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Looking for quality small group tours to central Turkey

Looking for quality small group tours to central Turkey

Old Feb 5th, 2012, 05:07 PM
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plr
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Looking for quality small group tours to central Turkey

Does anyone have recommendations for affordable but quality small group tours through mostly central Turkey with highlights on exploring
Derinkuyu underground city,
Goreme on foot and balloon trip optional,
Mount Nemrut,

and most of all, the consistently ignored
Göbekli Tepe?

Please, give me any suggestions you have! I've been astonished that all tour companies leave off Gobekli Tepe.
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Old Feb 5th, 2012, 07:03 PM
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There was a recent thread on this topic that you might find useful. The thread veers off into a discussion about the meaning of "single supplement," but if you ignore that part, several tour companies are mentioned that might fit your needs.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...o-traveler.cfm
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Old Feb 5th, 2012, 07:26 PM
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www.adventures-abroad.com is based in Canada
www.imaginative-traveller.com is based in the UK(?)
www.explore.co.uk is based in the UK

It may be tough to find Göbekli Tepe on the tour itineraries these days, being located in SE Turkey = a virtually "no go" zone... too bad
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Old Feb 5th, 2012, 08:38 PM
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Merhaba PLR,
I think I found the itinerary for you
http://www.explore.co.uk/holidays/de...urkey?vid=8451
but you may need to combine the eastern and western Turkey tours to include Kappadokya!
Happy trails and enjoy Turkey! - it will not disappoint!
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Old Feb 6th, 2012, 04:57 PM
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You people are awesome! Thanks so much to each of you for your links and suggestions. I have spent the last 4 hours happily exploring these websites, and for some reason did not turn up a number of these when I googled yesterday.

So far, Odysseys Turkish Treasures is about as close as I can come to the itinerary I'm looking for, and the single supplement is $695 rather than the 995 noted on the earlier thread listed above.

Any other suggestions gladly welcome. Thanks again!
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Old Feb 6th, 2012, 05:19 PM
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Glad Odysseys will work for you. BTW, the $995 single supplement price that I quoted was for their Legendary Turkey tour, not the Turkish Treasures one you are taking. Both have the same base price, don't know why the Turkish Treasure SS is $300 less. Good that it is though. Anyway, I hope you will enjoy Turkey as much as I did. Happy travels!
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Old Feb 6th, 2012, 06:13 PM
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Walkabout, I have not even come close to deciding on a trip yet. The itinerary or the Turkish Treasures tour is the closest to what I want to do. But still researching. I'd love to hear direct experiences from anyone who has used Odysseys for group tours. The website looks so similar to OAT's site, that I have to ask if they are related?
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Old Feb 6th, 2012, 06:48 PM
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Here's a Fodors thread with reviews of Odyssey Tours, although not Turkey specifically. Also, the first couple of reviews are quite old, from 2005. http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...mited-tour.cfm

Whichever tour you choose, I hope you have a wonderful time.
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Old Feb 6th, 2012, 07:17 PM
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Here's a thread from tripadvisor about Odysseys Unlimited. I just glanced through them, but it doesn't appear there are reviews of either of their Turkish tours. Lots of comments on other tours and the company in general, though.http://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowTopic-...pe-Europe.html
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Old Feb 7th, 2012, 12:19 AM
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Plr, why aren't you looking at local companies? for these tours.

I do not wish to appear to be advertising but the only one I know is Fest Turizm. They are very experienced and are very intellectual. I am sure there are others also.

You can also check with the former Trip Advisor destination Expert Burak Sansal at www.allaboutturkey.com
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Old Feb 7th, 2012, 03:06 PM
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Walkabout, thanks so much for the links to the reviews! I hadn't gotten to the point of looking for those yet, but it is so encouraging to read such great reviews for the company. I'm typically an independent solo traveler, but would not feel comfortable in Turkey on my own since I don't have the language and other reasons. I'm really leaning toward the Odysseys tour, and still open to other recommendations.

Otherchelebi, I guess I am not looking at local companies because I have little objective info regarding their reputation, quality, and dependability if problems arise at any point in the trip planning or progress. I'm certainly open to checking out specific suggestions. Are you connected with Fest Turizm? Have you traveled with them? If so, what was your experience?
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Old Feb 7th, 2012, 09:59 PM
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The owner of fest Travel is a graduate of my old alma mater and has a very good reputation, . he has had and possibly still has a national TV program on new archeologcal finds like Gobeklitepe in Turkey.

