Turkey is an ancient land with a history that is nothing short of astounding and extends for almost ten thousand years. Alexander the Great, the armies of Islam and the Crusades have all swept through this land and empires have come and gone. Imams hail the country to prayer from immense mosques as if calling to the past and palaces of oriental decadence and splendour remind us of the sultans who once ruled this land. Turkey is where the East meets West. The Turks have embraced the West while still maintaining their traditional Islamic values and the pride they hold of their imperial past.

The turquoise coloured waters and sandy beaches of the Mediterranean now attract hordes of tourists each year, but the best part of Turkey remains beyond the reach of the package holidays. Turkey is a very large country whose real value lies in its timeless landscapes and small villages. Women chat around the well when they go to collect water, smartly dressed school children wave from the banks of the river, sparkling streams tumbling over boulders through apricot orchards, donkeys wander narrow mountain trails laden with straw from the fields and old men relax in the shade of the olive groves.

In the high water of the early spring, the rapids of the Çoruh are unrivalled. Mountainous waves leap skyward and roar in a thunderous din as we ride the roller-coaster downstream. The river is a whitewater delight, with seemingly endless rapids surging through the endless gorges in a frantic bid to reach the sea..