Intrepid Travel
Turkey: Women's Expedition
Turkey: Women’s Expedition
Turkey is often cited as the ultimate convergence of east and west – traditional spice bazaars and ornately adorned mosques thrown together with bustling cosmopolitan cities. On this women-only expedition, you’ll discover both the traditional and modern wonders of Turkey through the lives of the women who live here. Meet the women changing the face of the tourism industry through food, learn about the tradition of Turkish coffee fortune-telling and even visit a women’s-only Turkish hammam. You’ll meet many extraordinary local women and experience what life is like through their eyes.
Activities
- Istanbul – Grand Bazaar
- Istanbul – Historic Peninsula orientation walk
- Istanbul – Visit to Nahil Dukkan by KEDV Foundation
- Istanbul – Spice Market
- Istanbul – 5 o’clock Tea & coffee in a local home
- Istanbul – Topkapi Palace & Harem Guided Tour
- Cappadocia – Goreme Open Air Museum
- Goreme – Orientation Walk
- Goreme – Cooking Class with Oznur
- Cappadocia – Soft Hike in Soganli Valley
- Cappadocia – Doll making with local woman
- Konya – Felt Making Atelier & artist visit
- Pamukkale – Hierapolis Ancient City & Travertines (Cotton Castle)
- Selcuk – Sultankoy Carpet Cooperation
- Selcuk – Leader-led orientation walk
- Selcuk – Hatice Lunch
- Selcuk – Ephesus Ancient City
- Sirince – Village visit and fruit wine tasting
- Sirince – Manti Cooking Class
- Ayvalik – Copmadam (trashyteyze / Tara Hopkins)
- Ayvalik – Leader-led Orientation Walk
- Assos – Temple of Athena
- Assos – Leader-led walking tour
- Adatepe – Village Tour & Alter of Zeus
- Istanbul – Turkish Hamam
Highlights
- Discover both the traditional and modern wonders of Turkey through the lives of local women
- Meet a local mother and daughter in their home in Istanbul to try their homemade borek. Sip on Turkish coffee and learn about the traditionally female art of fortune-telling, which was passed down between generations in Anatolian culture.
- Enjoy a traditional home-cooked meal in the small town of Avanos with a local woman who’s working to provide for her family, after they had to move from Hatay (a UNESCO World City of Gastronomy) after the 2023 earthquakes.
- Wander through the Soganli Valley on a gentle hiking trip, taking in the arid surrounds and towering vistas, then learn how to make a popular Cappadocian souvenir, a ‘kitre.’ Local women have been making these dolls for many years now to earn a living.
- Stay in a female owned and operated hotel in Istanbul, and visit a social enterprise which supports the economic empowerment of low-income women through handicrafts.
| Day 1 |
Istanbul, previously known as Byzantium and Constantinople, is where East meets West. Situated on both sides of the narrow strait Bosporus, Istanbul is a connector between Europe and Asia.
Turkey's most populated and culturally rich city has been profoundly shaped by history. Imperialistic armies, a revolving door of rulers (including Greeks, Romans and Venetians) and its strategic positioning on the Silk Road led Istanbul, though centuries, to become the diverse and incomparable city it is today. Visitors will discover striking domed monuments, Byzantine architecture and a natural beauty. The Hagia Sophia is called the 8th wonder of the world, and the Blue Mosque also demands attention. Shop at the sprawling Grand Bazaar, walk the Topkapi Palace Museum, take a boat tour on the Bosporus, and take in a wondrous view of the city on Çamlica Hill. |
| Day 2 |
Istanbul, previously known as Byzantium and Constantinople, is where East meets West. Situated on both sides of the narrow strait Bosporus, Istanbul is a connector between Europe and Asia.
