TURKEY GRAND TOUR (14 days) – featuring Graham Hancock

Welcome to Istanbul, the crossroads of continents and civilizations. Upon your arrival, our team will greet you at the airport and provide a transfer to your hotel in the heart of this historic city.

In the evening, we’ll gather for a special Welcome Dinner, where you’ll have the opportunity to meet your fellow travelers.

Hotel: Istanbul
Meals Included: Dinner

We begin our journey by exploring Istanbul, a city that has witnessed the rise and fall of empires for thousands of years.

First, we visit the legendary Hagia Sophia, once a church, then a mosque, and now a museum. Historically regarded as the greatest surviving example of Byzantine architecture, Hagia Sophia stands as a symbol of the shifting tides of religion and power throughout history.

Our exploration continues with the awe-inspiring Blue Mosque, renowned for its stunning blue tiles and domed architecture, which reveal the spiritual grandeur of Istanbul’s past.

From there, we move to Hippodrome Square, where we’ll trace the footsteps of ancient chariot races and political spectacles that once filled this bustling space.

Next, we’ll step into the iconic Topkapi Palace, the seat of the Ottoman Empire. We then descend into the depths of the Basilica Cistern, also known as Yerebatan Cistern. This underground wonder, with its forest of columns and eerie echoes, provides a glimpse into the ancient city’s water storage system.

Hotel: Istanbul
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, we’ll head toward Gallipoli, where we’ll enjoy a scenic lunch by the sea before sailing across the Dardanelles to Canakkale, on the Asian side of Turkey. Our destination is the legendary ancient city of Troy, one of the most iconic archaeological sites and a place that bridges history and myth. Immortalized in Homer’s Iliad, Troy has fascinated historians and storytellers for centuries. We’ll explore its well-preserved ruins and see a replica of the famous Trojan Horse.

Hotel: Assos
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

It’s time to travel to the ancient city of Pergamon, once a powerful cultural and intellectual center of the ancient world. Known for its monumental temples, grand acropolis, and vast library, Pergamon was a place where knowledge and power converged. During the Roman period, Pergamon became the most famous and influential city of Asia Minor. Visiting this UNESCO site will provide you with a chance to trace the steps of the ancient city of Pergamon and learn more about its unique history.

Hotel: Kusadasi
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Our adventure continues as we journey to Ephesus, one of the most impressive and well-preserved ancient cities in the world. Once a thriving hub of commerce and culture, Ephesus was home to the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. This iconic place was also a religious center of early Christianity. Today, it’s a unique and amazingly well-preserved ancient city that attracts visitors from around the world.

Next, we will drive to our hotel in Pamukkale, where you will enjoy hot springs water, rich in minerals, and relax after the day of sightseeing.

Hotel: Pamukkale
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

In the morning we will visit the picturesque white terraces in Pamukkale and the famous ancient city of Hierapolis. This Greco-Roman city was built on top of the white terraces and has a lot to offer to its visitors, including a surreal landscape, made up of mineral forests, petrified waterfalls, and a series of terraced basins.

Later, you’ll have some free time to explore the unique geology of Turkey’s “Cotton Castle”. You will have an opportunity to walk barefoot on the unique calcite surface that is overrun with warm, mineral-rich waters, and admire the contrast between the powder-white surface, the clear blue sky, and the green plains below.

After lunch, we will drive to Konya to continue our journey.

Hotel: Konya
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today, we delve into some of Turkey’s most enigmatic and ancient sites, beginning with the Neolithic settlement of Çatalhöyük, one of the oldest known urban centers in the world.

Believed to have been inhabited around 9,000 years ago, Çatalhöyük offers a rare glimpse into early human civilization. It is the largest and best-preserved Neolithic settlement currently known and is considered one of the key sites for understanding human prehistory. Regarded as a place off the beaten path, this archaeological site is rarely visited by tourists.

Next, we’ll visit the Sultanhani Kervansaray – one of the largest and most enchanting caravanserais in the world which had been used as an accommodation for people, especially merchants, and as a defense for trade routes.

Next, we venture underground to explore the mysterious depths of Derinkuyu, one of the largest and deepest underground cities ever discovered. This sprawling subterranean network, extending over 18 levels and reaching 280 feet deep, could once shelter up to 20,000 people.

