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Cappadocia Photographic Tour
We are pleased to offer a very special tour for photographers of all levels.
The Cappadocia Photographic Tour will introduce you to the beauty, traditions, and scenery of the unique Cappadocia Region of Turkey. With its natural beauty of moonlike landscape to the stories and daily life of local inhabitants, this tour is your opportunity to witness real life in real settings.
We have teamed up with Photographer Brian Hodes, who has photographed, and documented our Turkish Lifestyle for many years. His powerful portraits of our locals and his vision for the beauty of the region are why we think you too will fall in love with Cappadocia.
This unique tour is limited to just 10 Guest Photographers (maximum) at a time in order to provide you with a memorable one of a kind personal experience and images worthy of a gallery show.
GROUP SIZE:
We get minimum 4, maximum 10 people on this special tour.
HOTEL:
Kale Konak Cave Hotel www.kalekonak.com
Located just under The Uchisar Castle, The Kale Konak is your home away from home. From the moment you set foot onto the property, you will feel as if you have stepped back in time and into another World. This unique cave hotel with it’s remarkable scenic views and superior staff, will let allow you to relax and absorb the beauty which is Cappadocia. And take some time to enjoy the soothing sensation of the hotel’s private Hammam.
Breakfast as the sun rises is the perfect start to any day.
VAN WITH DRIVER:
We use a 13 seater luxury Mercedes van with large windows.
These vans are designed for your maximum comfort. There is even a cooler full of bottled cold water for your use.
We also provide Wi-Fi in these vans.
The van will also be at the disposal of the group to get to/from the restaurants for dinners.
GUIDING:
Brian: Professional photographer Brian Black Hodes (USA) has been documenting the way of in life in Turkey for over a decade.
His bond with the country and specifically The Cappadocia Region has allowed him to photograph the intimate moments of the local population.
He has found that the smiles and the hospitality found here are most sincere, and that reflects in his imagery.
Whether you are a professional or enthusiast with Top of the line pro gear, or just your iPhone, Brian will assist you to see things in a whole new light and to capture moments you have only just imagined.
Tour guide: Besides Brian, there will be a local tour guide on all the tours. We always use experienced, university educated guides with a vast knowledge of their subjects and an excellent command of the English language.
FOOD:
Daily breakfast is included at the hotels.
We try to use the best restaurants available in each area for lunches. They are all a la carte, not set or fixed menu. So that you can order whatever you like from the menu. The drinks during the lunches are included as well.
Dinners are not included that you can go out and enjoy a nice restaurant yourselves. Our guides may recommend you some good options for dinners.
Departure Date Group Size Price
- 12 May 2023 Max. 10 people3685 USD per person
- 26 May 2023 Max. 10 people3685 USD per person
- 15 September 2023 Max. 10 people3685 USD per person
- 29 September 2023 Max. 10 people3685 USD per person
Add - Ons and Reductions
- Single supplement 540 USD
- Infant discount (0-2) 100 %
- Child discount (2-12) 50 %
Included services
- Accommodation at the mentioned hotels including breakfast
- Transportation with an A/C luxury minivan
- Professional guiding
- A la carte lunches with soft drinks
- Admission fees to the museums and sights
- Brian Hodes as the tour leader
- Fees for set-ups
- Taxes
Excluded services
- International flight tickets
- Dinners
- Personal travel insurance
- Tips
Day 1: Arrive in Istanbul
Upon your arrival at the new Istanbul Airport, the driver will meet you at tha gate, then transfer you to the hotel in Sultanahmet area. Day on your own to get used to the temperature/area and for some time to overcome jetlag. You will meet Brian, the tour guide, and other tour participants for a cocktail and briefing on your trip at 18:00 at the hotel.
Day 2: Istanbul
A short walk takes you to the Blue Mosque area, where there is an ongoing restoration being carried out. Our next stop will be the Topkapi Palace. More than just a palace, it is an assemblage of museums containing collections amassed by the Sultans for almost nearly five centuries. Our visit also takes us to the famous Harem where the Imperial Family resided. We then walk out to Divan Yolu, the old "Road to the Imperial Council’ now a busy thoroughfare, for lunch at a local restaurant. Next we visit the Hagia Sophia, the most important Byzantine building in the world, followed by a visit to the Underground Cistern, commonly called the Basilica Cistern. We end the tour with a visit to Grand Bazaar, one of the most extraordinary shopping experiences in the World.
