visa fees.
· Personal expenses such as beverages, laundry, room service, communication charges
· Independent lunch / dinner
This tour is offered by Peten Tours . For more information or booking email Peten Tours
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