Turkey · Istanbul, Cappadocia & Bodrum
Three worlds in a single journey: the only metropolis on the planet set on two continents, a balloon sunrise over the sculpted valleys of Cappadocia — and, to finish, gulet days on the Aegean Sea in Bodrum. All at your pace, all designed tailor made.
The itinerary
There is the Turkey of empires: Istanbul, once Byzantium and Constantinople, where a sixth-century basilica shares the skyline with minarets and the Bosphorus divides — and stitches together — Europe and Asia. There is the Turkey from another planet: Cappadocia, with its wind-carved valleys and villages dug into the rock. And there is the Turkey of the sea: the Aegean coast, where the days go by aboard a gulet.
This itinerary weaves the three together. It begins in Istanbul, with full days of private guiding among mosques, palaces and bazaars — and evenings that range from the hammam to dinner with a show. It continues with a short flight to Cappadocia, where you sleep in a cave hotel and wake up flying in a balloon. And it ends in Bodrum, with the Aegean outside your window and a gulet waiting in the bay.
As with every Mundo Kaa journey, the final design is yours: stretch the sea days, trade beach for more history, travel as a couple or with the whole family. This page is a map of what the destination offers — the exact route, we design together.
Istanbul · 4 to 6 nights
First stop
No city carries so much history per square metre. Capital of two empires for more than 1,500 years, Istanbul stacks its layers: the Roman Hippodrome, Byzantine Hagia Sophia, the palaces and mosques of the Ottoman sultans — all within a few minutes on foot in the historic centre of Sultanahmet, surrounded by bazaars where people have haggled for five hundred years.
And there is the living city: the Bosphorus crossed by ferries between two continents, the cafés and rooftops of Karaköy, the coloured houses of Balat, the steam of the historic hammams, and a table that runs from street kebab to fine dining overlooking the strait. Istanbul asks for whole days — and rewards every one of them.
Facing each other across the same square: the sixth-century basilica that became a mosque, and the only mosque in the city with six minarets, lined with Iznik tiles. Fifteen centuries of faith and architecture in a single walk.
Home of the Ottoman sultans for four centuries: courtyards, pavilions, the harem and treasures such as the Spoonmaker's Diamond — with the Bosphorus framed in every window. Next door, the Hippodrome, once the stage for Roman chariot races.
One of the oldest covered markets in the world, with thousands of shops under vaulted ceilings — carpets, jewellery, ceramics, lanterns. And the Spice Bazaar, where pyramids of saffron and pepper perfume the Golden Horn.
Sailing the strait that separates Europe from Asia, past waterside palaces, wooden Ottoman mansions and fortresses — with a stop on the Asian side: Beylerbeyi Palace and the panoramic view from Çamlıca Hill.
From the top of the fourteenth-century Galata Tower, the whole city opens up. Nearby, Dolmabahçe Palace — home of the last sultans, with its original furnishings — and, above the Golden Horn, the café on Pierre Loti hill.
The Turkish bath in a historic hammam, all heated marble and skylit domes, is a centuries-old ritual. At night, dinner with music and dance — or a contemporary table on a rooftop, with the minarets lit up on the horizon.
Cappadocia · 2 to 3 nights
Second stop
Volcanic eruptions, wind and a few million years carved a scenery like no other: valleys of pale stone, towers the Turks call fairy chimneys and entire villages dug into the rock. In the first centuries of Christianity, communities carved out churches, monasteries and underground cities several storeys deep — many still open to visitors today.
The Cappadocia experience is made of rituals: sleeping in a suite carved into a cave hotel, dining as the valley changes colour, and waking before the sun for the outing that became the symbol of the country — dozens of balloons rising together at dawn, with the valleys below. Few places in the world deliver a morning like this.
While it is still dark, the balloons are inflated down in the valleys; as the sun appears, dozens of them rise in silence over the fairy chimneys. The flight depends on the weather — which is why the itinerary always keeps a spare morning.
A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Göreme valley gathers Byzantine churches carved into the rock, their frescoes preserved for a thousand years. Around it, the troglodyte villages of Ürgüp and the Uchisar fortress, the highest point in the region.
Love Valley, the Valley of the Three Brothers, Paşabağ, the villages of Çavuşin: each valley has its own formations and colours, and the best viewpoints sit far from the bus routes. By private car — or on foot, for those who like a trail — the landscape is all yours.
