6 Nights / 7 Days
From Fairy Chimneys to Mesopotamia
6 Nights | 3 Cappadocia · 1 Gaziantep · 1 Şanlıurfa · 1 Diyarbakır — surreal landscapes and the cradle of civilization.
Turkey / Ancient site
Mount Nemrut
Ancient stone heads atop a 2,134-metre summit in southeastern Türkiye — Mount Nemrut is a UNESCO World Heritage site built by the Commagene Kingdom.
Also part of The Kingdom of CommageneUNESCO World Heritage in Türkiye
At 2,134 metres in the Taurus Mountains, the mausoleum of King Antiochus I overlooks a landscape of bare ridges and deep valleys. The Commagene king, who ruled in the first century BCE, commissioned these monumental statues to mark his tomb. Twenty-metre-high tumulus of broken stone still crowns the summit, and arranged in two terraces are the remains of massive seated figures — their heads, now separated from their bodies, are the most striking features of the site.
The Statues and Their Design
On both the eastern and western terraces, Antiochus sits flanked by Greek and Persian deities: Zeus, Apollo, Tyche, and Persian counterparts whose names the king himself recorded. Each head measures over two metres. The statues were originally painted, and traces of pigment have survived in protected crevices. They were designed to be seen from a distance, and at sunset or sunrise, when the light rakes across the weathered stone, the scale of the work becomes clear. Most figures are now fragmented — heads lie separately on the ground, victims of earthquakes and deliberate destruction over the centuries.
Visiting the Summit
The climb to the summit is steep but straightforward on the marked paths. Visitors typically arrive before dawn or stay through evening, when the silhouettes against the sky make the most of the open horizon. The wind can be sharp at that elevation, even in summer. At ground level, the air is dry and warm, carrying the scent of thyme and wild sage from the slopes below. The isolation is part of the experience — no modern structures compete with the stone figures, and the nearest towns lie an hour's drive away through mountainous terrain.
The Commagene Kingdom
Commagene occupied a narrow strip of territory between the Euphrates and the Taurus, a crossroads of trade routes and cultures. The kingdom survived for around two centuries before Roman and Parthian pressures brought it down. Nemrut is the most famous of several monumental sites the Commagene kings built, and it remains the most studied. The king's own inscriptions, still partially legible on the monument, describe his intentions in elaborate detail — a rare personal account of how a ruler wished to be remembered. Scholars continue to debate the precise religious meaning behind the hybrid iconography, but the ambition behind it is unmistakable.
On the map
Find it on the map
- Mount Nemrut Ancient site
Tours that visit Mount Nemrut
8 Nights / 9 Days
From Mesopotamia to the Caucasus
8 Nights | 1 Gaziantep · 1 Şanlıurfa · 1 Diyarbakır · 3 Mardin · 1 Van · 1 Kars — Göbeklitepe, Mardin and the haunting ruins of Ani.
3 Nights / 4 Days
Mesopotamia & Southeastern Turkey
3 Nights | 1 Gaziantep · 1 Şanlıurfa · 1 Diyarbakır — Göbeklitepe, Mount Nemrut and the cradle of civilization.
11 Nights / 12 Days
The Ultimate Eastern Turkey Expedition
11 Nights | 3 Cappadocia · 1 Gaziantep · 1 Şanlıurfa · 1 Diyarbakır · 3 Mardin · 1 Van · 1 Kars — fairy chimneys, Mount Nemrut, Mardin and the haunting ruins of Ani.
14 Nights / 15 Days
The Ultimate Journey Across Turkey
3 Nights Istanbul | 3 Nights Cappadocia | 1 Night Gaziantep | 1 Night Sanliurfa | 1 Night Diyarbakir | 3 Nights Mardin | 1 Night Van | 1 Night Kars
9 Nights / 10 Days
Turkey's Grand Cultural Journey
9 Nights | 3 Istanbul · 3 Cappadocia · 1 Gaziantep · 1 Şanlıurfa · 1 Diyarbakır — imperial capitals, surreal landscapes and the cradle of civilization.
Good to know
Before you book you should know
-
Is this trip right for you?
Our groups are capped at eight travellers, which is about a third of what the industry calls a small group. Eight people share one vehicle, one table at dinner and one guide's attention, and the day can change on the road without anybody being left behind. If you are looking for a coach, a fixed script and a microphone, this is not that.
Most days involve real walking, often on ground that was laid two thousand years before walking shoes: marble worn smooth, cobbles, uneven steps and long site paths with little shade. Bring shoes you can spend a morning in.
Some days move between regions and are largely a drive, with stops along the way. Summers are hot — well over 35°C inland — and winters are colder than most people expect, so layers, a hat and sunscreen earn their place in the bag whatever the month.
How demanding a particular trip is, is written on the trip itself: the physical rating in the header, and the day-by-day itinerary above.
-
Rooms, and travelling on your own
Trip prices are per person, sharing a twin room. Each traveller picks their own room while booking, so a party can mix the three:
- Twin share — two single beds, shared with someone you are travelling with or with a traveller of the same gender.
- Travelling as a couple — one double room.
- Individual room — a room of your own, for a single supplement on top of the trip price. Availability is limited, and the supplement for a given date is shown next to the option when you book.
Solo travellers are welcome on every departure, and most of our groups have one or two aboard.
-
Accommodation
The hotels named in an itinerary are a guideline rather than a guarantee. Where one is full, or has dropped below the standard we booked it for, we substitute a property of a similar standard in the same area — we would rather change the hotel than the trip.
Check-in is usually mid-afternoon. If you arrive early we will ask for the room, but no hotel can promise one before its own check-in time; luggage can normally be left at reception in the meantime. If you want the room from the night before, ask us and we will add the extra night to your booking.
-
Passports, visas and insurance
Entry requirements depend on your nationality and change without much notice, so the only reliable source is the official one: the government of the country you are travelling to, and your own foreign ministry's travel advice. Check both before you book a flight.
Many countries ask for a passport valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates, and for blank pages. It is worth looking at yours now rather than at the airport.
We ask every traveller to carry travel insurance covering medical treatment and repatriation, and we would strongly encourage cover for cancellation and for your luggage as well.
-
Your departure is guaranteed — the day can change
Once a departure is on the calendar it runs. We do not cancel a trip for want of a minimum number of bookings, so a booked date is one you can plan flights and leave around.
What can move is the shape of a day. Museums and archaeological sites change their hours, roads close, weather turns, a local holiday lands in the middle of the week. Where that happens your guide reorders the day, or swaps a stop for one of the same weight, and tells you why. Changes to a booked itinerary are covered by our Booking Terms & Conditions.
