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

Customer Reviews

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  Julian

  · May 10th, 2025
  I did the Timeless Morocco tour with two other friends in March-April 2025. We came a few days early and they handled all the arrangements for the extra days and the free airport shuttle. Our goal was to do an optional hot air balloon and a day trip to Essaouira (a popular beach resort not on the tour). When the Essaouira tour operator cancelled at the last minute, the hotel stepped in and arranged a similar tour for us, same price! Great service, and props to the Palm Menara hotel where Timeless Morocco put us. The tour itself was great...we saw basically all of Morocco, had a trip into the Erg Chebbi, spent a night in the Sahara Desert...we also saw the medina at Fez, the Great mosque in Casablanca, and even "Rick's Cafe" (though it was unfortunately closed when we got there). Chefchouan was beautiful, and it is the sole reservation I have about this tour. In all the other cities Timeless Morocco arranged tour guides that would take us around the city and show us the sites. In Chefchouan you do not have that, so you have to arrange a walking tour on your own, or just explore. We wanted all the famous pictures from the Blue City so we hired a local guide at nominal expense who found them for us (I mentioned this to the tour operator and they are looking into adding an option for this next time). There's a lot of time on the bus, because it is a big country....but they provide lots of stops and breaks. Talk to the tour operator on the bus because there is some flexibility about this...if the tourists on board don't want to go to a rug or ceramics factory (which was rather interesting actually seeing how they made the tiles/rugs, but no, I don't want to haul a rug all over Morocco), they can skip it and do something else. Hotels vary quite a bit. The one in Marrakech was excellent and in fact the last night I was given an entire suite (for one person!) over the mezzanine with its own living room, coat room, two bathrooms and bedroom. Others not so good; the hotel in the Dades Gorge on the way to the desert was probably the worst of the hotels on the tour (but I told the tour operator and they are changing that). The tour operators answer all of your questions in a timely and efficient manner. They also go out of their way to help tourists as needed. I was bitten by an insect in the desert and a day later it started to swell...the tour bus took me to a local pharmacy then the tour operator came in with me and served as an interpreter to the nurse inside...got me a diagnosis, a prescription, and medication so I was good in a day or two. So hats off to them for going the extra mile. It's an enjoyable tour and they take you to a lot of places you really couldn't get to if you didn't have a car and knew they were already there...a good example is Ifrane, an Alpine style European town in Morocco that looks just like a French village. And the Cedar Forest with monkeys. I never would have found them on my own. A few tips: if you want to see the Yves St. Laurent Gardens in Marrakesh book them online a few days in advance (we waited too long and they were fully booked when we tried). Get a local sim card at the airport. My Airalo Esim worked fine, but in more rural areas the local Maroc Tel sim card in my backup phone worked better. They even had service in the Sahara Desert, which I wasn't expecting. And yes, the acomodations in the desert are Glamping, not camping. There is running water, flush toilets, electric power for lights and phone charging, everything. Very luxurious camping. If you've never ridden a camel before, do what we did...in our extra days before the tour in Marrakesh we went to the Palm Grove where we could practice on the camels till we figured it out. Al of us enjoyed the camel ride and they stopped the camels at sunset for the pictures...but it's about 90 minutes and the next morning no one wanted to take the extra time to take the camels back out, so we went on the vehicle instead (10 minutes). All in all, a great tour. I don't think you will find a better tour that covers so much at such a great price point. The only things it is missing are the day trip to Essaouira and a stop at Tangier. Otherwise it is wonderful and we had a great time!
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  Trip date: October 2024
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  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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  Trip date: April 2025
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  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
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  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
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  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
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  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
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  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
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  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