How was your Explore Tour Leader?

" Ouraz (think thats how its spelt) was spot on ,knowledgeable,fun guy always ready to help and had some good idea's
for going out at night in what are some very conservative towns/cities."

What tips would you give to someone else booking this tour?

" Be prepared for hotels to be of very varying standards,screw driver helps to do the odd quick repair. Some towns are very conservative re female dress and towards alcohol. This is a politically sensitive area,you may have to put up with the odd detour. Food,plenty of salads some fresh fish other wise kebabs,great breads.
You may react to the food so carry a small medicine kit to ease any problems. "

Do you have anything else to add?

" Just have an open mind ,try different things especially the foods and above all laugh. Kurdish people are so very friendly.Don't discuss politics its a minefield!"

How was your Explore Tour Leader?

Very informative, but forgetful only very occasionally on some important details that we needed to know about, but hey there's alot he had to deal with. He was extremely helpful at meal times and never seemed to get annoyed at the barrage of questions that we dumb tourists constantly asked him - sometimes repeatedly. Top banana, but not the most top banana we've ever had!

What tips would you give to someone else booking this tour?

"If you’re a bread lover, then this is the holiday for you. Turkish people love their bread and they love serving it with every meal. If you’re also a road builder, then you’re absolutely going to love this holiday. At the time we went, Turkey was going through an extensive road building programme, and I mean extensive.

Explore is known for its early departures and on this holiday, you wont be disappointed.  There were two 7 - 7.15 am ones, whilst the rest of them juggle between 8.00 am and 9.00 am.

All hotels were tourist class hotels i.e. there was no character to them, except the one almost right at the end. Not all hotels had air conditioning, particularly the ones at high elevation. Practically all of the hotels had free Wi-Fi access.

You spend alot of time on the mini bus."

This was our second trip to Turkey.  Our first trip was in western Turkey and it was so wonderful that we really wanted to return.  We were interested in visiting Eastern Turkey on this trip.  We had an idea about what to expect, but this trip far exceeded our expectations.  There was simply more to see than we had realized.  As in western Turkey, a large area is covered and consequently there are some long drives.  However, with the exception of one day which did include a very long drive, the drives were broken up enough with things to see and visit so it really was not difficult to stay "entertained".  We really enjoyed meeting the other people on our holiday.  Highlights of the trip include Sumela Monastery, Nemrut Dagi, Gobekli Tepe, and Urfa.  There were many more as well but these stood out a bit for us.  Frankly, we had not heard of Gobekli Tepe prior to the trip, and as it turns out, it was featured in a National Geographic article for July, 2011 - which had just come out at the time we were visiting.  All in all, one of the best trips we have taken.  The tour guide was well versed in the history of the country and shared many insights with us.( TE - 1st May 2011)

This was an absolutely fascinating trip, visiting ancient historical sites built by civilisations of which I had never heard, from the Black Sea through to the Mesopotamian Plains. I should probably have done more preparation! Although the highlight of the trip was probably supposed to be visiting Nemrut Dagi, for me it was visiting the vast deserted city of Ani, the Isak Pasha Palace and a beautiful church on an island in Lake Van. A vast distance was covered, necessitating long hours on the coach but we always had time to do justice to the sites when we reached them. The biggest disappointment was not being able to visit Gobekli Tepe because the site had been closed, although as we didn't discover this until we had driven all the way up there, at least we saw the environment in which it was placed. We also had the opportunity to visit a remote village school which was really eye-opening. (TE - 19th September 2010)