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“From mystical ruins to azure waters: the enchantment of Lake Van awaits you.”
Lake Van is the largest lake in Turkey and also one of the largest sodium lakes in the world. Lake Van is located within the borders of Van province and is a place that attracts tourists with its natural beauties, historical and cultural heritage.
Lake Van is also home to the world-famous Akdamar Island. Akdamar Island attracts the attention of visitors with its historical church and view.
There are many cities and towns around Lake Van, known for their historical and cultural heritage. The most important of these are Van, Tatvan, Ahlat and Bitlis. These cities attract the attention of tourists with their historical buildings, museums, mosques and landscapes.
The natural beauties around Lake Van also offer many options for visitors. Mount Nemrut National Park, in particular, offers magnificent views of Lake Van.
Van (2) – Doğubeyazit (1) – Tatvan (1)
DEPARTURE: May 29 and September 24. 2025
DURATION: 5 days / 4 nights
GROUP SIZE: minimum 10 – maximum 16
PRICE:
Double room p.p.: 595.- euro
Single supplement: 150.- euro
Booking fee per person: 15.- euro
Down payment: 195.- euro p.p. + booking fee
Final payment: 400.- euro p.p. (+eventually single supplement)
NO SHOPPING OF: carpets, gold jewelry and/or leather
You’ll fly with an early morning flight from Antalya airport to Van airportAt arrival you will be welcomed by our guide and driver and drive to Edremit for a famous Van breakfast (extra) at the feet of Van lake.
Today’s sightseeing:
Akdamar island and the church of “the Holy Cross”: a wonderful boat trip of about half an hour on the large Van Lake to the island of Akdamar.
Akdamar or Ahtamar is the second largest island in Lake Van. The island has an area of 0.7 km² and is located about 3 kilometers from the southern coastline.
The island was once a residence of Armenian kings and an important spiritual center of the Armenian Apostolic Church.
The church building was built under King Gagik Artzruni between 915 and 921, who chose Aghdamar Island as one of his residences. The only building that dates from that period is the cathedral. Later, until 1915, the cathedral was part of a monastic complex, the remains of which can still be seen south of the church.
Nemrut vulcano and crater lake: Located in eastern Anatolia, Mount Nemrut & Crater Lake is a towering stratovolcano that is part of the region’s magnificent mountain range. Despite being a dormant, active volcano, the last time it erupted was in 1441. At the top of the volcano lies the Nemrut Lake, which is situated in the crater.
The broad basin of Mount Nemrut is a remarkable sight, with a diameter of up to 6 km and a lake on its western edge. Although it sits at a modest altitude of 2400 meters above sea level, it has a surface area of 10 km2 and a width of 2700 meters from east to west.
Overnight in Tatvan
After your breakfast, the biggest part of the day is following the contours of Lake Van. You will enjoy wonderful landscapes onto your way to Doğubayazıt.
Today’s sightseeing:
Ahlat cemetry: One of the must-see historic monuments in Turkey lies way off some of the most popular tourist routes. Known for its unique tombstones, the Ahlat Seljuk Meydan Cemetery stands as a monument to the region’s great historic significance. The cemetery has more than 8,000 monumental stones with or without inscriptions made of volcanic red stone from the area. Some 1,500 of them are in perfect condition.
Adilcevat: Tuğrul Bey Mosque, known as the first domed mosque of Anatolia, is located under Adilcevaz Castle. There are twelve small domes on the mosque. Adilcevaz Tuğrul Bey Mosque was built by Zal Pasha in the 16th century.
Ararat mountain: Photo break: Ararat is a a snow-capped, dormant volcano and highest mountain of Turkey. The Ararat has an evalaton of 5.137 m.; The story of Noah’s ark, as it is told in the Bible, is a reworking of an earlier Babylonian myth recorded in the Gilgamesh Epic. The hero of the earlier version is one Utnapishtim, the favorite of Ea, the god of wisdom. It seems probable that the Babylonian story was based on an unusually devastating flood in the Euphrates (Firat) River basin, and that the ark in it grounded on the slopes of one of the Zagros mountains. The biblical word that we read as “Ararat” could as well be read “Urartu”
İshak Paşa palace: is an impressive and beautiful structure located in the eastern region of Turkey near Dogubeyazit. Built in the 18th century by the Ottoman Empire, it is a magnificent example of the art and architecture of the period. The palace has a long and storied history and is considered to be one of the finest examples of Ottoman architecture in the world.
