Walking and Cruising the Carian Traveller Reviews

Exploring ancient sites in Turkiye with someone who knows and loves the area, was a thrilling way both to explore part of the beautiful modern coast line and to envisage its ancient cities.

Peter Sommer's thoughtful consideration of every detail ensured we were able to explore magnificent bays and olive-groved hillsides in comfortable walking conditions. He held us spellbound with his passionate and vivid descriptions of life in ancient cities. And returning to the elegant gulet, we enjoyed different fresh and delicious Turkish dishes every day. The whole experrience: food for body, mind and soul.

This tour was wonderful – from the beautiful waters of that wild, lonely section of the Turkish south coast east of Bodrum, to the experience of visiting the amazing ancient sites of Knidos, Loryma, Kaunos and Lydae, and their interpretation for us by Peter Sommer. Of many travels on every continent over many years, both self-guided and guided, this was one of the very best experiences I have had.

Peter was always informative, intelligent, nuanced, friendly and engaging. His knowledge of the archaeology of the area was immense. Perhaps my favourite moment was his description as we all sat inside the ruins of the grand tomb that had supported the great marble lion of Knidos after a long morning's walk in the hot sun. The lion is no longer there of course - it now sits in the Great Court of the British Museum - but Peter's description of the lion, its history and rediscovery in the 1850s, its transport down to the coast and to England had us spellbound. Our other guide, Cem, was also delightful. He was was the silent, masterful organiser of everything on the boat, watching all that was going on around him - a quiet word to one of the crew here, a small adjustment there. Nothing went wrong that we knew of, and if it had I'm sure that Cem would have sorted it out before we were even aware of a problem. The food was magnificent and the service impeccable.

A walking and cruising holiday along Turkey's Carian Coast

Peter Somer Travel is an excellent bespoke travel company that arranges walking, cultural and cruising holidays around the antiquities of the Mediterranean coast

Loved the mix on this tour of history, archaeology and walking with the delights of swimming in the Med and some seriously good food. Excellent local guide and very entertaining archaeologist guide.

Peter Sommer Travels know this part of Turkey well and have put together a fascinating combination of beautiful unspoilt walks (with only one other walker spotted over the five days) with delightful Gulet accommodation and excellentTurkish food.

Like our previous trips with Peter Sommer, this holiday brought together a delightful cruise, walking through lovely landscapes and visiting ancient places. It was also lovely meeting like minded people from across the world. The accommodation and food on the gulet was excellent and all our needs were catered for. Unfortunately, I sprained an ankle on Day 2 and could not do all the walks, but the crew could not have done more to look after me on the days I spent relaxing on deck and the guides gave me accurate and reliable estimates of which walks I might safely attempt towards the end of the trip.

This excellent experience matched our three previous trips with Peter Sommer Travels. In the past, we were sceptical about guided tours, but with PST we were very satisfied. They use guides who are experts in their fields and the places we were visiting. Knowledge however, is one thing, but PST guides also have the ability to put that information over in a way for people to understand.

Finding enough superlative words to describe the Walking and Cruising the Carian Way tour is a challenge. This tour was a fantastic experience and perfect blend of sightseeing, education, relaxation, fabulous food and an immersion into Turkish culture and history. Tour organization and planning was flawless. The Gulet is beautiful and comfortable, the crew lovely and Peter Sommer and Çem Yücesoy, the tour guides, are exceptionally knowledgeable, gracious, congenial and welcoming. I felt the trip surpassed the descriptions in the marketing materials and was one of the most positive travel experiences I’ve had in recent years.

Finding enough superlative words to describe the Walking and Cruising the Carian Way tour is a challenge. This tour was a fantastic experience and perfect blend of sightseeing, education, relaxation, fabulous food and an immersion into Turkish culture and history. Tour organization and planning was flawless. The Gulet is beautiful and comfortable, the crew lovely and Peter Sommer and Çem Yücesoy, the tour guides, are exceptionally knowledgeable, gracious, congenial and welcoming. I felt the trip surpassed the descriptions in the marketing materials and was one of the most positive travel experiences I’ve had in recent years.

what a great week full of history, packed with interesting insights and wild nature. the guide and his local companion were ever helpful and always available. the gullet was a real holiday experience, the crew very hospitable, the food fresh and local.

Peter is a passionate and very knowledgable tourguide, he brought history to life. The organsiation of the trip was impecable, before and during it all.

Discovering hidden lost villages of ancient times under the passionate guidance of Peter Sommer and his partner Gem has been a wonderful experience. Walking in remote areas. trying to visualize life 2500 years ago made this trip very enjoyable. The accommodation and the food on the beautiful Gullet was extraordinary. I can only recommend this trip and I will certainly join Peter Sommer for other adventure.

The organisation of the trip was spotless. From the first contact we felt very welcome and received a lot of valuable upfront information. Transfers, accommodation and food were perfect. A very special small group tour.

Previously, we were very sceptical about guided tours, but with Peter Sommer Travels (PST) we were very satisfied. They use guides who are experts in their respected fields and the areas we were visiting. They also have a local guide from the country we were visiting. Knowledge however, is one thing, but PST guides also have the ability to put that information over in a way for people to understand. Having studied archaeology at university, I knew a lot about ancient sites. The guides, in this case Peter Sommer himself, bought these sites to life in a way I had never been taught. Walking and Cruising the Carian Coast was a wonderful experience. It bought together my love of boats and the sea, walking through lovely landscapes and visiting ancient places. It was also lovely meeting like minded people from across the world. PST take small groups and you get to know everyone, which enhanced our experience even further. We are now planning our next PST holiday

This was our fourth expedition with Peter Sommer Travels and it lived up to their reputation and our expectations. This trip and all the previous ones were well organised, from picking us up at the airport to dropping us back again. The accommodation and food, either in hotels or on gulets, was excellent and all of our needs were catered for.

We traveled on the Carian coast in a gulet, which we have never done before. It was truly a great experience. Our two guides: one was an archaeologist, and the other was his best friend who organized a great part of our conveniences, were both terrific. The food was phenomenal. Accommodations were perfect for our needs. We greatly enjoyed all the experiences. We have created some new friendships, which is wonderful.

Wonderful