Greece: Athens, Delphi, Meteora | Greek Islands: Syros, Mykonos, Paros, Santorini, Patmos, Kalymnos | Turkey: Ephesus, Istanbul
Ship
Privately Owned, 50-passenger Ship
Includes airfare
During your trip, you will have the opportunity to join optional tours to further your discoveries—all of which are noted below. Most of these tours can only be reserved onsite with your Trip Experience Leader, however due to limited space and other special requirements, some optional tours must be reserved before your departure from the U.S. If this trip has optional tours that need to be purchased in advance, they will be noted with a disclaimer below.
$50 per person
$50 per person
Join an optional Turkish Delight evening. This is a fun and entertaining night on the town where you will enjoy belly dancing and the skilled movements of folkloric dancers performing an assortment of traditional Turkish dances.
$40 per person
$40 per person
On this evening's optional tour, you have the opportunity to witness a ritual dance performance by the Whirling Dervishes, monks of the Mevlevi sect of Islam, founded in the 13th century. During the dance, called a sema, the dervishes believe that their souls are released from their earthly ties and are free to joyfully commune with the divine. The dervishes spin shoulder to shoulder, both around their own axis and around one other, representing the Earth revolving on its own axis while orbiting the sun. The dancers are silent while performing the sema, accompanied by drums and chanting, as the ritual gradually transforms itself into rapid, spinning ecstasy.
Please note: Depending on the performance schedule, this optional tour may be offered on a different day.
$300 per person
$300 per person
You can rise early with us this morning (weather permitting) and get a new perspective on the intriguing tufa landscapes while gliding smoothly above them on our optional hot air balloon excursion. Sip a cup of hot coffee or tea as the crew prepares the balloon, then climb aboard. See the soft light of dawn spread over Cappadocia, as the balloon flight varies from low contour to get a good look at the sculpted tufa, to a somewhat higher altitude to give you a panoramic view of this strangely shaped landscape of eroded pillars and cones. After a gentle landing, enjoy a light breakfast on site and celebrate your adventure with a glass of champagne. You will receive a flight certificate to acknowledge your airborne experience. Remember to bring your camera for this excursion.
$90 per person
$90 per person
Join our optional tour of Cape Sounion, home of the Temple of Poseidon. To get here, we drive along scenic roads, traveling along the coast through various resort towns to reach the promontory on which the temple stands, with thrilling panoramic views of the Aegean Sea. The Temple of Poseidon was built by the Ancient Greeks around 400 BC. When you consider the fact that Homer’s epic the Odyssey revolved entirely around the perils of the sea, it’s easy to understand why the people of this island nation would go to such trouble to please the god of the sea, winds, and earthquakes. The temple has suffered damage from foreign invasions over the years, but the ruins remain an elegant and picturesque tribute to the mighty gods of the Greeks.