From Istanbul: Sapanca Lake Day Trip with Lunch

We joined the tour with friends and everyone was very pleased. It was especially good that the organization was smooth. We did not experience any disruptions. We returned with beautiful memories

This trip was not what I expected. From the reviews we were expecting a lot of nature/walks etc. but it was the complete opposite. The ‘optional’ bits were actually what the whole trip was based around. If you are travelling as a family with teens and young adults who love the adventure of zip wires, quad bikes, etc then this is for you. If you are a couple like we were, looking for a quiet day in nature away from the city this is not for you. Having said that, it was not expensive, food was good, and tour guide and driver were very pleasant. My expectations were just of a different day.

We joined with our children, they also had a lot of fun. walk by the lake, the small boat trip and lunch were very nice. everything was meticulous. The pace of the tour program was especially suitable for families with children

To be fair, my family enjoyed it. However, I did not share the same feeling because of some issues. * The trip started with a visit to the Zoo. Almost all cages were empty. Animals were hiding because of the hot weather. This unnecessary step consumed a lot of time and energy and should have been skipped. * The total transportation time reached 5 hours because of the traffic congestion and road construction. Moreover, the bus was very noisy because of the loud conversation between the tour staff.

It was perfect to escape the busyness of Istanbul and enjoy nature. The views of Sapanca Lake and Maşukiye were fascinating. The food was delicious and our guide was very friendly. We had a very enjoyable day.

By participating in the Sapanca Lake Tour, I discovered the beauty of nature and ate delicious food. The views we saw during the boat tour were magnificent. Lunch was also very delicious and consisted of local delicacies.

Nice trip overall. Clean bus and good tour guide. Nobody bothered us on the bus or anything. Good mix of activities. I expected more nature especially from the photos displayed. For example, there was a photo of the hobbit houses and we did not see them. I was not given a chance to walk in nature and see what I wanted. They just kept taking us to different places to pay for different activities.

The guide was fantastic. He kind, patient and good personality. I picked this tour because all the nature pictures they have posted and thought it would be peaceful. It wasn't at all. Although they offer hotel drop off and pick up ours wasn't included although we were in istanbul. We took public transportation about 30 minutes to get to the meeting point. First stop- a zoo- it's was probably the most peaceful part of the tour. Got to see neat animals. Had about an hour here. Second stop- a candy store. We were all rushed into a small candy store for tasting and to buy things of you want. When we came out we were rushed by people outside to buy random things like socks. Third stop - cable cars- this was neat. Took awhile to get through the lines. I think we had 35-40 minutes here. It took almost exactly that length of time to go to the top on the mountains on the car and come directly back down. No time to explore at the top of the mountain . Oh and you had to pay to use the restroom here. Fourth stop - Sapanca lake- most importantly this is the name of the tour, which made me believe we would see more of it. We had lunch there, which was great. It was lunch on a boardwalk, with many shops. There was no true nature to see here. It was a business district on a lake where everyone tried to sell you their items or time on a paddle boat. We had less than an hour to eat and explore here. Fifth stop- ATV riding- this was hardly ATV riding- they do rent it to you to drive, tell you that you cannot switch drivers. You're herded in a line of ATVs on a gravel road where the signs posted want you to stay in a single file line. If one ATV stops the take pictures the whole lines stops. For it being such a short gravel road they did have a lookout place you can see great views. You have to pay for pictures there, the overlook was chained off unless you paid. If you don't want pictures no worries there are a few shops there that you can purchase other things while you wait for your group. Sixth stop- Zip lining- it was dark by time we made it here. Most people chose not to go in the dark. Then on to the 2 hour and 45 minute bus ride back to Istanbul. I understand they wanted to drop people directly at their hotels on the way back but we drove a circle around the city. They kept telling us they would get us to the tram that would take us to our hotel. But they didn't. We ended up taking an Uber to get back which was another 25 minutes. So if you want to be herded around all day to spend your money this is great. There is no nature here like in the pictures. This is not calm or scenic at all.

We had such a great day!Our tour guide was brilliant and did everything possible for us to have an amazing time

Sapanca Lake Tour is an ideal option to get away from city stress. Thanks to this tour, I spent a day surrounded by nature and I feel renewed. It was very enjoyable to ride a bike, go on a boat tour and have a picnic by the lake. The weather was also very nice. A tour I will definitely join again!