This company has existed for over 20 years and about ten of our friends, independently have used their tours inside and outside Turkey almost every year. One of our friends a divorced former bank CEO is now going out with one of the guides from the company, and we find her to be delightful. She is very involved and loves her work, mostly guiding groups to Nepal, Bhutan, etc.

We, on the other hand, have never gone on guided tours and refuse to do so because we like our freedom too much. We also love to spend time planning and the feeling of discovery and the false sense of being uniquegive us pleasure.

Only once, my wife took a day tour with them in Istanbul for the Orthodox churches and residential areas of the Ottoman Greek minority. She thought it was very extensive, very useful but also extremely tiring.
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Old Feb 9th, 2012, 03:02 PM
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Otherchelebi, Thanks very much for such a detailed explanation of your recommendation. I will certainly give serious consideration to this option.
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Old Feb 9th, 2012, 03:55 PM
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Sorry for the double-post here, but I am stunned by this clause in the Odysseys Unlimited trip details:

"The liability of Odysseys Unlimited, Inc. is strictly limited. In no event will Odysseys Unlimited, Inc. be liable for amounts in excess of the amounts payable to it in accordance with the terms hereunder, nor will it be liable for any consequential indirect or incidental damages arising from this agreement. Odysseys Unlimited, Inc. purchases transportation, accommodations, restaurant, and other services from independent suppliers not under our control. We serve only as agents for these suppliers in securing tour arrangements, and therefore will not accept responsibility or liability for wrongful, negligent, or arbitrary acts or omissions of these independent contractors, their employees, agents, servants or representatives."

Guess I'm naive, but is this for real? Basically writing off all responsibility for anything & everything that may go wrong?? Please be patient with any explanations you might have...Thanks.
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Old Feb 9th, 2012, 05:18 PM
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The fact that they say they are not responsible may not be valid in every jurisdiction, If, for example, turkish law says they are responsible for something, then they would be. however, if they have no official presnce locally and also no assets local courts may not accept the case and even if they do, they cannot get enforce or follow up their judgement.

All Turkish tour agencies are required by law to carry a very wide coverage liability policy which pays even if the company goes bankrupt due to criminal negligence. So, basically, you may be safer with a local agency.
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Old Feb 9th, 2012, 11:23 PM
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If you look at the Terms and Conditions of any tour operator you will find that this type of disclaimer is standard. Two examples:

Grand Circle Travel:
The responsibility of Operator and its affiliated companies is strictly limited....The Suppliers providing travel services for Operator’s tour programs are independent contractors, and are not agents or employees of Operator. As such, Operator is not responsible for any negligent or willful act or failure to act of any supplier or of any third party.... By utilizing the travel services of the Suppliers, you agree that you will look to such Suppliers for any accident, injury, property damage, or personal loss to you or to those traveling with you, and that neither Operator nor any representative of Operator shall be liable.

Trafalgar:
In the absence of their own negligence, neither the Operators nor their agents shall be responsible for any cancellations or for acts of any other service providers concerned...or any act, variations, postponements, omission or default whatsoever by air carriers,land carriers, hoteliers or hotels, transportation companies, or any other persons providing any of the services and accommodations to guests....Nor shall they be liable for any loss, death, or for any damages or claims whatsoever arising from loss, negligence or delay from the act, error, omission default or negligence of any person not its direct employee or under its exclusive control....The carriers, hotels and other suppliers who provide services are independent contractors; they are not agents, employees or servants of the Operators or their associated companies.

This does not mean, however, that you have no recourse if something goes wrong. First, you should contact the company directly for resolution. If that doesn't work, if you pay by credit card for services that were not delivered, you can dispute the charge with your credit card company. If the company is a member of the Better Business Bureau, you can file a complaint and ask them to mediate. You can also contact the Consumer Affairs Department of the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA); they provide informal mediation for travel-related disputes for ASTA members. You should also purchase trip insurance which will reimburse you for some loss or expenses, depending on the type of policy and the nature of the loss. (I recommend you purchase it independently, not from the tour company).

Most importantly, only deal with reputable tour companies and check out reviews of travel companies from several sources before paying any money. Check to see if the company is a member of the U.S. Tour Operators Association (USTOA). They have specific requirements for members, including carrying a minimum of $1,000,000 liability insurance and participation in ASTOA's $1 million Traveler Assistance Program.
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