Breakfast
Day 3: Istanbul
Today you will start the day with a walk through the spice bazaar, an extensive market which was built in the 17th century to finance the upkeep of the nearby mosque - Yeni Cami. The bazaar is often referred to as the "Egyptian Market" due to the fact that spices used to come to the market from India and Southeast Asia via Egypt. During the tour you will visit the Rustem Pasha Mosque, another skillful accomplishment of the architect Sinan. The Rustem Pasha Mosque was built in 1561 on the orders of Rustem Pasha, Grand Vizier and son-in-law of Suleyman the Magnificent. Exquisite Iznik tiles panel the small and superbly proportioned interior. Lunch will be near Eminönü. Then you will be driven to the pier for your private cruise on the Bosphorus. Upon disembarkation you will proceed to a Turkish home to enjoy a hands-on cooking class, learning to cook home-style, family recipes and afterward taste what you have cooked; a truly unique opportunity to experience Turkish hospitality and local home life.
BreakfastLunch
Day 4: Istanbul-Cappadocia
After check out, transfer to the Sabiha Gökçen Airport for fly to Kayseri. Upon your arrival to Kayseri Airport, we will then drive to Hurmetci village, where we first watch and photograph the local ladies baking bread in their traditional stone oven. Then, it’s time to see and photograph the wild Yilki horses. These horses, running wild in nature, provide an opportunity for some spectacular imagery. We will also have a village breakfast. Then we drive to Cappadocia and check into our hotel. following check-in, it will be time for a 5km hike along the beautiful Red Valley, one of the most breathtaking, mysterious and unique valleys in the region. The valley is in the heart of Cappadocia but well away from the mainstream tourist haunts. With its natural volcanic rock formations and the little chapels of the hermits that are carved out of the valley walls, adding a spiritual dimension, this will be your opportunity for some extremely artistic captures. For those who choose not to walk, you will be driven to Cavusin Village where you will be able to explore the caves on your own and meet up with the other group.
BreakfastLunch
Day 5: Cappadocia
Following breakfast, it’s off to the Devrent Valley to visit Cappadocia’s Martian like landscape where the rock formations are literally “out of this world” and to Pasabag where the “Fairy Chimneys” harmonize in the wind with the songs of the fairies. An absolute must for any landscape photographer. Our next stop for photography will be Avanos, the center of terracotta art since 2,000 BC, where we will be given a demonstration in a traditional pottery workshop. In keeping with the theme, we will then head over to a local clay pottery factory by the Red River to observe and photograph the workers there. Lunch today will be at a local restaurant before heading to Nevsehir and the local open market where the region’s fresh vegetables and fruits are sold. This is a perfect place to meet, talk and photograph some of the locals as it is crowded and bustling. We will head over to the famous Goreme Open Air Museum next, to see the best examples of Byzantine art in Cappadocia which are found in rock-cut churches with frescoes and paintings dating from as far back as the 10th Century.
BreakfastLunch
Day 6: Cappadocia
Optional Hot Air Balloon Ride before sunrise. Our day begins with trip to the underground city of Kaymakli, one of the largest and deepest of Cappadocia’s many such settlements, where we will descend towards the center of the earth. Then drive to Guzelyurt and lunch will be at a nice local retsurant. After lunch, we will drive to Ihlara Canyon for an approximate 4km hike via the Steps of Anatolia to Belisirma Village, the ancient Peristrema. Set adjacent to the Melendiz River, it is also known as the “Valley of the Sky”. Churches carved from and into the rocks form a gallery of early paintings that are remarkable for their accuracy. For those who do not wish to hike, our driver will take you to the village where the walk will end and you can explore on your own (our driver will be with you). In Belisirma along the banks of the river, and on our way to the Caravanserai of Agzikarahan, we visit the absolute beautiful village of Selime. Agzikarahan is an extremely fine example of Turkish Seljuk art that was built in the early 13th century on the legendary Silk Road for the accommodation of the traders and their camels. Our day concludes as we watch the sunset at Red Valley, while enjoying some local wine.
BreakfastLunch
Day 7: Cappadocia
After breakfast, we will travel to Mazi Village for some tea and coffee with the locals. We then have the opportunity to visit Taskinpasa Mosque, which dates back to the 14th century, to meet the Imam and photograph images with him in the mosque. We will then drive to Soganli Valley, an open air museum in a wild natural setting adjacent to a typical Cappadocia Village. Then we visit Ayvali and Guneyce villages, where we witness the hard working local farmers laboring in their gardens and fields harvesting potatoes, grapes and pumpkins. While in Ayvali Village, a local family will host us in their home for lunch. The ladies of the house will prepare their specialties while we have the opportunity to photograph them. Before heading back to our hotel, we will visit a rug manufacturing factory where we will see the women weaving rugs by hand, and see the silk process. After this, we head over to the old Greek Village of Mustafapasa. There, we will witness Greek architecture of the houses and meet some of the locals while we walk. We will also have the opportunity to visit one of the village’s families in their home. When we arrive to the hotel, we will all get together in The Cave Meeting Room for an open discussion and to share some of our unique image captures from the previous days.
BreakfastLunch
Day 8: Cappadocia - Home
You will be transferred to The Cappadocia Airport for your flight to Istanbul and to your connecting International flight.
Breakfast