Western Turkey - Wildlife & History

Tour Code: TUR02

An 8-day wildlife holiday to the eastern Mediterranean to enjoy the wildlife and archaeological highlights of western Turkey, a country at the crossroads between Europe, Asia and Africa.

8 days from
£2,995
Land only price from
£2,695
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Highlights

Summary

Summary

Turkey is a wonderful destination for the naturalist, standing as it does at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa. By mid-April the stream of migrant birds arriving from Africa has grown into a veritable flood, bringing shrikes – including Masked Shrike – to adorn roadside wires and filling the air with the songs of countless Nightingales and other warblers. Coastal lagoons will be crowded with flamingoes, pelicans, terns and migrating waders, while the mountain forests echo to the distinctive nasal call of Krüper’s Nuthatch. Throughout the countryside of western Turkey, nature celebrates the new season with vivid displays of colour provided by the plumages of Bee-eaters, Rollers and Hoopoes and a variety of flowering plants. Alongside this wealth of natural history, Turkey is rich in cultural history too. It has occupied a position of global importance for centuries and the archaeological remains of its colourful past are found throughout the country, including Ephesus and Hierapolis, two of the best-preserved classical sites in the world!

  • Enjoy a gentle-paced wildlife holiday focusing on wildlife & classical history
  • Eastern specialities including White-throated Robin, Finsch's Wheatear & Rüppell's Warbler
  • Visit Ephesus & Hierapolis, two of the world’s best-preserved classical sites
  • Masked Shrike, Eastern Orphean Warbler, Krüper's Nuthatch & Red-fronted Serin
  • Explore the Dilek National Park & the wetlands of Lake Bafa
  • Led by expert naturalist guides.

Grading

Grade A - Easy to moderately strenuous. Terrain is generally undulating in nature and a little rough in places. Whilst this is not a difficult tour an average level of fitness is required to get the most out of the holiday.

By any criterion, Turkey is a remarkable country. Standing at the crossroads between Europe, Asia and Africa it has always occupied a position of global importance and, for over a thousand years, was the heartland of the mighty Eastern Roman Byzantine Empire which was administered from the magnificent capital city of Constantinople, known today as Istanbul. Later it became the centre of the Ottoman Empire which extended beyond the Mediterranean into North Africa and Arabia and lasted for over 500 years until the foundations of modern Turkey were laid down at the beginning of the 20th century. Archaeological remains of this colourful history are found throughout the country and included in this Naturetrek tour will be visits to Ephesus and Hierapolis, two of the best-preserved classical sites in the world!

Turkey is also a wonderful destination for the naturalist, especially in the spring. By mid-April the stream of migrant birds arriving from Africa has grown into a veritable flood, bringing shrikes — including Masked Shrike — to adorn roadside telephone wires and filling the air with the song of countless Nightingales and warblers. Coastal lagoons are crowded with flamingoes, pelicans, terns and migrating waders, while the mountain forests echo to the distinctive nasal call of the Krüper’s Nuthatch. Throughout the countryside of western Turkey, nature celebrates the new season with vivid displays of colour provided by the plumages of Bee-eaters, Rollers and Hoopoes and, above all, the profusion of anemones, buttercups, orchids and other wild flowers transforming the meadows with the brightness of their blooms.

Our tour begins with a flight to Izmir, the ancient city of Smyrna and the third largest in Turkey. On arrival, we head south to Selcuk, but if time permits we will visit the Gediz Delta. The saltpans on the edge of the delta are home to 4,000 pairs of Greater Flamingoes, plus colonies of Mediterranean Gulls, Dalmatian Pelicans and a variety of terns. Numerous migrating waders feed in the shallows, while overhead patrol Lanner Falcon, Marsh Harrier and the occasional Pallid Harrier, and in nearby villages spring is announced by the arrival of White Storks and Lesser Kestrels.

