Hidden Gems of Turkey · 3 sites
For travellers who'd rather hear the wind than a tour bus, these are places where the landscape is the main event. Walk a Cappadocian valley without the crowds, drive a road that villagers cut through a canyon by hand, and sit on the white shore of a lake that scientists compare with Mars.
Plan your private tour3 sites
Most visitors to Cappadocia never make it this far south, and that's the point. Soğanlı is a pair of quiet valleys full of rock-cut churches, pigeon houses and cave dwellings, with paths that lead from one painted chapel to the next. You may have the Domed Church to yourself. On the way out, the village women sell the little rag dolls Soğanlı is known for.
Kemaliye is a long way from anywhere, and it's worth every mile. The old town of wooden houses looks down on the Euphrates, and beyond it the river runs through the Dark Canyon between cliffs so tall the sun barely reaches the water. The road through the gorge was dug largely by hand by local villagers, tunnel by tunnel. Drive it slowly. It is one of the most remarkable roads in Turkey.
The first sight of Lake Salda stops people in their tracks: water the colour of a swimming pool, edged with shores of brilliant white. The white is a rare mineral, and the lake is so unusual that NASA scientists have studied it to understand Mars. It is a fragile place, so we visit it gently, from the viewpoints and paths that protect it, at the quiet hours when the colours are at their best.
Let's plan your holiday
Tick the sites that inspire you, here or from any other theme, tell us how many of you are travelling and how long you have. We will write a private itinerary just for you and send it by email with a personal price.
Choose the places you would love to see, how many of you are travelling and for how long.
We write a private programme just for you and email it with a personal price.
Change anything you like. We refine the programme with you until it feels just right.
Hidden Gems of Turkey
Ready when you are
Tell us what kind of places you love. We will design your private itinerary and send you a personal proposal.
Plan your trip
