Anatolian Route — Big Sky, Old Roads, Quiet Towns

Anatolia is the wide middle of Turkey.
Open air. Long horizons. History sitting in plain sight.

We shape the route in three parts — Central, Eastern, Southeastern Anatolia.
Fewer bases, longer stays. You keep energy and actually see things.

Central Anatolia — steady light, calm days

Cappadocia (Göreme, Uçhisar, Çavuşin): soft valleys, cave churches, sunrise balloons if you’re up for it. Walk Rose/Red, Love, or the cool shade of Ihlara; finish on a ridge at dusk.
Konya: Mevlana Museum, Seljuk stone, a gentle pace and tidy streets.
Ankara: the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Anıtkabir, then a leafy café for a slow hour.
Lake Tuz: on windless days it turns mirror-flat; late season goes pink.
Hattuşa (Boğazkale): Hittite gates on a quiet hill — no rush, big silence.

How we plan it: 2–3 nights Cappadocia, 1–2 in Konya or Ankara. Clean drives, no hotel hop every day.

Eastern Anatolia — high plateaus, sharp light

Distances look short on the map. They’re not. The views are worth it.

Erzurum: mountain air, old madrasas, winter-hard stone.
Kars: wide streets and clear light; day trip to the Ani ruins on the border plain.
Lake Van: huge blue water; Akdamar Island church like a postcard.
Doğubayazıt: İshak Paşa Palace under Mount Ararat — a silhouette you remember.
Erzincan–Kemaliye (optional): river canyons, wooden galleries on the cliff road.

How we plan it: 2–3 bases, drives in daylight, views baked into the timing.

Southeastern Anatolia — warm evenings, deep layers

Meals stretch; stories do too.

Gaziantep: baklava, pistachios, kebabs, and the Zeugma Mosaic Museum.
Şanlıurfa: Göbeklitepe, Balıklıgöl quarter, music after dark.
Mardin & Midyat: honey-colored terraces, monasteries, lanes above the Mesopotamian plain.
Diyarbakır: basalt city walls, the Hevsel Gardens, the Tigris running below.
Mount Nemrut (Adıyaman): sunrise with stone heads — cold, quiet, moving.
Hasankeyf (new site): river light and a long story told in parts.

How we plan it: two bases (e.g., Gaziantep + Mardin or Urfa), 3–4 nights total. Nemrut timed for dawn or dusk.

What days feel like

Morning air on rock or river.
One museum room that holds you longer than the rest.
Lentil soup, warm bread, strong tea.
A road that climbs, a view that opens, a stop you didn’t plan.
Evening on a terrace. Quiet talk. Stars.

Stays that fit the land

• Boutique stays in old quarters and stone houses with a view.

• Apartments near markets and cafés for a simple base.

• Country lodges by a lake or on a plateau — quiet nights, long breakfasts.

Tell us the basics — steps or elevator, early starts or slow mornings, kid needs — and we’ll send a short, honest list.

How Holitat builds the Anatolian Route

• Listen first: season, pace, walking level; what pulls you most — landscape, history, food.

• Map simply: 2–4 bases, flight hops where they save hours.

• Stitch lightly: heritage walks, sunrise/sunset points, farm lunches, craft stops. Space to change your mind.

• Support quietly: transfers, steady drivers, timed entries, guides who add depth without rushing.

Anatolia isn’t for collecting sights.
It’s for moving with the land — and letting it slow you down.