During our 2-night stay in Selcuk we will enjoy a pleasant mixture of natural history walks and archaeological excursions, including a visit to the legendary city of Ephesus, one of the best-preserved classical sites in the world and once the Roman capital of Asia. Nearby, Dilek National Park offers the most pristine Mediterranean habitat in western Turkey and lies on the beautiful Aegean coast opposite the Greek island of Samos. Above the maquis-covered slopes soar a variety of raptors including Bonelli’s Eagle, Peregrine, Eleonora’s Falcon and perhaps a migrant Lesser Spotted Eagle or Black Kite. Subalpine, Rüppell’s and Orphean Warblers sing side by side from the low scrub, while Krüper’s Nuthatches inhabit the extensive tracts of Callabrian Pine and Rock Nuthatches scold noisily from their boulder strewn haunts. Interesting flora includes the Eastern Strawberry Tree, Oriental Bugle, Mandrake and an interesting array of orchids including Anatolian Orchid, Holy Orchid, Toothed Orchid and the endemic Cephalanthesa kotschyaria.

South of Dilek National Park lies the vast alluvial plain of the River Menderes and the freshwater Lake Bafa. This area is home to large numbers of egrets and herons, along with White Pelicans, Spur-winged Plovers, Pygmy Cormorants, Ruddy Shelducks, Long-legged Buzzards and a variety of migrating waders. In the drier countryside nearby we will enjoy a variety of western Turkey’s passerines including Masked Shrike, Rüppell’s Warbler, Cretzschmar’s Bunting, Isabelline Wheatear and the shy Olive-tree Warbler.

For our next two nights we climb along the River Menderes to the town of Denizli, which lies at an altitude of about 1,000 metres. From here we visit the ancient city of Hierapolis, a World Heritage Site which sits atop an area of geothermal hot springs and the terraced white calcium cliffs of Pamukkale (the ‘Cotton Castle’). Hierapolis was founded as a thermal spa early in the 2nd century and today is one of the best preserved classical cities in Turkey. Our stay here will end our tour with a visit to the saline Lake Acigöl and freshwater Isikli Gölü. Greater Flamingo, Avocet, Slender-billed Gull, Ferruginous Duck and Red-crested Pochard are all possible here, although it will be the surrounding Central Anatolian Steppe and juniper scrubland that is likely to produce the most exciting birds such as Orphean and Rüppell’s Warbler and Finsch’s Wheatear. If fortunate, we may even end the holiday with views of the beautiful White-throated Robin — a fitting finale to our time in Turkey before we retrace our steps back to Kusadasi for a final night and then on to Izmir to catch our return flight home.

DETAILED INFORMATION
Itinerary

Outline Itinerary

Day 1
Fly Izmir & transfer Selcuk
Day 2
Selcuk
Day 3/4
Lake Bafa
Day 5/6
Denizli
Day 7
Selcuk
Day 8
Fly London
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What's Included

What's Included?

  • Flights
  • Accommodation:

    A 3-centre holiday using comfortable tourist hotels with private facilities.

  • Food:

    All breakfasts and dinners are included in the price. Lunches are not included; allow £15 per day.

Reviews
Dates & Prices

Dates & Prices

2026

Departures Availability Cost
Sat 25th Apr – Sat 2nd May SPACES £2,995
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Flights:
Most Naturetrek tours include flight costs ex-UK. If flights are not included, we indicate that here.
Flights are included in the tour cost
Regional Departures:
On certain tours it is possible to depart from a regional airport (rather than London). If a regional departure is possible, we indicate that here.
Regional Departures are available. Call 01962733051
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£2,695
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£395
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
Andy Smith
Andy Smith

Tour Leader: Andy Smith

Andy lives on the edge of Dartmoor in South Devon. He’s been a keen birder and naturalist for as long as he can remember and has enjoyed a varied career divided between conservation work in Britain and Ireland, school teaching and wildlife tour leading. He started leading for Naturetrek way back in 1997 and has now led over 150 tours to a wide range of destinations in Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas and Antarctica. When not currently leading tours Andy teaches geography and history to teenagers and in his spare time he explores the natural history of Dartmoor and the South Hams and serves on the records committee of Devon Birds. He also makes regular trips to the west of Ireland to visit his children and grandchildren. 

Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?

For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.

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Why Naturetrek?

Why Naturetrek?

At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:

  • The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
  • Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
  • Outstanding value and exceptional customer service

Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!