Derinkuyu has long occupied an important place in Graham Hancock’s thinking about lost knowledge, ancient engineering, and the possibility that some structures of the distant past were created in response to extreme environmental upheaval. Could places like this have served as refuges from catastrophic weather events or even cosmic impacts, as ancient myths seem to suggest?

Hotel: Cappadocia
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today, we explore the surreal landscape of Cappadocia, a region unlike any other in the world. Known for its fairy-tale-like rock formations called fairy chimneys, Cappadocia’s landscape was shaped by volcanic activity and centuries of erosion, creating a magical terrain that feels otherworldly. This region is a geological wonder in its own right, forming a "lost world" which we’ll explore during the day. Yet, beneath its beauty lies a deeper history—one intertwined with Graham Hancock’s theories on lost civilizations.

First, we explore Kaymakli, another interconnected underground complex featuring a maze of tunnels and rooms. Some believe it was connected to the underground city of Derinkuyu through a five-mile tunnel, forming part of a massive, region-wide refuge network.

Next, we’ll visit the Goreme Open-Air Museum, a UNESCO World Heritage site filled with ancient cave churches, monasteries, and dwellings carved into soft volcanic rock. These remarkable structures date primarily to the Byzantine era, yet the wider landscape of Cappadocia has long invited deeper questions about how far back the region’s human story may truly reach. For Graham Hancock, places like this point to the possibility that the history of this landscape may extend much further into the past than conventional timelines usually suggest.

Afterward, we’ll have time to browse local shops, where you can find unique handmade souvenirs and experience the charm of Cappadocia’s artisanal culture.

Hotel: Cappadocia
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Another exciting day awaits in Cappadocia, where we’ll explore more of this surreal landscape. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to photograph the unique rock formations, volcanic peaks, and ancient valleys that seem straight out of another world. Shaped by millions of years of erosion from water and wind, they create a landscape unlike any other on Earth.

We make our way to the Uchisar Castle, the highest point in Cappadocia, which offers panoramic views of the entire region. Carved into the natural rock, this ancient fortress provides insight into how people utilized the landscape for defense and shelter.

In the afternoon, we continue to explore Cappadocia’s cave dwellings and rock-cut architecture, including the fascinating Pasabag Valley, also known as the Valley of Monks, and the Devrent Valley, where bizarre rock formations resemble animal figures.

Hotel: Cappadocia
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After an early breakfast in Cappadocia, we set off toward Adiyaman, taking in the changing landscapes and the natural beauty of Turkey along the way. The journey offers a chance to savor the unique flavors of the local cuisine at a traditional restaurant. 

Upon arrival and check-in at our hotel, we head to the peak of Mount Nemrut, a UNESCO World Heritage site, to witness a spectacular sunset over the ancient statues and burial mounds—a truly awe-inspiring experience at one of Turkey’s most iconic historical landmarks.

Perched at over 7,000 feet in southeastern Turkey, Mount Nemrut is one of the world’s most mysterious ancient sites. Built more than 2,000 years ago by King Antiochus I of Commagene, it features colossal stone heads and statues that have captivated travelers for centuries. Often referred to as the 8th Wonder of the Ancient World, Mount Nemrut was designed to be a tomb, a place of worship, and a celestial observatory—all rolled into one.

At the summit, we’ll marvel at the colossal stone heads and thrones of gods, including Apollo, Zeus, and Hercules, set against the dramatic landscape. These statues were deliberately positioned to align with celestial bodies.  As the sun begins to set, we’ll witness the statues bathed in the golden light of dusk—a breathtaking view that underscores the sacred atmosphere of this mountaintop sanctuary.

After taking in this unforgettable sunset, we return to our hotel in Adiyaman.

Hotel: Adiyaman
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Our journey leads us to Atatürk Dam, one of the largest dams in the world and a symbol of Turkey’s modern engineering achievements.

Next, we travel to Harran, one of the oldest continuously inhabited places on Earth. Known for its iconic beehive houses and ancient ruins, Harran was once an important center of learning and spirituality, home to scholars, mystics, and astronomers who studied the stars and practiced ancient wisdom.

Harran is often mentioned in ancient texts as a place of deep mystical knowledge and celestial observation. Its role as a crossroads of civilizations has long invited questions about the exchange of ideas, sacred traditions, and early scientific understanding. In Graham Hancock’s work, places like Harran take on particular significance as possible centers of ancient wisdom — especially in relation to astronomy, cosmology, and humanity’s enduring fascination with the skies.

