This is for those who have taken the Best of Turkey tour. We are active mid to late 60's people & generally don't have a problem keeping up but I see that this is described as one of their most active tours. Would love to hear from other seniors about how they did. Thanks in advance!
Posted by
Chicago
733 posts
I took the Best of Turkey tour in October 2024. I turned 60 years old during the trip.
It is a very active tour, and I felt a bit ragged two or three days. I'm a veteran traveler, having visited 24 countries, most of them as an independent traveler.
Having said that, the Best of Turkey tour was an excellent tour and definitely worth it. I'm glad I went on it. Given the size of the country, there might be no way to trim the trip. It might be a good idea to add a day on the front end, like I did, and one or two days on the back end, if possible.
Incidentally, I saw the Chora Church, which is not included in the tour, on my own during that extra day is Istanbul. I'd rate it as one of the top-three sites of the entire trip. It's definitely worth seeing. Chora is formally a mosque now, so women in your group must wear head coverings and men must wear long pants.
Posted by
Ohio
1681 posts
I took this tour when I was 54 and still recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. I used one hiking stick to help with mobility. I skipped the optional hike in Cappadocia and the underground city. I also struggled a bit at some of the ruins due to the stone stairs being quite deep. But overall, I didn't find it to be a problem. You can adjust the activity some by altering your free time activities to match your capabilities and fatigue level.
Posted by
Los Angeles by way of Providence and Rome
671 posts
I took this tour in October 2022 and was in my mid-sixties and had no trouble keeping up. I did opt out of an optional hike one day because it was hot and I felt like being lazy. There are some narrow steps and uneven surfaces, especially in the cave cities, but nothing ever felt like a forced march. It's an amazing, eye-opening experience that I highly recommend.
Posted by
NC, USA
48 posts
I looked back at my FitBit data for the tour (Spring 2024). I took about 12,000 - 16,000 steps per day. Some on my own but the majority with the group. I am in my early 50s, 5 ft 3 in, and overweight. I walk/train to prepare for the tours and found this one to be less strenuous than some of the others I've taken. (I've been on 8 with RSE and loved them all.)
The majority of our group was in your age bracket and did not have trouble keeping up. One tour member opted out of several activities that were too much for her but still had an amazing trip.
Some tour members skipped underground Kaymaklı which required some stooping/squat walking/crawling/scooting (different means for different folks) through a couple of sections. A couple opted out for that reason, a couple due to claustrophobia, and one due to concerns about air quality issues. Our guide gave an explanation of what to expect so people could decide for themselves.
The tour was magnificent! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
3323 posts
As noted, if there are optional activities that you don't feel up to, then you can bow out (just tell the guide). I took this tour in 2023 and walked between 5 and 11 miles each day, the latter being days I chose optional activities involving walking. There are definitely more steps and uneven ground on this tour than others I have taken so good shoes are a must. As is getting to Istanbul at least a full day early, better two days, so you can acclimate and see more of the city (the tour just doesn't cover enough).
Posted by
RIchmond, BC,Canada
1037 posts
I am 62, and took this tour last October. I arrived in Istanbul a few days early with friends and managed to turn my ankle on a flight of stairs. Fortunately, I was still able to walk. I iced it for a couple days and carried on. Going down hills or stairs was a bit of a problem, but I didn’t skip any of the activities of the tour. Not even the optional hike. I logged more than twenty thousand steps a day, most days. The underground city is difficult, especially if you are taller like myself. The guide warned us at the start that if you think you will struggle with all the stairs and low ceilings then turn back at a certain point, and some in our group did that. The real problem with the site is that as the ceiling gets lower, you have to squat and do a sort of walking lunge to get through, or crawl or slide on your bum as some did. It also gets quite warm in the caves with all the people inside. If you are active, and don’t sprain an ankle, I think you will be able to keep up.