For me the best part of the trip was the Taurus Mountains, They where beautiful and for some reason we had them to our selves The Mt Ararat climb is quite hard and the day we went up it was quite windy and cold. You have to have enough space in your bag to take 6*1.5 litre bottles of water as clean fresh water is not easy to comb by on Mt Ararat.    The only annoying thing was that the Turkish embassy issued a 13 day visa this could only be put down to a miss understanding of the documentation supplied by Explore as it happened to 4 out of 5 on the trek 2 from the UK and 2 from Southern Ireland the person form South Africa was issued with a 90 day visa. Two people where find 180 Turkish lira on exit at Istanbul. ( BKA - 24th July 2011)

We started off in Cappadocia and walked amongst the famous Fairy Chimneys. It was amazing being able to climb into these incredible structures. Afterwards you just have to visit a Turkish bath, soothing for tired bodies and an experience in itself. Moving on to the Taurus Mountains, it proved an excellent venue to trek in with its arid and rugged scenery. We reached the summit of Mt Embler 3,723 m for fine views of the nearby Mt Demirkazk. Acclimatised, we moved on to the impressive Mt Ararat right on the border with Iran. This proved an excellent climb although a strong blizzard prevented any chance of a view from the 5,137 m summit. There was no sign of Noah, although we did visit a nearby site claimed to be his Ark. We finished with a tour of Istanbul with its impressive Blue Mosque and Aya Sofia – breath taking! We particularly enjoyed the varied nature of this holiday, combining excellent trekking in remote mountain areas, climbing Turkey’s highest mountain and visiting interesting cultural sites. We highly recommend Tolga, the very competent Turkish guide on this trip, who was very passionate about his country and keen to share this Turkish Delight! (BKA- 16th August 2009)