Sacred Pathways: Tracing the Legacy of the Seven Churches 10 Day Tour

Customer Reviews

• PA

  Phil

  · May 5th, 2025
  Ayhan Kopur was a superb guide. The itinerary was varied including historical, archaeological sites and contrasting landscapes. Ayhan provided insight into Turkey's past and present.
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  Dorak Tours commented on this review

  Hello Phil, Thank you for your kind feedback. We’re so happy to hear you enjoyed the itinerary and appreciated the insights Ayhan Kopur shared throughout the tour. We’ll be sure to pass along your lovely comments to him! Best wishes, Sevval Dorak Tours Show more
  Trip date: April 2025
• E

  Evan

  · April 24th, 2025
  This trip was phenomenal. So many great sights which really show a lot of Turkey. Almost every day held something exciting and breathtaking. Ayhan was my guide and he did an amazing job. He shared about each location we visited and shared a lot about the history, life currently, and modern day topics and issues of Turkey. I would recommend this trip to anyone.
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  Dorak Tours commented on this review

  Dear Evan, Thank you so much for your kind words and wonderful feedback. We’re truly delighted to hear that you had such a memorable experience and enjoyed the many highlights of Turkey. It’s also great to know that Ayhan contributed positively to your... Show more
  Trip date: April 2025
• GS

  Greg

  · April 13th, 2025
  We have done many tours with various companies and rate the Turkey tour as one of the best. Turkey is a wonderful country with a rich history and cultural traditions. It was great to visit the historical settings of the seven churches and some highlights around the country. The small size of the tour group (8 people) allowed us to get to know our tour guide and travel-mates well and have our questions answered. Utku is a warm guide with years of experience. The personal stories he shared added color to the tour. He was also very responsive to the interests of the group members, often adjusting the schedule to cater to the group's preferences. The quality of the hotels (except one) and food exceeded our expectations. We would recommend this tour to anyone with an appetite for history.
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  Dorak Tours commented on this review

  Hello Greg, Thank you for your kind and thoughtful feedback. We're delighted to hear you enjoyed the tour. Your recommendation means a lot to us, and we hope to welcome you on another journey soon. Sevval Dorak Tours
  Trip date: March 2025
• LK

  Laura Gay

  · March 23rd, 2025
  Sacred Pathways: Tracing the Legacy of the Seven Churches 10 Day Tour through Dorak Tours and Tourradar was an Unbelievable Tour from Start to Finish! It was the firstt multi day tour we have ever taken, though we have traveled to many countries, in many ways and have taken many day tours. Tourradar was excellent in its choice, process, communication and in all aspects. It will be my Go To for Any Tour option, particularly multi-day tours! Dorak should be anyone's choice for ANY Turkey (Turkiye) Tour or any tour they offer. The company is very large but I felt like their only customer. They responded from the beginning to every question (through Tourradar) no matter how small the question might seem. We needed to make a change on the tour and Dorak could not have been more fair in offering an option that turned out to be amazing. The tour was amazing with a phenomenol tour guide (Utku). He will be hard to beat with his exceptional knowledge and caring for our wonderful group each minute of the tour. Our driver was great as well, with a clean, comfortable van as we learned so much about the country. From the moment we were picked up by Enes who contacted us the day before just to let us know he would be at the airport, and then when he dropped us off at passport control, we never had a concern. This tour by Dorak, the guide, Utku and everything we saw, will be very hard to beat. I only hope Tourradar has others of this level!!
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  Dorak Tours commented on this review

  Dear Laura, Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We are truly delighted to have been a part of your unforgettable tour experience. It’s great to hear that you enjoyed the journey with our guide Utku and the rest of our team. We look forward... Show more
  Trip date: March 2025
• 

  Israel

  · March 4th, 2025
  Great trip with a great guide Eren, who was very knowledgeable.
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  Dorak Tours commented on this review

  Dear Israel, Thank you for your kind words! We're delighted to hear that you had a great trip with Eren and enjoyed his knowledge. Hope to see you again on another adventure! -Ozge Dorak Tours
  Trip date: February 2025
• DB

  David William

  · February 22nd, 2025
  Eren was a most excellent guide, very knowledgeable and accommodating . The trip was well organized The snow was a little unnecessary but not much you can do about that Highly recommend the tour and Dorak
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  Dorak Tours commented on this review

  Hello David, Thank you very much for these nice comments. The snowy weather affected your tour a little. We are sorry about that. But we are very happy that you returned to your country happily. We hope you come back soon! Thank you Sevval Dorak Tours
  Trip date: February 2025
• AB

