Middle East Budget Trips & Packages Tours & Trips

Highlights

• Sip sweet mint tea in rural villages, see goats climbing trees in the desert and tap your foot to traditional Amazigh musicians in Marrakech – Morocco is a real treat for the senses!
• Adventure into the Atlas Mountains and stay with a local family for an insight into traditional Moroccan life.
• With French, Portuguese and Jewish influences, Essaouira is about as exotic as it gets. Feast on freshly caught seafood, explore unique art galleries and be dazzled by a blue-specked townscape.
• Witness the magnificent rolling waves of the Atlantic Ocean from the back of a camel.

Highlights

• Cycling allows you to get closer to authentic Morocco, whether you're riding around the backstreets of Marrakech or stopping for tea with nomads in the Mgoun Valley.
• Ride a camel through the dramatic red dunes of the Sahara Desert at sunset, then settle into your camp and enjoy a Moroccan feast under the stars.
• Pedal through Morocco’s diverse terrain, from the lively medinas and the Mediterranean Coast to the iconic hairpins of the Dades Gorge.
• Step back in time to the Middle Ages on a guided walk through the secret shortcuts and twisting alleyways of Fes’ Medina with a local leader who knows all the best spots.
• End rewarding days in the saddle with hearty local meals, like the traditional goat dinner in Mgoun Valley and street food delicacies in Djemaa el-Fna.

Highlights

• Join an experienced local leader as you stroll the ancient streets of Ephesus, uncover the secrets of Sagalassos, explore the legendary ruins of Troy and discover Istanbul’s Blue Mosque, Hippodrome and the Million.
• Enjoy a cruise around the hidden coves and islets of Turkey’s southern coast during an Exclusive Experience guided by a local couple who have been navigating the waters for years.
• Feast your eyes on the best of Turkey's otherworldly sights, from the Cotton Castle of Pamukkale to the psychedelic rock-scapes of Cappadocia.
• Step into a fairy tale during your Feature Stay at a unique cave hotel in Cappadocia, where you’ll enjoy elegantly decorated rooms carved from stone. Then, if you like, take a hot air balloon over the otherworldly landscape at sunrise.
• Get to know the real Turkey on Exclusive Experiences, including a cooking class with an expert chef, a visit to an empowering carpet weaving cooperative and a traditional dinner at a local's home in Cappadocia.

Highlights

• Discover the incredible ancient and modern history of Turkey as you explore thousands of years of history hidden within the remarkable ruins of Ephesus and discover Gallipoli on a guided tour that will teach you about the significant events that took place in this area.
• Taste local fruit wines in one of the best-preserved Greek Ottoman villages in the country. Get to know the friendly locals with a home-made lunch at a local family in Cappadocia.
• Travel and stay a little differently – and come home with memories to last a lifetime – from taking local buses and trains, to staying in one of the cave hotels that Cappadocia is famed for.
• Get a birds-eye view of Cappadocia’s caves, fairy chimneys and honeycomb terrain with an optional balloon ride over this other-worldly landscape.
• Uncover thousands of years of civilisation in Athens with a visit to the world-famous Acropolis and the ancient Agora.

Highlights

• Discover both the traditional and modern wonders of Turkey through the lives of the women who live here including your female leader, and female driver; Turkey’s first female ambulance driver and now proud founder of her own transport company.
• Meet a local mother and daughter in their home in Istanbul and try 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 meal in a Cappadocian cave home, cooked by a local woman who is changing the face of tourism in Turkey.
• 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.

Highlights

• Visit Little Petra and hike the lesser-known backroad into iconic Petra – one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Spend a full day exploring the secret hiking trails of this awe-inspiring ancient treasure.
• Explore the spectacular Dana Reserve on foot – this unbelievably diverse reserve was established to protect wildlife and provide local communities with employment.
• See Wadi Rum, a world unto itself. Hop in 4WDs and experience its twisted rock scenery, watching the sunset on a trek through this rugged moonscape.
• Learn about the Bedouin culture over an earthen oven-cooked feast before sleeping under the stars – these semi-nomadic locals are renowned for their hospitality, so you're in for a treat.
• Experience the best weightlessness this side of outer space with an effortless float in the super-salty waters of the Dead Sea.

Highlights

• Feast your eyes on the best of Turkey and Greece's otherworldly sights, from the marble streets of ancient Ephesus to the psychedelic rockscapes of Cappadocia and the legendary caldera of Santorini.
• Get to know the real Turkey during Exclusive Experiences, including a cooking class with a local chef, visit to an empowering carpet weaving cooperative, and traditional dinner at a locals home in Cappadocia.
• Understand the dazzling variety of Greek produce during Exclusive Experiences, including a kitron tasting, an afternoon of wine tasting in Santorini and a hands-on cooking class with a local in Naxos.
• Join experienced local leaders as you stroll the ancient streets of Ephesus, explore the legendary ruins of Pergamon and discover the history and charming villages of Paros.
• By travelling on this trip, you’ll directly support our Intrepid Foundation partner, CYDD (Çağdaş Yaşamı Destekleme Derneği). Donations help them provide scholarships and educational programs for economically disadvantaged youth in Turkey.