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Capital of Turkey – Ankara City Tour and Salt Lake

Rise and shine. Get ready to depart for Ankara, the capital of Turkey. Visit Mausoleum of Ataturk, the founder and first president of Turkish Republic. After lunch in Ankara, drive to Cappadocia. Visit Salt Lake on the way. Salt Lake is the second largest lake in Turkey and is one of the largest hypersaline lakes in the world. From May to July, the color will change from blue to red due to seasonal rise in algae, which also attracts flocks of hungry flamingos. This is a very rare view in the world. The color vanishes in July when the water level falls..

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Enjoy a full–day tour of UNESCO-listed Cappadocia, best known for its unique moon-like landscape, underground cities, cave churches and houses carved in the rocks. Its bizarrely shaped pillars, cones and “fairy chimneys” make fantastic spots for snapshots. Visit Pigeon Valley, then make photo stop at Devrent Valley, also known as Imagination Valley, where you can see unique rock formations that resemble animals and human shapes, and the famous camel figure fairy chimney of Cappadocia is also in this region. Continue to visit Uchisar Castle – an old village consists of small dwellings carved into a massive rock. If time permits, you may visit one of the homes and experience life in the village. Lunch will be at Avanos Village, followed by visit to famous local Pottery Workshop and Turkish Carpet Showroom, allowing ample time for shopping in the afternoon. The next stop is Pasabag Valley, also called Monks Valley. You will see the spectacular mushroom-shaped rock formations, which is the most impressive Fairy Chimneys in Cappadocia area. Thereafter, explore the Underground City, one of the most interesting underground settlements in Cappadocia, was built to protect the locals from raids and invasions during ancient time.

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Bid farewell to Cappadocia. Travel to Pamukkale via Konya to visit the 13th–century Tepesidelik Han Caravanserai, a large stone building that was an overnight stopping point for people transporting their goods along the Silk Road. Lunch at Konya. Konya was the old capital of the Seljuk Empire, also known as Turkey’s city of Whirling Dervishes. After visiting Mevlana Museum, the mausoleum of the founder of the Mevlevi Whirling Dervishes, continue journey to Pamukkale. Visit Textile Outlet Center in Pamukkale. Textile is the major export of Turkey.

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Discover the UNESCO-listed wonders of Pamukkale and the ancient city of Hierapolis. Explore the unique white travertine terraces of Pamukkale, meaning “Cotton Castle” in Turkish, created by calcareous hot spring water flowing down the mountain. Hierapolis, a well-preserved ancient GrecoRoman city, was built on top of the “Cotton Castles”. You can see the impressive Roman Theatre, Necropolis, Temple of Apollo, The Martyrium of St Philip at the site. After lunch, set off for Selcuk where you will explore another UNESCO World Heritage site - Ephesus, one of the best-preserved Roman ruins in the world, and was once the commercial center of the ancient world. You will find awesome structures such as the impressive Library of Celsus, Great Theatre, Temple of Hadrian, Odeon and many more. The ruins also include public toilets and even a brothel. Thereafter, shopping stop at Turkish Delight (Candy) & Olive Oil Outlet.

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Start your day with a visit to the Turkish Leather Factory Outlet and enjoy a live fashion show that showcases the trendiest leather products. Free time for shopping. Then drive to Bursa, the former capital of the Ottoman Empire. Bursa is listed as UNESCO World Heritage in 2014 for being the birthplace of the Ottoman Empire. After lunch, visit Grand Mosque, also known as Ulu Cami, is the largest mosque in Bursa and a major landmark of early Ottoman architecture, which carried many elements from the Seljuk architecture. It is also one of the most beautiful mosques in the entire country. Our last visit will be Silk Market.

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Sit back and relax on your drive back to Istanbul. Upon arrival, lunch at a local restaurant. Visit one of the world’s largest covered markets – Grand Bazaar (close on Sundays) with more than 58 streets and 4000 shops, teahouses and cafes.

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Free & Easy Free at own leisure till departure transfer to Istanbul airport for homebound flight.