• Saturday March 25th: Oslo - Izmir
  Departure from Oslo Airport, Gardermoen. We leave early in the evening with a hired plane and fly non-stop to Izmir in Turkey. We arrive closely after midnight and will be transported to Kusadasi, about an hours drive from the airport. In Kusadasi we check in at the Blue Sky Hotel 5*, one of the best hotels in the area.

• Sunday March 26th: Efesos - Pamukkale
  Breakfast and check-out from the hotel. We leave for Sel‡uk where we visit the house where, according to the legend, Mary spent her last years. After this, we get a guided tour in Efesos, the best kept Greek city of the antique. The city was founded around 1100 B.C., and is today the number one sight in the western part of Turkey. This ancient city - where the apostles Johannes and Paulus founded their congregations, gives a fascinating impression!! We eat lunch at a local restaurant before continuing to Pamukkale, an amazing lime mountain with terraces and small water pools. Here are also warm springs and according to the legend, one of these was used by Cleopatra and is therefore called "Cleopatras spring".

  We check in at the Hotel Thermal Hotel 4* where we also have dinner. The hotel is a spa hotel where you can swim in the renewing springs and receive a variety of comfortable treatments.

• Monday March 27th: Hierapolis and warm springs
  After breakfast we make an excursion to the holy antique city, Hierapolis, which was founded in 190 B.C. This city is mentioned in the bible. Here are one of the best kept ancient cemeteries in Anatolia. We spend some time enjoying a nice bath in the warm spring. It is said that a bath in "Cleopatras spring" has a renewing effect. Nevertheless, it is a great experience, like having a bath in warm, bubbling seltzer. The water holds 35 degrees Celsius and is natural water coming up from the ground.

  We return to our hotel where Knut Jorgen Roed Odegaard will tell us about the experiences ahead of us before we all gather for a little dinner party in the evening.

• Tuesday March 28th: Pamukkale - Manavgat
  Breakfast and early check-out from the hotel before we head for Manavgat which is going to be our base for the rest of the trip. On our way we stop to have lunch and to visit a carpet factory where we are shown the art of handmade carpets. We learn about culture and history of this handcraft and also what separates good quality from the bad.

  Late in the afternoon we arrive "The Turkish Riviera". It is still early in the year, so the tourist-season hasn't really started yet. But because of this big phenomenon which is about to happen, there will, in this area, be thousands of visitors from all parts of the world. After check-in at the Hotel Saray Regency 5* and a short rest, there will be an info meeting regarding the next day. In this hotel, we have access to our own meeting rooms. Dinner at the hotel in the evening.

• Wednesday March 29th: Total eclipse
  The day is fully dedicated to the big event this is going to be (weather reservation). Including the partial phases, the eclipse will last almost two hours and is total right before 14.00 local time. This is the climax of our trip and an event which will be remembered for a very long time! To assure the best locations, we check out weather forecasts and satellite pictures very closely in the hours before the eclipse. Should the weather forecasts not meet our expectations, buses will be ready to take us to more favourable places.

  During the eclipse, consecutive information and advice on how the phenomenon best can be experienced will be given. During the partial phases, we will see how the light, temperature and landscape gradually, but increasingly faster, change. As the shadow reaches us, it will be almost completely dark! Throughout the eclipse, Knut Jorgen Roed Odegaard will give continuous information about the phenomenon. We return to the Saray Regency Hotel 5*.

• Thursday March 30th: "Day off" / Turkish evening
  Spend the day as you wish! In the evening, we invite to Turkish evening where you'll be feeling like in "Thousand and one night". You will be served specialities from the Turkish kitchen, which is said to be among the best in the world. Entertainment with Turkish music and local traditions is also on the "menu". We spend the night at the Saray Regency 5*.

• Friday March 31st: Departure
  We check out late at night and are transported to the airport. We return to Oslo with non-stop charter plane.

FOR MORE INFFORMATION ABOUT THIS UNIQUE TOUR CONTACT
Kuoni, P.O. Box 339 Sentrum, N-0101 Oslo, Norway
E- mail: info@kuoni.no
Fax: 23 21 30 41
Phone: 23 21 30 40

The track of the total eclipse on March 29, 2006. This is how the shadow of the Moon will be moving across the Earth. Click on the image to start the animation. Animation: F. Espenak, NASA/GSFC

Weather conditions in Turkey The conditions are usually best in the area where we will stay.

Cloud maps for the eclipse area