In the evening, we gather for a Multimedia Lecture by Graham Hancock, where he will dive into the mysteries of Turkey and discuss how its ancient past intertwines with his theories on lost civilizations and the secrets of human history.

Hotel: Sanliurfa
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today is a highlight of our journey as we explore some of the most mysterious archaeological sites in the world – sites that are rewriting our understanding of human prehistory.

We begin with Göbekli Tepe, believed to be the world’s oldest known temple complex, dating back an astonishing 12,000 years. This groundbreaking site predates the conventional date of Stonehenge construction by 6,000 years! It has revolutionized what we know about the origins of civilization and challenged the idea that organized society began with farming. The site boasts multiple enclosures with tall, T-shaped pillars surrounded by rings of stones, many carved with reliefs.

Göbekli Tepe stands at the very center of Graham Hancock’s life’s work. For decades, he has pointed to this extraordinary place as evidence that the story of civilization may be far older and far more complex than conventionally believed. Its megalithic enclosures, deliberately buried and preserved for millennia, raise profound questions: were they intended to transmit a message across time? Do the animal carvings and possible astronomical alignments preserve memories of cosmic events or cataclysmic upheavals at the end of the last Ice Age? Few places in the world so powerfully embody the mysteries Graham has devoted his career to exploring.

During this unforgettable visit, guests will also have the rare opportunity to take a once-in-a-lifetime photograph with Graham Hancock at one of the most important archaeological sites in the world — a place that lies at the heart of the questions and ideas that have shaped his life’s work.

Next, we visit Karahan Tepe, a sister site to Göbekli Tepe that may be even older. Excavations here have revealed ritual spaces and carved stone figures that point to a highly organized society capable of monumental architecture at a far earlier date than once thought.

For Graham Hancock, Karahan Tepe is part of a much wider puzzle. Its symbolic carvings — including serpent motifs — invite comparison with ancient traditions found across the world. Could such recurring imagery preserve fragments of a shared memory, perhaps even a warning connected to a cataclysmic event in the distant past? Sites like this continue to deepen the questions at the heart of his research.

After exploring these monumental sites, we visit the Urfa Archaeology Museum, which houses artifacts and recreations from Göbekli Tepe and Karahan Tepe.

We continue our journey to the Pools of Abraham. This mystical site, where sacred fish swim, is tied to the legend of Abraham being saved from a fire.

Nearby, we visit Abraham’s Cave, the reputed birthplace of the prophet. This sacred site, revered for millennia, offers a glimpse into the spiritual traditions that have flourished in this land.

In the evening, we gather for another Multimedia Lecture by Graham Hancock at our hotel. This engaging session will further explore his groundbreaking theories on lost civilizations and how ancient cultures across the globe were far more advanced and interconnected than mainstream history suggests. He’ll also provide insights on Gobekli Tepe’s role within this broader narrative.

Later, you will enjoy an exclusive Panel Discussion and Q&A session with Graham Hancock. This is a unique opportunity to engage directly with one of the world’s most thought-provoking authors on ancient civilizations. Graham will answer questions from the group, share deeper insights into his research, and offer personal perspectives on the sites we have already visited and will visit in the upcoming days. Following the discussion, you will have the chance to take photos with Graham and have your books signed.

Hotel: Sanliurfa
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

As our incredible journey through Turkey’s ancient wonders nears its conclusion, we take a flight back to Istanbul. After our arrival and transfer to the hotel, the rest of the afternoon is yours to relax and unwind or explore the city at your own pace.

In the evening, we embark on an exclusive private boat cruise along the Bosphorus Strait, offering stunning views of Istanbul’s iconic skyline as the sun sets.

Later in the day, guests will also enjoy individual one-on-one meetings with Graham Hancock. These private encounters will offer a rare opportunity to meet him personally, take photographs together, have books signed, and share a more personal moment of conversation.

During the sunset, we will enjoy our Farewell Dinner. This final evening offers a chance to look back on the profound experiences we’ve shared and the mysteries we’ve uncovered along the way.

Hotel: Istanbul
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

As our remarkable expedition through Turkey comes to an end, we transfer you from the hotel to Istanbul Airport for your departure. After two weeks of exploring the secrets of Turkey and the mysteries of human history alongside Graham Hancock, we hope you’ll return home with memories and knowledge that will stay with you long after you’ve left Turkey.

Meals: Breakfast