Turkey's most populated and culturally rich city has been profoundly shaped by history. Imperialistic armies, a revolving door of rulers (including Greeks, Romans and Venetians) and its strategic positioning on the Silk Road led Istanbul, though centuries, to become the diverse and incomparable city it is today. Visitors will discover striking domed monuments, Byzantine architecture and a natural beauty. The Hagia Sophia is called the 8th wonder of the world, and the Blue Mosque also demands attention. Shop at the sprawling Grand Bazaar, walk the Topkapi Palace Museum, take a boat tour on the Bosporus, and take in a wondrous view of the city on Çamlica Hill. |
| Day 3 |
The ancient region of Cappadocia lies in Central Anatolia, between the cities of Nevsehir, Kayseri and Nigde. Here, the traveler finds one of the most fantastic landscapes in the world. Three million years ago, violent eruptions of the volcanoes Mt. Erciyes (3891 m) and Mt. Hasan (3250 m) covered the surrounding plateau with tuff. Wind and weather have eroded the soft volcanic rock with hundreds of strangely shaped pillars, cones and "fairy chimneys", often very tall, and in every shade from pink through yellow to russet browns. Since the most ancient of times, men have hollowed out dwellings in this soft rock, and here, at the dawn of Christianity, the early Christians made countless cave churches, chapels and monasteries. Goreme, in Cappadocia, is an important area for shopping, with its wonderful carpets and kilims, onyx souvenirs, and very fine local wines. It is also a wonderful region for trekking and for photo-safaris. |
| Day 4 |
The ancient region of Cappadocia lies in Central Anatolia, between the cities of Nevsehir, Kayseri and Nigde. Here, the traveler finds one of the most fantastic landscapes in the world. Three million years ago, violent eruptions of the volcanoes Mt. Erciyes (3891 m) and Mt. Hasan (3250 m) covered the surrounding plateau with tuff. Wind and weather have eroded the soft volcanic rock with hundreds of strangely shaped pillars, cones and "fairy chimneys", often very tall, and in every shade from pink through yellow to russet browns. Since the most ancient of times, men have hollowed out dwellings in this soft rock, and here, at the dawn of Christianity, the early Christians made countless cave churches, chapels and monasteries. Goreme, in Cappadocia, is an important area for shopping, with its wonderful carpets and kilims, onyx souvenirs, and very fine local wines. It is also a wonderful region for trekking and for photo-safaris. |
| Day 5 |
The city of Whirling Dervishes. Konya was the capital of Seljuk Turks from 12th to 13th centuries. It ranks as one of the greatest cultural centers of Turkey. |
| Day 6 |
Pamukkale is a fairyland of dazzling white, petrified castles. It is a magical and spectacular natural site, unique in the world. Thermal spring waters laden with calcareous salts running off the plateau's edge, have created this fantastic formation of stalactites, cataracts and basins. |
| Day 7 |
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| Day 8 |
Once the commercial center of the ancient world, Ephesus is an archaeological splendor and an essential stop on any visit to Turkey. The city, whose wealth and patronage support its splendid architectural program, was dedicated to the goddess Artemis. Her enormous temple, once considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and rebuilt several times, dates back to the third century B.C. The city's ruins include a theater, a gymnasium, an agora, and baths, as well as the iconic Library of Celsus. |
| Day 9 |
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| Day 10 |
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| Day 11 |
Istanbul, previously known as Byzantium and Constantinople, is where East meets West. Situated on both sides of the narrow strait Bosporus, Istanbul is a connector between Europe and Asia.
Turkey's most populated and culturally rich city has been profoundly shaped by history. Imperialistic armies, a revolving door of rulers (including Greeks, Romans and Venetians) and its strategic positioning on the Silk Road led Istanbul, though centuries, to become the diverse and incomparable city it is today. Visitors will discover striking domed monuments, Byzantine architecture and a natural beauty. The Hagia Sophia is called the 8th wonder of the world, and the Blue Mosque also demands attention. Shop at the sprawling Grand Bazaar, walk the Topkapi Palace Museum, take a boat tour on the Bosporus, and take in a wondrous view of the city on Çamlica Hill. |
| Day 12 |
Istanbul, previously known as Byzantium and Constantinople, is where East meets West. Situated on both sides of the narrow strait Bosporus, Istanbul is a connector between Europe and Asia.
Turkey's most populated and culturally rich city has been profoundly shaped by history. Imperialistic armies, a revolving door of rulers (including Greeks, Romans and Venetians) and its strategic positioning on the Silk Road led Istanbul, though centuries, to become the diverse and incomparable city it is today. Visitors will discover striking domed monuments, Byzantine architecture and a natural beauty. The Hagia Sophia is called the 8th wonder of the world, and the Blue Mosque also demands attention. Shop at the sprawling Grand Bazaar, walk the Topkapi Palace Museum, take a boat tour on the Bosporus, and take in a wondrous view of the city on Çamlica Hill. |
| Travel Dates | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
04/26/25 - 05/07/25 |
Starting At $2,546 |
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|
05/17/25 - 05/28/25 |
Starting At $4,145 |
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|
05/24/25 - 06/04/25 |
Starting At $2,828 |
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|
05/31/25 - 06/11/25 |
Starting At $2,509 |
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|
07/05/25 - 07/16/25 |
Starting At $3,345 |
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|
09/06/25 - 09/17/25 |
Starting At $3,445 |
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|
09/20/25 - 10/01/25 |
Starting At $3,480 |
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|
10/04/25 - 10/15/25 |
Starting At $3,525 |
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|
10/18/25 - 10/29/25 |
Starting At $3,460 |
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|
04/11/26 - 07/04/26 |
Starting At $3,480 |
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|
09/05/26 - 10/03/26 |
Starting At $3,615 |
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|
10/17/26 - 10/30/27 |
Starting At $3,480 |
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Offer subject to availability and change without notice. Some restrictions may apply.