Students arrive in Dalaman and travel along the Mediterranean coast to Kaş, a small harbor town built on the foundations of the ancient Lycian world. The first day is intentionally light, allowing time to settle in, adjust to the new time zone, and begin observing the landscape.

If time allows, a short walk through town introduces students to daily life in coastal Turkey, setting the tone for the days ahead.

Kaş is built directly on top of the ancient Lycian city of Antiphellos. Students will literally walk through a functioning modern town layered on top of 2,500-year-old ruins. The Lycian rock-cut tombs that dot the hillsides above town are some of the most intact in the world. The Lycians were a remarkably sophisticated pre-Roman civilization and they practiced one of the earliest known forms of democratic federation in the ancient world, centuries before Rome.

Patara was the capital of the Lycian League, and its assembly building, where league representatives voted, is considered one of the earliest democratic parliamentary structures ever built. The U.S. founders were aware of the Lycian League when designing the Senate. There's a direct line from Patara to American civic structure and we are visitng the birthplace of our philosophies. On top of that, Patara has one of the longest undeveloped sand beaches in the Mediterranean, and the coastal dune system is a natural science study site.

Now that students are comfortable in place we will introduce them to local at the market. Before hand will will teach them how to count in Turkish from 1-10 and go over simple phrases for them to use there to help dive deeper into the local customs. Students can shops for souvenirs, hand made crafts, Turkish towels and yummy snacks or candy. Student will be given an assignment to buy produce for the the evening dinner. This will be a traditional style Turkish BBQ called mongal.

The sunken city at Kekova was submerged by a series of earthquakes in the 2nd century AD. Students kayak directly above ancient doorways, staircases, and cisterns that are still visible underwater. This is an extraordinary intersection of geology, seismic history, and archaeology that you simply cannot replicate in a classroom. The castle at Kaleköy (Simena) above is one of the smallest castle-towns ever built the entire population fit within the walls and the views are stunning.

The day begins with a cultural discussion over traditional Turkish breakfast, followed by a hike to Uyuyan Dev (the “Sleeping Giant”), a formation that overlooks Kaş and the sourounding area.

Students explore how geography influenced settlement patterns, defense strategies, and trade routes in ancient Lycia.

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Myra contains some of the best-preserved Lycian rock-cut tombs in existence, carved directly into the cliff face. The ancient theater below them is still largely intact.

The Church of St. Nicholas is where the actual St. Nicholas the 4th-century bishop who inspired the Santa Claus tradition served and is buried. This is one of the most visited Christian pilgrimage sites in Turkey. For Americans, this connection between a figure they know as a cultural icon and a real historical bishop in a real Byzantine church is often a mind-bending moment.

We start the day with a discussion on food and agiculture in Turkey covering why they eat only in season and what is produced in the country and exported around the world. Then we will head to an olive oil producer Karakiplar Zeytinyağı Fabrikası in Kalkan a near by town 40 minutes away. Students will get a full tour of the facility by the head of the factory and translated by our guide Ece. Every part of production happens here from the olives arriving to the factory, cold pressing and bottling. Here we will teach the tradition or Turkish olive oil and how this oil is such a staple in daily life.

Olympos is one of the most atmospheric ancient sites in Turkey. Ruins of a Lycian and later Roman city running through a forested river valley straight to a pebble beach.

The Chimaera flames (Yanartaş) are naturally occurring methane vents that have burned continuously for at least 2,500 years. Ancient sailors used them as a navigation landmark. The flames inspired the Greek mythological creature the Chimera (lion, goat, serpent). It's a direct, tangible link between natural geology and the origins of mythology — excellent for interdisciplinary learning.

This tiny island is only about 300 permanent residents and sits just 2 miles off the Turkish coast but is Greek territory. It was featured in the film Mediterraneo and is a remarkable study in borders, identity, and what survives when empires recede.

The island changed hands between the Ottomans, Italians, British, and Greeks in the 20th century alone. The monastery climb at the top of 400 steps focuses on dedication to a belief. The greek island contrast with Turkish culture directly next door is a powerful comparative exercise in itself.

Students depart Kaş and travel to Istanbul, which may be the most historically layered city on earth. It has been the capital of three successive empires: the Roman Empire (as Byzantium/Constantinople), the Byzantine Empire, and the Ottoman Empire. Almost no other city on the planet has that kind of continuity.

The transition reflects the broader journey from ancient sites, regional cultures to imperial and modern urban life.

Students visit major historical landmarks.

‍Basilica Cistern — a 6th-century Roman underground reservoir that held 2.8 million gallons of water, still largely intact beneath the city.

‍Hagia Sophia — built in 537 AD, it was the largest cathedral in the world for nearly a thousand years, then became a mosque, then a museum, and is now a mosque again. Its dome is an engineering marvel that influenced virtually every major domed structure in Western architecture.

‍Topkapi Palace — the administrative heart of the Ottoman Empire at its peak, when it controlled territory from Vienna to the Persian Gulf.

The day focuses on how religion, architecture, and power shaped the city it is today.

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Students begin with a traditional Turkish breakfast before visiting:

‍Dolmabahçe Palace — a fascinating counter-story: a 19th-century attempt by the Ottomans to modernize and Westernize their image. It's where Atatürk died in 1938. Dolmabahçe Palace, a symbol of late Ottoman modernization.

The day continues by walking along İstikal street a main modern shopping street. The street ends at the famous Taksim Square and our local guide Ece will give them a special local inside tour.

Galata Tower — built in 1348 by Genoese merchants as a watchtower over their trading colony. The fact that Italian merchants had their own fortified neighborhood in what was then Constantinople tells you everything about how cosmopolitan medieval Istanbul was.

Museums and cultural spaces provide additional context for the past and modern identity of Istanbul.

The Turkish hamam — Ottoman public baths date to the 15th and 16th centuries and were central to social life in a way that has no direct Western equivalent.

This one is 550 years old from today and students will experience a day in past.

The program concludes with a relaxed day focused on reflection on the incredible journey as we tour istanbul's Asian side followed by a farewell dinner.

Students depart Istanbul and return home, concluding the program. The experience is designed to leave students with a deeper understanding of history, culture, and place, as well as their own perspectives.