More Places

More Destinations for Your Itinerary

The following are a list of other places we had considered going to but had to leave out of the itinerary due to lack of time.  We had designed two computerized itineraries for two different trips a few years apart: West-Central Turkey and Central-East Turkey.

Abbreviations: GR= Greece, TR = Turkey; MP = Milli Parki = National Park = NP; sp = bird species; vpt = viewpoint

West - Central Turkey 

• İznik:  walled city where the famous historical tiles come from
• Assos: view from acropolis towards Lesbos, GR
• Ayvalık: splendid viewpoint of sea with wind-swept pine forest, apricots 
• Foça:  lovely & charming seaside place 
• Alaçatı:  tiny Aegean village
• Bafa Gölü: West side of lake superb for birds (5sp); one of the best natural areas: lake is dotted with islands and flanked by rugged mountains
• Bafa Gölü: Kapikiri: dramatic lakeside setting, Besparmak Dagi; Herakleia: old ruins
• Gümüşlük: sunken city walls of ancient Myndos
• Datça Peninsula: azure coves and scattered ruins
• Hisarönü Peninsula: spectacular, raw pine-clad coast; Selimiye:
• Kayaköy: abandoned Greek village
• Lycian Way: spectacular hikes
Phaselis: incomparably romantic & ruined Lycian city; ruins are not exciting but setting is divine

Isparta Area

• Sagalassos: ruined city backed by sheer rock, dramatically sited on terraced slopes of Ak Dag (White Mountain)
• Eğirdir: lake district
• Beyşehir: preserved Ottoman centre

Antalya Area

• Termessos MP: ruins in a mountainous setting; one of the best preserved & majestic sites in TR
• Saklıkent Gorge: spectacular 18 km gorge
• Side: another spectacular amphitheatre
• Taurus Mountains
• Ihlara Valley: rock-cut churches

North Turkey

• Yazilikaya: Hittite Rock Gardens
• Hattuşa Örenyeri: ruins of the capital of the ancient Hittite Kingdom
• Amasya: stunning Ottoman town in a dramatic location
• Sumela Monastery, Trabzon
• Kaçkar Dağları MP

Central - East Turkey

We also developed an itinerary for Central and East Turkey that is heavily geared to bird watching:

• Buyuk Menderes Delta (1sp: Dalmatian Pelican)
• Dilek MP
• Goksu Delta (31sp)
• Akseki, Antalya (11sp)
• Demirkazik (14sp)
• Sultan Marshes (16sp)
• Çöl Gölü, Kayseri (5sp)
• Tabaklar, Adana (5)
• Durnalık, Gaziantep Province (13sp)
• Birecik (31sp)
• Halfeti (14sp)
• Sanliurfa
• Nemrut Dağı: (10sp) huge carved monuments and giant heads of the Ancient gods
• Diyarbakir
• Maden, Elâzığ Province: heritage buildings
• Mardin
• Midyat, Mardin Province
• Urfa
• Hasankeyf: gorgeous honey-coloured village clinging to rocks
• Van; along scenic lake

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