Turkey is often cited as the ultimate convergence of east and west – traditional spice bazaars and ornately adorned mosques thrown together with bustling cosmopolitan cities.
On this women-only expedition, you’ll discover both the traditional and modern wonders of Turkey through the lives of the women who live here. Meet the women changing the face of the tourism industry through food, learn about the tradition of Turkish coffee fortune-telling and even visit a women-only Turkish hamam. You’ll meet many extraordinary local women and experience what life is like through their eyes.
Why you'll love this adventure
- Discover both the traditional and modern wonders of Turkey through the lives of the women who live here including your female leader, and female driver; Turkey’s first female ambulance driver and now proud founder of her own transport company.
- Meet a local mother and daughter in their home in Istanbul and try homemade borek. Sip on Turkish Coffee and learn about the traditionally female art of fortune-telling, which was passed down between generations in Anatolian culture.
- Enjoy a traditional meal in a Cappadocian cave home, cooked by a local woman who is changing the face of tourism in Turkey.
- Wander through the Soganli Valley on a gentle hiking trip, taking in the arid surrounds and towering vistas, then learn how to make a popular Cappadocian souvenir, a ‘kitre.’ Local women have been making these dolls for many years now to earn a living.
- Stay in a female owned and operated hotel in Istanbul, and visit a social enterprise which supports the economic empowerment of low-income women through handicrafts.
- By travelling on this trip, you’ll learn about our Intrepid Foundation partner, CYDD (Çağdaş Yaşamı Destekleme Derneği). Donations help them provide scholarships and educational programs for economically disadvantaged youth in Turkey. Intrepid will double the impact by dollar-matching all post-trip donations made to The Intrepid Foundation.
Dates
This trip can be tailor made for your perfect travel dates. Please make a booking enquiry for more information.
Itinerary
This trip includes an action packed itinerary! Please make an enquiry and we'll send you the full itinerary for each day including meals, activities, travel and accommodation.
What's included
- 11 breakfasts, 1 dinners and 2 lunches
- Guesthouse (5 nights), Hotel (6 nights)
- Private Vehicle , Boat , Plane
- Istanbul – Grand Bazaar
- Istanbul – Historic Peninsula orientation walk
- Istanbul – Visit to Nahil Dukkan by KEDV Foundation
- Istanbul – Spice Market
- Istanbul – Bosphorus Cruise
- Istanbul – 5 o'clock Tea & coffee in a local home
- Istanbul – Topkapi Palace & Harem Guided Tour
- Cappadocia – Goreme Open Air Museum
- Goreme – Cooking Class with Nuray
- Goreme – Orientation Walk
- Cappadocia – Soft Hike in Soganli Valley
- Cappadocia – Doll making with local woman
- Konya – Felt Making Atelier & artist visit
- Pamukkale – Lead Pouring by women
- Pamukkale – Hierapolis Ancient City & Travertines (Cotton Castle)
- Selcuk – Sultankoy Carpet Cooperation
- Selcuk – Leader-led orientation walk
- Selcuk – Hatice Lunch
- Selcuk – Ephesus Ancient City
- Sirince – Village visit and fruit wine tasting
- Sirince – Manti Cooking Class
- Adatepe – Ayvalik Copmadam (trashyteyze / Tara Hopkins)
- Adatepe – Orientation Walk in Ayvalık
- Adatepe – Village Tour & Alter of Zeus
- Assos – Temple of Athena
- Adatepe – Gozleme Demonstration and lunch
- Assos – Leader-led walking tour
- Istanbul – Turkish Hamam
Trip notes
Price
Min age
Accommodation
Guesthouse (5 nights), Hotel (6 nights)
Meals
11 breakfasts, 1 dinners and 2 lunches
Food and dietary requirements
Your group leader or local representative will endeavour to cater to specific dietary requirements where possible, and vegetarianism and gluten intolerance will be catered for in most instances. There are, however some meals and activities that are fixed in advance and therefore cannot be modified to suit dietary requirements.