  Adam

  · October 14th, 2024
  I recently took my family to Turkey to visit the Seven Churches of Revelation, and it turned into a spiritual journey in ways we never anticipated—mostly involving terrible food, too many service stations, and a tour guide who was a complete circus act. Imagine a camel with a detachable jaw, outlined in black—that was Ahmet, our history tour guide. We started in Istanbul, where we got a free chiropractic session courtesy of the 100 meters of unsealed road that had turned into an obstacle course outside our hotel. Between dodging potholes and merchants trying to sell us everything from “authentic” Turkish carpets to questionable designer labels, it was a miracle we even made it to the tour bus. Ahmet greeted us with his painted jawline, and off we went on what quickly became more of a gas station tour than a historical one. For every church we visited, Ahmet took us to about seven service stations. By the end, I started thinking the Seven Churches were just a metaphor for the 100 gas stations we stopped at. Ahmet had clearly struck a deal for free meals and drinks at every stop. When he claimed there were 13 disciples, we started Googling Bible facts from the backseat just to keep him in check. At least Google didn’t need a pit stop every 30 minutes for Turkish tea. Then came the hotel disaster. This hotel was so bad that even the roaches packed their bags and left. Midway through our stay, sewage began leaking through the bathroom ceiling. We flagged down Ahmet, whose solution was, “Don’t worry, the next hotel will be better.” It couldn’t be worse. So, we were expected to ignore the ceiling caving in and enjoy the ambiance of the sewer smell. Eventually, the ceiling gave way, and a handyman showed up. He wrapped a couple of plastic garbage bags around the leak like it was some kind of five-star repair, patted the pipe down with our towels, and left. No offer of a room change, no cleanup—just a bagged-up sewage fountain. Meanwhile, Ahmet was chilling in the dining room, loading up on food like he hadn’t eaten enough at every service station in Turkey. He stuffed his face while collecting fruit for tomorrow’s journey. For a slim person, he ate like a professional in a food competition. Somewhere between the 57th gas station and the bathroom ceiling collapse, we lost all faith in Ahmet and the tour company. My wife kept reminding me that at least we saw the Seven Churches—along with every gas station in Turkey. We just arrived at another hotel, and this one looks like the cave where Christians hid from Roman persecution—but at least the bathroom isn’t leaking. We were expecting an educational experience, but instead, Ahmet focused on his commissions from every service station we visited and his tip at the end. His priority was clearly personal gain. Without Ahmet, the tour would have been much more enjoyable. He seemed to be on his own personal crusade, rushing through every church site so quickly that we ended up doing our sunset cruise at lunchtime! And to top it all off, we had to listen to him boast about his 40 years of experience. What experience? Honestly, if we taught a chimpanzee one fact per year, it would be more knowledgeable about history than Ahmet. I wouldn’t recommend this tour with Ahmet to my worst enemy. The tour company would do themselves a huge favour if they never used Ahmet again.
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  Dorak Tours commented on this review

  Hello Adam, First of all, thank you for all the details you provided. We are truly sorry for this unfortunate experience. We have completely parted ways with the guide named Ahmet Abacı and have placed him on our blacklist to never work with him... Show more
  Trip date: October 2024
• NT

  Norma

  · October 14th, 2024
  Doorak tours has put together a great itinerary for this tour. We were excited to see the seven churches mentioned in Revelations and to learn more about them. Unfortunately this was not the case. The tour guide Ahmet had no knowledge to share and gave incorrect information so often that we stopped listening. He single handedly spoilt this experience. Well done on the itinerary and giving tourists a chance to get a glimpse of Christianity in early Türkiye but there’s no point in having this tour led by a Muslim with no knowledge and a huge ego.We got more information from listening in on other tours.
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  Dorak Tours commented on this review

  As Dorak Tours, we do our best to provide you with a unique experience. We strive to show you important points in Turkey in a short amount of time through our itinerary. We also upgrade your hotels for free because we want you to leave Turkey happy.... Show more
  Trip date: October 2024
• PL

  Peter

  · October 12th, 2024
  I note that it was what I would call, a secular tour - not a sacred tour. So the name of the tour may have been a bit misleading. It was not ideal having a Muslim person lead a tour of sacred Christian sites. He kept on referring to things as being “Biblical” or “from the Bible” when they were blatantly not Biblical at all. This is offensive to real Christians - I note that making misleading or false claims about what is in the Koranis usually termed “blasphemy” in that culture. I liked the small number of participants abd the coverage of the tour. Well done! Peter
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  Dorak Tours commented on this review

  Hello Peter, First of all, thank you for your valuable feedback. We do not choose our guides based on their religious orientation. We are truly sorry if you felt any discomfort. We will discuss your constructive comments with our guide. The comfort of... Show more
  Trip date: October 2024
• SF

  Shabbir

  · September 20th, 2024
  Our 10-day guided tour with Dorak was nothing short of extraordinary! From the moment we arrived, we were well taken care of. Our knowledgeable guide, Yavuz, brought the rich fabric of Turkey to life with a great sense of detail and witty humour along the way. Each destination offered something unique, from the breathtaking landscapes of Cappadocia to the stunning architecture of Istanbul. Highlights included exploring the ancient ruins of Ephesus, taking a hot air balloon ride over the fairy chimneys, and soaking in the natural beauty of Pamukkale’s terraces with a backdrop of Hierapolis. We were blown away by the variety of ancient & modern history, vibrant culture and landscapes we were introduced to in each region. The itinerary was balanced, allowing for both exploration and relaxation. Although we spent plenty of time on the road, it was a good opportunity to experience the scenery and coastline the country has to offer. Our accommodations exceeded expectations - they were comfortable and centrally located, making it easy to immerse ourselves in the local atmosphere. What truly made this tour special was the camaraderie among the group and the passion of our guide, who shared fascinating stories and insights at every stop. Their enthusiasm made each day feel like an adventure. It felt like we had a wise and patient friend to show us around their lovely home. Overall, the tour was an unforgettable journey through Turkey's diverse landscapes and rich heritage. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to explore this beautiful country!
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  Dorak Tours commented on this review

  Hi Shabbir, Thank you for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear you had an extraordinary experience on your guided tour with Dorak. It’s great to know that Yavuz and the itinerary made your journey memorable. We appreciate your recommendation... Show more
  Trip date: September 2024