Beneath Cappadocia lie dozens of cities carved into the rock — such as Özkonak and Derinkuyu — with tunnels, cellars, stables and chapels on several levels, the refuge of entire communities in times of invasion. A history lesson underground.
The cave hotels turned carved houses and monasteries into stone suites with carpets, fireplaces and terraces facing the valleys. Waking up there, with the balloons rising in front of your breakfast, is the image that defines Cappadocia.
The region keeps centuries-old crafts alive: the looms where carpets are born knot by knot, the ceramics ateliers of Avanos shaped from the clay of the Red River — and vineyards planted in volcanic soil, which make for a surprising tasting at the end of the day.
There is a moment, just before sunrise, when dozens of balloons lift off together in silence — and the whole of Cappadocia seems to float with them.
Istanbul, Cappadocia & the Aegean, designed tailor made
Bodrum & the Aegean · 3 to 4 nights
Third stop
After the history and the valleys, the sea. Bodrum is a small, lively port town on the Aegean coast: white houses draped in bougainvillea, the Castle of St. Peter guarding the bay and a marina where sailboats jostle with yachts. At night, the buzz gathers around the harbour, home to the best restaurants and bars on the peninsula.
By day, the programme is the water: outings on the picturesque gulets — the region's traditional wooden sailboats —, coves of transparent water, beach clubs and water sports. And for one last dose of history, Ephesus is a day trip away.
Aboard the Aegean's traditional wooden sailboat, the day drifts between coves and idyllic beaches of the Bodrum bay: anchor in transparent water, a swim, lunch on deck — and the coastline slowly parading by until sunset.
The ruins of Ephesus reflect centuries of history — from classical Greece to the Roman Empire and the spread of Christianity — with the façade of the Library of Celsus as its postcard. Nearby, the House of the Virgin Mary, where Mary is believed to have spent her final years, is a place of pilgrimage.
Sunset by the peninsula's windmills, a dinner of fresh fish and meze at the marina, and the night picking up pace in the bars around the harbour, at the feet of the illuminated castle. Bodrum is the extroverted side of the journey — exactly as much as you want it to be.
Day by day
A tried-and-tested skeleton that begins among the empires of Istanbul, rises by balloon in Cappadocia and ends with salt in your hair on the Aegean. The order and length of each stage are always adjusted to your group.
Meet and greet at the airport and private transfer to the hotel. The rest of the day is for landing: Turkish tea on the terrace, a first glimpse of the minarets, the call to prayer echoing at dusk.
A full day of private touring through the historic heart: the Roman Hippodrome, the Blue Mosque and its six minarets, majestic Hagia Sophia, the sultans' Topkapi Palace and, to finish, the labyrinth of the Grand Bazaar.
A morning at the Spice Bazaar and a cruise along the Bosphorus, past waterside palaces and mansions. In the afternoon, Asia: Beylerbeyi Palace, the sultans' former summer residence, and the panorama from Çamlıca Hill.
Dolmabahçe Palace, with the last sultans' original furnishings; the Galata Tower and the streets of Karaköy; the Eyüp Mosque and the Pierre Loti café at the top of the hill, with the whole Golden Horn at your feet.
A free day, with curation: the coloured houses of Balat and the churches of Fener, a historic hammam in the afternoon, shopping or simply the city on foot. At night, dinner with music and dance — the classic Turkish night.
A flight of about an hour and a private transfer to the cave hotel. In the afternoon, a first walk through the valleys and sunset at the Uchisar fortress — or straight from your terrace, with a glass of volcanic wine.
At dawn, the balloon ride over valleys and fairy chimneys — weather permitting, with a spare morning built into the itinerary. Then the rock churches of Göreme, the villages of Ürgüp and an underground city.
A private day through the valleys — Love Valley, the Valley of the Three Brothers, the villages of Çavuşin — with lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, a carpet loom, the ceramics of Avanos or a tasting of the region's wines.
A flight to the coast and a transfer to the seaside resort. The afternoon is for your Aegean debut: pool or beach, late afternoon at the marina and a first dinner of fresh fish and meze around the harbour.
A full day aboard a gulet around the bay of Bodrum: coves of transparent water, stops for a swim, lunch on deck and the coast drifting slowly by. It is the day the journey changes tempo.