Please notify your booking consultant of any dietary requirements at the time of booking. For those suffering from particular food allergies, your group leader or local representative will endeavour to disclose to their fullest knowledge the main ingredients in dishes being consumed. It is, however, your personal responsibility to ensure that you do not ingest any foods to which you are allergic.
Who is this trip for?
Is this trip right for you
It can get hot in Turkey from May to October and some of the more traditional hotels will not have air-conditioning. Evening temperatures are usually very pleasant and an open window with a breeze should do the trick.
With so much to see and do in Turkey, this expedition covers a lot of ground in 12 days – with a few one-night stops along the way, but you will be travelling in the comfort of a private vehicle.
Transport notes
There are some long travel days and some rough travelling in areas away from main tourist routes. Windy roads, rough surfaces and cramped conditions make for some challenging travel experiences. On some long travel days we depart early in the morning to ensure we optimise our time at our next destination. If you experience travel sickness we recommend you consider medication to help ease the discomfort.
Additional notes
Covid-19
Health related to Covid-19. This operator has a policy in place for COVID-19 and their adventures. Please request full details so we can share the most up to date information with you and be aware that the note below was relevant at the time of writing but may have changed. Thanks!
Is this trip right for you
It can get hot in Turkey from May to October and some of the more traditional hotels will not have air-conditioning. Evening temperatures are usually very pleasant and an open window with a breeze should do the trick.
With so much to see and do in Turkey, this expedition covers a lot of ground in 12 days – with a few one-night stops along the way, but you will be travelling in the comfort of a private vehicle.
Health
DRINKING WATER
As a rule, we recommend you don’t drink tap water, even in hotels, as it may contain much higher levels of different minerals than the water you are used to at home. For local people, this is not a problem as their bodies are used to this and can cope, but for visitors drinking the tap water can result in illness. Generally, this isn’t serious, an upset stomach being the only symptom, but it’s enough to spoil a day or two of your holiday. Many hotels and lodges provide safe drinking water, while bottled water is another alternative. Water consumption should be about two litres a day. Rehydration salts, motion sickness tablets, and diarrhea blockers are available from many pharmacies – please source from home and bring them with you on your travels.
Your fellow travellers
As you travel on a group trip you will be exposed to all the pleasures and maybe some of the frustrations of travelling in a group. Your fellow travellers will probably come from all corners of the world and likely a range of age groups too. We ask you to be understanding of the various needs and preferences of your group – patience with your fellow travellers is sometimes required for the benefit of everyone’s travel experience. Remember too that you have responsibilities to the group. If you are requested to be at a place at a certain time, ensure that you don’t keep the rest of the group waiting. We have found time and time again that the very best trips we operate are those where the dynamics within the group work well – this takes just a little effort on your part. Due to privacy reasons, we are unable to provide you with contact details and any personal information about your fellow travellers booked on your trip prior to departure.
Covid-19
This operator has a policy in place for COVID-19 and their adventures. Please request full details so we can share the most up to date information with you. Thanks!
Tour operator
We love this operator for the freedom and flexibility they give travellers to get off the tourist trails and really experience local cultures. Their style of small group travel is perfect for solo travellers, couples or small groups of friends and their grassroots style of travel seeks to have a positive impact on the communities they visit.
They use local leaders, local accommodation & transport and support local community projects, ensuring sustainability is at the centre of everything they do.
In addition, they expect their staff and travellers to demonstrate the principles of responsible travel – respecting people, cultures and local environments; in the distribution of wealth; in good will and cross-cultural sharing; and in contributing to sustainable development.
Enquire today
Turkey: Women’s Expedition
Please complete the enquiry form above with as much detail as you can and we will send you all the trip information and connect you with the operator so you can make a booking directly.
If you have queries and questions about the trip include those in your form and we’ll personally reply to you within 24 hours.
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