This was a privately curated 21 day trip for just 2 people, starting and ending in Istanbul. After quite a bit of research into tour operators we contacted Ertunga and asked him to put together a 3 week tour for us. We weren’t specific about where we wanted to go (except Cappadocia) as we were more than happy to go with what he recommended, we just wanted an authentic Turkish experience, exploring the history and culture of the country. We covered most of the western part of Turkiye. There were many emails back and forth over several months. We stipulated a private driver and dedicated private guide for the whole time. We tweeked the itinerary that first came through, as we looked at the places chosen and the distances needed to travel on any particular day. We dropped some and added others. Additionally we opted for some more ‘up market’ accommodations along the way. What we got was a stunning, cram packed, deep and rich experience full of history, great food and fun times over the course of the trip. This was all enhanced by our extraordinary, kind and caring driver Yalcin and our experienced and knowledgable guide Asil. They were our constant companions for the trip and we became great friends during the time. We traveled in luxury in a beautiful Mercedes van equiped with a small fridge for cool drinks and Yalcin saw to it that we had lollies every day! He was a careful and cautious driver. What Asil doesn’t know about the history of Turkiye isn’t worth knowing. He could answer every question we put to him and it is clear he takes pride in his work. Apart from his expert historical knowledge, he also knew all the places to take us for lunch every day, which was included in the package. We tasted every possible kind of Turkish food and it was delicious. As with every trip there are always a few things that don’t go according to plan and the guys were there to help us with any matter that need a ‘local’ to sort out- ATM’s keeping our bank cards for example!! They really went above and beyond in seeing we were looked after, even offering to drive us to, and pick us up from places where we had dinner at night. I would thoroughly recommend Ertunga and his team to anyone.

Taketrips