'Turkey in Depth' was exactly as billed - a fast-paced tour that takes in many of the must-see sights in western Turkey. It is full on, with early starts and long road journeys, but absolutely worth it.
The success of the tour was down to our tour leader, Zafer, who looked after us at every stage, was mindful of the health issues some of us had and did his best to accommodate the different interests and dietary preferences within the group. We tested his patience at times, but he has a good sense of humour and ensured everyone had a thoroughly enjoyable time. His English is reasonably fluent, albeit accented, and he took care to repeat important information about the arrangements for the tour. When we were on the road, it would have been helpful (and safer) if there had been a microphone on the minibus to avoid Zafer having to get out of his seat as the vehicle was moving to talk to the group.
As an archaeologist, with a PhD on Greek and Roman sarcophagi, Zafer is very knowledgeable about all aspects of Turkey's past and was an excellent guide to the many historical sites we visited. He gave us the historical and cultural background of each place and pointed out fascinating details relating to the architecture and artefacts, which added immensely to our understanding and appreciation of the things we saw.
Our driver, Sami, was doing the tour for the first time, but coped really well with the long hours he spent behind the wheel. He has little English, but was always helpful and cheerful. He is a good driver and we felt completely safe in his hands.
All the hotels we stayed in were of an acceptable standard - some had bigger rooms or better showers than others, some had some minor deficiencies, but nothing serious. We particularly liked the Kekova Hotel in Kas, which is a simple, homely hotel in a good location.
One of the attractions of Turkey is its food and we had an opportunity to sample everything from street food to more up-market cuisine. In some locations, particularly in Anatolia, there were limited options for non-meat eaters, but there was plenty of fish available on the coast. The most memorable dinner we had was in Avanos, near Goreme, where we had testi kebabs - meat (trout in my case) cooked in sealed clay pots, served flaming at the table. Occasionally, the eateries were less than satisfactory - in Karahayit, near Pamukkale, for example, and on the road between Goreme from Ankara - but these were the exceptions.
It is impossible to pick out a single highlight of the tour, there were so many - ranging from the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations in Ankara to our balloon flight over the astonishing landscape of Cappadocia, from the terraced houses of Ephesus to the turtles and rock tombs on the Dalyan River, and from the ruins of Aphrodisias and Troy to the travertine slopes of Pamukkale. If you want to see as much as possible of Turkey in two weeks, we can strongly recommend 'Turkey in Depth'.
