Cappadocia
The landscape in Cappadocia, which is a unique region in central Turkey, is like being on a different planet.  The surrounding sandstone valleys are riddled with networks of caves.  Most caves are just one room, but others are huge complexes cut deep into the hillside that you need a torch to explore.  There are cave cities 8 stories beneath the earth, cone like formations that house hotels with cave rooms, monasteries cut into sheer cliffs, and religious caves frescoed by early Christian monks.  The opportunity to explore multi level caves systems connected by 30 meter high vertical shafts and no safety rails is not for the faint of heart.  Cappadocia gives a keen traveller the experience of pure uncensored adventure.

Termessos
Termessos is a ruined mountain city built over 1000 meters above sea level in the Taurus Mountains on the Turkish Coast.  The strategic position and warrior skills of the people of this ancient city enabled victory against Alexander the Great and made Termessos an independent ally of the Roman Empire.  Exploring the ruined city of these warrior people is an exceptional experience for its surrounding mountain scenery and majestic amphitheatre.  Crawling through the rough bushes over fallen blocks of stone, and occasionally breaching the tree line, offers the experience of exploring romantic ruins in a mountainous setting.   An opportunity such as that shouldn't be missed.

Mount Nemrut
Mount Nemrut is a 2134 meter high mountain in eastern Turkey.  At the pinnacle of Mt. Nemrut, a pre-Roman king built statues of himself and the ancient gods.  In 62BC, these statues stood over 8 meters high.  Over the last 2000 years these statues have fallen over, leaving the 2 meter heads standing upright and gazing out over the landscape as if they were looking back into time itself.  The site has a large loose stone pyramid right on the peak of the mountain with statues on both the Eastern and Western sides.  Watching the sunrise and sunset on this remote mountaintop, with ancient statues, is a legendary travelling moment.

Istanbul
Istanbul, formerly known as Constantinople, extends across both the European and Asian sides of the busy Bosporus strait.  It is the only metropolis in the world that is situated on two continents.  This contact with both Europe and Asia has made Istanbul a strategically important and wealthy trade driven city for thousands of years.  Whether you're haggling for gold, clothes, or a large sheesha pipe in the sprawling Grand Bazaar, or sipping a small glass of raki overlooking the skyline of giant mosques and minarets, you will be hard pressed to leave Istanbul without a memorable experience or two.

Maidens Castle
Maidens Castle is a Crusader Castle that hovers 200 meters offshore, in the Mediterranean Sea on the far Eastern Turkish coast.  The castle was built in the 12th century, during the Byzantine period, and in ancient times was linked to another castle on the shore by a giant causeway built on a large slab of bedrock almost at water level.  Swimming out to this floating castle from the beautiful golden sand beach was one of the most rewarding moments of my life.  There is nothing more timeless and authentic than swimming out to a monument built centuries earlier, scaling the walls barefoot, and exploring the ruined interior.

Ishak Pasha Palace
The Ishak Pasha Palace is a palace, a mosque, and a fortress.  Built 2100 meters above sea level overlooking a giant step backed by a 5100-meter volcano.  Built from 1685 to 1784, the palace is a striking structure with strange carvings in a forgotten language expertly cut into the walls and colourful pillars.  The surrounding mountains and landscape are a range of colours from red to orange, brown, and green, with dramatic jagged peaks.  The Iranian border is a mere 40 km away in this remote and predominantly Kurdish area of Turkey.  Due to this, the Turkish army has a looming presence in the area with military checkpoints in and out of the nearby town.  Visiting this mountain palace offers an exotic mix of history and modern conflicts.