A day trip to the ancient city of Ephesus and the House of the Virgin Mary — or, if you prefer, one more full Aegean day between the beach and the peninsula's beach clubs. Back in town, sunset by the windmills of Bodrum.
Transfer to the airport and the flight home — with a carpet in your luggage, salt in your hair and the certainty that Turkey is bigger than a single trip.
Gallery
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How we travel
Turkey is generous and intense — and full of details that only insiders solve: the right balloon, the carpet without the tourist trap, the table worth the evening. All of it is taken care of before you board.
No forty-person groups. Full-day private tours at your group's pace — with guiding arranged in Portuguese or English, whichever you prefer.
Three stops, two internal flights, private transfers at every end. You never carry a bag or decode an airport — you simply change scenery.
Certified operators, a guaranteed place in the basket and the whole early morning organised. And since the flight depends on the weather, the itinerary keeps a spare morning — so you do not fly home without this memory.
The cave hotel with the best terrace, the right resort on the Aegean, the address within walking distance of the mosques: in Turkey, where you sleep is part of the journey — and the best ones sell out early.
The historic hammam, dinner with a show, a private gulet, the sought-after table overlooking the Bosphorus: we book everything before departure, sized to your group.
A dedicated team follows the journey from departure to return. Any hiccup — a flight, a change of plan, a booking — is solved with a message, in your language.
Where to stay
Each stop calls for a different kind of stay — and in each one we work with a selection of addresses tuned to your style and your group.
Two schools: sleeping in the heart of Sultanahmet, steps from Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque — or on the Bosphorus, in Ottoman palaces converted into grand luxury hotels. You can even split the stay between the two.
Suites carved into the rock, with pale stone, carpets, fireplaces and terraces facing the valleys — like Yunak Evleri, sculpted into the cliffs of Ürgüp. Waking to balloons rising in front of your terrace comes with the room.
The finale calls for sea outside the window: grand luxury resorts perched over the bay — like the Mandarin Oriental, Bodrum — with private beaches, a spa and the whole peninsula within reach of a boat.
Know before
Practical information for those just starting to think about the trip.
Turkey delivers all year round, but each season tells a different story. To combine city, valleys and sea in a single journey, the axis runs from spring to early autumn.
Holders of a Brazilian passport do not need a visa for tourism in Turkey for stays of up to 90 days. The passport must be valid for at least six months from departure and have at least two blank pages.
No vaccination certificate is required for Brazilians. We recommend carrying copies of the passport's first pages separately from the originals — and we walk you through all the paperwork before departure.
The language is Turkish; in hotels and on the tourist circuit English gets you through, and the guides handle the rest. Be ready for the hospitality: tea appears in every conversation — including in the carpet shops, where haggling is part of the ritual, not bad manners.
The currency is the Turkish lira. Cards are widely accepted in hotels and restaurants; it pays to carry small cash for bazaars, cafés and tips — which are welcome, at around 10% in restaurants.
The balloon and the cave hotel are the bottlenecks: flights have limited seats and depend on the weather, and Cappadocia's best hotels have only a handful of suites. Planning starts with them.
In summer, the private gulets, beach clubs and resorts of Bodrum sell out the best windows months ahead — and so do Istanbul's most sought-after tables. We secure everything before departure.
To add on
Extensions that fit naturally into this itinerary.
The white travertine pools that earn it the name "cotton castle", with the Roman ruins of Hierapolis above. It slots in between Cappadocia and the coast — and yields the most improbable photos of the trip.
The mavi yolculuk is the Turkish classic: whole days aboard a private gulet, sleeping in a different cove each night along the Turquoise Coast. Cabin, crew and cook on board — the Aegean as home.
A ferry ride from Istanbul, a car-free archipelago of Victorian mansions and pine trees on the Sea of Marmara. A day of calm inside the metropolis — cycling or on foot.
Further north on the Aegean coast, stone villages with blue doors, vineyards, windmills and a food scene that became a destination in its own right. The charming inland side of the coast, on the way to Izmir.
From Bodrum, the Greek islands are a short crossing away: Kos is visible from the waterfront. You can add days of Greece to the end of the journey — or simply have lunch in another country and be back for dinner.
An Ottoman cooking class, the ceramics of Avanos at the potter's wheel, a tasting of volcanic wines or a private dinner overlooking the Bosphorus. We add them to the itinerary according to the group's profile.
