A Gastronomic Gulet Cruise

Rated “One of ‘The World’s Tastiest Cruises’ - The Sunday Times (UK) November 27, 2011

So many of our guests have raved about the food served on our gulet cruises in Turkey and asked for recipes, that we decided to create a trip with an even more gastronomic flavour. Not only will you enjoy all the usual dishes served up by the onboard chef, on this trip you will get involved in the cooking, conjuring up some of the excellent Turkish dishes you’ll eat.

You’ll collect wild foods and explore a local market for fresh produce. You’ll cook with a Turkish family in their home and prepare regional delicacies in a small traditional restaurant. This is a journey to tantalise your tastebuds, a voyage of discovery through Turkish Mediterranean cuisine.

You won’t miss out on the history. Your expert guide, Serdar, is an archaeologist who has dug in Turkey for many years. He also happens to be a foodie, a man with a great passion for Turkish cuisine. He will lead you on a gourmet adventure along one of the most beautiful, least developed, and stunningly natural areas of Turkey.

Request a brochure or to book your place, please contact our office.

Day 1: Our boat is about 1 hour from Bodrum airport, in the pretty coastal village of Gümüşlük. Welcome drink and dinner aboard.

Day 2: We cruise east along the Carian coast, with stops to swim and relax, before preparing local dishes and delicacies in a family run restaurant.

Day 3: South to spectacular Knidos, where decades of digging, still ongoing, have revealed a splendid and well planned ancient city, one of the most beautiful in Turkey. Set at the very tip of a sinuous peninsula, this was a city built for maritime trade, and once housed the fabled first statue of a nude goddess: Praxiteles’ Aphrodite.

Day 4: East To beautiful Bozburun, a picturesque village surrounded by hills. We’ll go to the home of one of the most longstanding restaurant owners and cook food with his family.

Day 5: To Loryma, a magnificent Rhodian fortress guarding a strategic bay. We’ll swim and eat warm delicious bread freshly baked in a traditional oven.

Day 6: Heading east we take a boat up the reed lined Dalyan River to see the city of Kaunos. Its monumental public buildings, surrounding a silted up harbour, speak of its once great wealth and fame. Serdar has been excavating here for many seasons. As well as exploring the site, we’ll cook and eat with one of the village ladies who prepares food each summer for the archaeologists.

Day 7: We cruise to the pretty inlet of Ağlımanı and walk up an ancient track to the city of Lydae, set in a forgotten valley filled with the tinkle of goat bells. We break bread and have tea with a local goatherd. A last chance to swim then on to Göcek, for our final farewell dinner.

Day 8: Transfer to Dalaman airport.

Arrival and Departure Information

Arrival Airport - Bodrum (Milas)
Departure Airport - Dalaman

We recommend you arrive at the gulet in Gümüşlük (approx 60 minutes from Bodrum airport) in the late afternoon/evening on May 26th, and leave the boat in Göcek (approx 30 minutes from Dalaman airport) first thing in the morning of June 2nd. We will arrange local transfers from Bodrum airport at the start of the tour, and to Dalaman airport at the end of the trip.

Guests can board the gulet after 5pm on the first day. You are more than welcome to arrive earlier to drop off your bags, but please be aware that the crew will be busy cleaning and tidying until late afternoon making everything ready for your group.

Suggested Flights
If you are staying in or connecting via Istanbul then the easiest way to get to and from the gulet is to fly. There are a number of airlines that offer domestic flights in Turkey. Here is the recommended flight time with Turkish Airlines the national flag carrier in Turkey.

Arriving Saturday May 26
Turkish Airlines TK2516 departing Istanbul Ataturk at 16:40 arriving in Bodrum at 17:55

Departing Saturday June 2
Turkish Airlines TK2553 departing Dalaman at 09:00 arriving Istanbul Ataturk at 10:20.

Turkish Airlines has a much larger selection of flights on these days and there are alternative flights to and from Istanbul with some of Turkey’s low cost airlines such as Atlas Jet, and Onur Air

Please note: Flights are subject to change. Please contact Turkish Airlines for exact details.

Booking Flights
The cheapest way to book flights is directly with the airline online.

If you prefer to book with a travel agent, we are happy to recommend specialists in a number of countries around the world, please contact our office for more details.

Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is a requirement of our booking conditions and we recommend you investigate the options thoroughly to make sure that your trip is properly covered.

In the UK we work with specialist travel insurers Milsom Howard Ltd. 22 Highfield Drive, Ickenham, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB10 8AN, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1895 234 919 • Fax: +44 (0) 1895 231 864 • Email: globetrotter@milsomhoward.com.

Our travel insurance specialist in the US is Julie Gorny, Email: juliannegorny@yahoo.com • Tel: +1 773 445 7537 • Mob: +1 773 972 8849.

Alternatively you might like to look at an online travel insurance company like World Nomads to give you a comparison in terms of price and coverage.

If you would prefer not to take out travel insurance you will need to complete a travel insurance waiver form.

Visas
Visas are easily obtained on arrival at Istanbul airport (or other local airports). A visa costs £10 for UK Nationals, $20 for USA Nationals and AUS $20 for Australian Nationals. Only US dollars and Euros are accepted at the airports and visas must be paid for in cash. Once you have arrived in the terminal, do remember to obtain your visas before queuing up for immigration control. You can get your visa in advance, before you arrive in Turkey, from any Turkish Consulate, but it entails time and an extra visa processing fee.

Istanbul
If you are planning to stay in Istanbul before or after your gulet tour we have included below links to more information and things to see and do.

Istanbul Destination Guide
Istanbul Travel Article

Custom Tours
If you are thinking of extending your trip to Turkey to include visits to Cappadocia, Ephesus, Istanbul or further afield, please contact our office for further information.