Peter Sommer Travels Traveller Reviews

This was a great combination of cruising the Carian coast of Turkey and walking in the coastal hills. We visited many remote ancient sites and our guide (and owner) was extremely personable and informative. It was well organized and things went along smoothly despite having to adjust the itinerary on occasion because of weather conditions. Special care was taken to ensure that everyone was looked after especially when the terrain was uneven and rocky. Gem our aptly named local guide was always there on our walks to make sure none of us got lost. The Captain and his crew were very friendly and helpful, and it was obvious that the Captain himself was very experienced and capable. Lastly the food was always excellent with lots of local wine. A very enjoyable and informative week.

Our tour operator "Peter Somner Travels" was excellent. It was easy to book and pay. All appropriate information was provided upfront ( and additional reading recommendations ) and we were able to follow our instructions easily. Pickup and transfer from the airport was flawless, as was the transport to the airport at the end of the trip. The principle of our tour group Peter Somner was actually with us and we were kept well informed of all aspects of our trip throughout the week. Overall organization was excellent courtesy of Mr Somner, along with Gem our local guide, and the Captain who was obviously extremely experienced and capable .

We went on a "Walking and Cruising the Carian Shore" holiday with Peter Sommer Travel, the archaeological travel specialists. The cruising part involved gulet cruising between Marmaris and Bodrum via various archaeological sites along the Carian Shore, and the walking part involved walks along sections of the recently completed Carian Coastal Path taking in both beautiful scenery and some wonderful, little explored ancient sites. We were accompanied not only by an excellent gulet crew, but also by Peter Sommer himself, a hugely experienced archaeologist, and a very charming and knowledgeable local expert. The trip was even more enjoyable than we had anticipated, helped by the beautiful scenery, the comfortable gulet, the good food and the company of like-minded fellow travellers.

Peter Sommer Travel excelled themselves in the efficiency of all their preparations for the trip. It seemed that they had overlooked nothing, and both Peter Sommer himself and his local archaeological guide went out of their way to ensure that everyone's needs were met, and that we all enjoyed ourselves as much as possible and left both charmed and fascinated by what we had seen.

We went on a 2-week tour with Peter Sommer Travels along the Carian shore on a gulet with a dozen or so other guests. Our meals were generally on board, provided by the crew, and we motored along the coast. Each day we had two or three chances to swim in the Aegean capped by a visit on shore to an archaeological site led by a guide and an expert of Caria.

This was our second trip with Peter Sommer Travels, and this tour was as good as the last. They took great care in preparing us for the trip, and we all felt like royalty on board the boat. Yet, we also learned much about the region we were touring (in this case the Carian coast) with knowledgeable and approachable guides, an impressive library of books on the geography and history of the region on board, and maps of each site we visited. With each trip we have taken our enthusiasm for the history and for the region has grown.

A great way to learn about the history of Turkey. Staying on the Gulet was a great experience as we cruised the coast of Turkey. The accomodation was superb along with the food. Walking the Lycian trail was fantastic and you were able to get some exercise on your holiday including a nice swim after your hikes. Peter and Cem were very knowledgeable on the history, great presenters and awesome hosts. I will definetely search out more of these types of trips with Peter and Cem.

Peter has extensive knowledge in history. His presentation skills are some of the best I have seen, as he keeps it interesting and keeps you engaged. Hospitality is second to none. He is also very flexible to ensure everyones needs are met! Cem is also very knowledgable, accomodating and a great host.

Two weeks cruising on a gulet with an expert archaeologist and also a local expert guide with a small group; great cruising, fabulous walks to ancient sites and museums, and great sailing and food - an amazing experience.

Peter Sommer travels are the best company I've travelled with - and keep going back. Their tours are boutique, first class archaeology, great food, great sailing and interesting traveling companions - and going to some of the best places on the planet for unique experiences.