Overnight in Doğubeyazit
A nice breakfast is waiting for you before you go into the direction of city Van
Today’s sightseeing:
Muradiye waterfalls: The waterfall was named after the Ottoman Sultan Murat IV , who went on the Baghdad campaign. It is located on the Bend-i Mahi Stream fed by Tendürek Mountain. The height of the waterfall is 50 meters. Muradiye Waterfall is worth seeing not only thanks to its appearance but also its nature that embellishes its surroundings.
Van cat research center: the breeding program for Van cats, a type under protection and famous far beyond Turkish borders, has begun at a research center in eastern Türkiye.
The cats, unique for their different eye colors and white fur, enjoyed calming music to help set the mood.
Van Urartu Museum: which will house many Urartu artifacts found in and around what was the Urartu Kingdom. Museum halls will showcase some of the art and technology they produced. The concept for the museum begins with the desire to create a historical museum effecting the future. The multi-functional spaces that not only provides for the exhibition of art, but also provides understanding about the history and interaction between the artifacts and the audience.
Tushpa ancient city: the old ruins of Tushpa with the Van castle can be visited. The specialty of the Urarteans was goldsmiths, their forging of gold, silver and bronze was exported.
Van castle: the castle of Van is an Urartese citadel (fortification). The rock is almost two kilometers long and one hundred meters high. There are foundations of an Urartese temple, tombs of Urartese kings and the remains of an Ottoman castle.
Overnight in Van
Today’s sightseeing:
Hoşap çastle: is an imposing fortification and the main tourist attraction of Güzelsu village near Van. Perching dramatically over the road connecting Van and Hakkari, the castle has been recently renovated. The castle’s name in Kurdish is Kela Xoşabê, and it means Beautiful Water Castle. This name is reflected in the Turkish name of the village as Güzelsu also means Beautiful Water. Naturally, both names come from the river that flows nearby.
Barthelomeus monastery: was a medieval Armenian monastery in the historic province of Vaspurakan, 23 km from the town of Başkale, near the Iranian border. The monastery was built on the traditional site of martyrdom of Bartholomew the Apostle, who is reputed to have brought Christianity to Armenia in the first century. Along with Thaddeus the Apostle, Bartholomew is considered the patron saint of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It was a prominent pilgrimage site. Today, it is heavily ruined and the dome entirely gone.
Vanadokya: the still undiscovered Cappadocia of the east known as Vanadokya. Fairy chimneys called Vanadokya by the locals are located in Yavuzlar village in Başkale district. The rocks erupted by the volcanic Yiğit mountain in the village of Yavuzlar bear a resemblance to Cappadocia.
Çavuştepe: is an ancient Urartian fortified site located on a ridge. It was founded by the Urartian king Sarduri II (764–735 B.C.) some time during his reign in the 8th century BC and is believed to be identical with the fortress of Sardurihurda mentioned in the same king’s cuneiform inscriptions.
Overnight in Van
After breakfast transfer to the airport of Van for your domestic flight to Antalya.
We wish you a safe travel home and let’s meet again on one of ETD-TRAVEL’s unique boutique tours.
We really enjoyed our Van tour with ETD. Our guide Yusuf was top notch. Incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. Some long days, but a lot of sightseeing and history squeezed in.
This was the first time we went with Etd-Travel, with high expectations because of all the comments we read but this surpasses everything. From the first day all information was sent, good guidance, hotels very well chosen with friendly staff The guide, that is a story in itself, when you close your eyes and listen to him it is as if you are reading the story yourself, so knowledgeable. Nothing was too much and the driver was also helpful with everything. It is a trip to never forget, a real recommendation. Now we are still enjoying it and we are already planning a new trip A big 10+ for Etd-Travel and his team
Val and myself would like to thank all in the group for making the tour a very enjoyable experience. And many thanks to our excellent driver and guide.
Had a great trip around Lake Van. In a comfortable bus with a great driver. Beautiful landscape, impressive history and good hotels. Good variety and variety during the trip. Castle, landscape, museum etc. An absolute must for everyone to make this trip.
Treasures of Van tour very well organised trip. Nothing was too much trouble for Harold , Yusuf tour guide & the driver Necet . We visited many areas in & around Van & the coach stopped for tea & coffee breaks as needed. The reasturants chosen offered many of the local Turkish dishes.
We would reccomend this company & hope to travel again with ETD.
Thankyou for everything. Mary & Malcolm Drewitt.