This trip was a two week tour of various archaeological sites on the west coat of Turkey and spiced up by traveling on a sailboat (though we motored all but one or two days.) We departed out of Bodrum, on the southwest corner of Turkey, and would generally sail between harbors in the morning or afternoon with land trips to the sites for the balance of the day. I'll paraphrase 'Cem', our wonderful guide, for the daily update: "Breakfast is at 8AM, so you can swim a bit before if you wish, and there will be a brief time to swim afterwards while the crew cleans up. Then we sail to XXX where we will have time for another quick swim, then Lunch, then we will be off on the Minibus to YYY. Today, make sure you were good shoes and long pants. And we'll be back in time for Dinner at 8PM." The swimming was amazing - the water reminds me of Lake Tahoe but the extra buoyancy provided by the salt water made the experience very relaxing! Our Archaeological guide was fantastic - very knowledgable and would answer any and all questions! Each site visit seemed to build on the last one in terms of knowledge gained and experiences. Thought at about 2/3 of the way through the trip my brain was certainly full! Food was served family style and was fantastic as were the guests. There were only 11 guests total (+ 2 guides + 4 crew) so it a much more personal experience that a typical cruise. We were originally concerned with Security but we had no issues at all. I have a few co-workers from Turkey and they said it would be like California in terms of appropriate clothing and we had no issues there. Highly recommended.

Very professional. Great pre-trip documentation and excellent staff.

Small wooden boat cruise along the western Turkish Coast with emphasis on dining, history and recreation. Beautiful classic wooden sailing "Ketch" with excellent accommodations and crew to passenger ratio. As in other small boat adventure cruises the fellow passengers seem to self select for a group of very knowledgeable and friendly shipmates. The tour guide was a very knowledgable archeologist with a distinct passion for history,food, and wine.

Very professional and helpful from start to finish. The crew, guide, and ship selected for our trip well exceeded expectations.

Our Group of longtime friends included four couples from various parts of Western Canada. We met our Travel Director (Peter Sommer) and his Gulet crew in Gocek along with seven other travelers from the UK, USA and Australia. We set out on our adventure of walking & cruising the Lycian Coastline. Each morning we would wake up to a fantastic Turkish breakfast prepared by the Gulet Chef and Crew along with freshly squeezed fruit juices and brewed coffee. After breakfast we set out on that day's adventure of exploring the endless number of Archeological sites found along or close to the coast. The entire trip was 5+++ stars. We wanted for nothing and owe allot of that to Peter's meticulous planning and his choice of Gulet and crew.

Peter Sommer's knowledge and passion for the history and archeological significance of Turkey is unmatched by any other Tour Guide we have travelled with. He was truly a pleasure to travel with and learn from.

From first arriving on the Gulet to the hikes and meals, we had a great time. The guides and crew did everything to make sure the trip was fun and entertaining. The color of the Meditteranian was just like the pictures and to be able to swim everyday was great. The hikes and history were also great, hard to fathom how old some of the sites were when coming from North America, we having nothing to compare to the history of Turkey. One of the high lights was when the sails were up and we enjoyed the sun and the wind.

Seriously knowledgable, very professional and did everything they could to make the trip the great success it was

A “Perfect Plus” archaeological holiday Lycian Cruise I award the Lycian Cruise a “Perfect Plus” as it could not have been better and I loved every moment of it. It was my idea of the perfect holiday a unique combination of archaeology and history, delicious food and wine, and swimming in the friendly, congenial company of fellow guests. An exciting combination of sailing and motoring overseen by our friendly, efficient and ever obliging Captain, Crew and Cook, on a unique and beautiful gulet. It was fun anchoring in a beautiful cove - very often one all to ourselves and cooling off in the warm, clear, blue and turquoise water. Sometimes simply floating in the sea in the water talking to the other guests. The interesting hikes to charming and fascinating towns and archaeological sites and conjuring up, thanks to Peter, wonderful images of past people, buildings and history. There was no pressure or stress, well planned days. Just the pleasure of dumping ones suitcase in the cabin and not having to worry about it until it was time to leave was a great bonus. A BIG THANK YOU to each and every one.

A “Perfect Plus” archaeological holiday Lycian Cruise I award the Lycian Cruise a “Perfect Plus” as it could not have been better and I loved every moment of it. It was my idea of the perfect holiday a unique combination of archaeology and history, delicious food and wine, a Our Guide and Tour Leader was Peter Sommer, himself, with the able help of Uğur Cinar. His quiet and understated organisational abilities are perfect. There was nothing, no suggestion or query that escaped his attention. The most mundane questions were answered and the most complicated historical problems made simple. I admired his inexhaustible, untiring and enthusiastic knowledge of the history and his understanding, love and respect for the people of the Lycian Coast. He brought history with quiet humour vividly to life and made light of complicated history. My thanks to him and Uğur Cinar who kept a discrete eye on me and were always there to help me over very often, rough, slippery and steep terrain. They certainly went out of their way to satisfy our often eccentric requests. My sincere thanks