Our Team

Best Adventure Guides & Support Staff

Hike’n Sail Team

Hike’n Sail Team

Hike’n Sail Team

Hike’n Sail Team

Training never stops

Best Adventure Guides with Multi-skills

Our adventure guides are both highly skilled and experienced outdoor people and intellectual university graduates with extensive training and excellent language skills. They can lead hikes to out-of-the-way locations, communicate with local people, lecture knowledgeably at classical sites, discuss all aspects of Turkish culture, history, and politics, and arrange menus that showcase local specialties and suit the tastes of individual guests. Perhaps most important, they are also warm, dynamic people with good senses of humor.

At Hike’n Sail, we know that our service can only be as good as our staff. Efficient coordination and smooth operation are essential to ensuring the pleasure and comfort of our guests.

Our staff members are well known for their professionalism, good manners, and ability to organize complex itineraries with care and precision. In addition, every guide working with Hike’n Sail is required to complete basic sustainable tourism training. This ensures that they not only deliver high-quality service but also actively promote and practice responsible tourism principles in the field.

We Train Our Adventure Guides

All adventure guides who are acquainted with Hike’n Sail tours participate in training programs provided by scientific institutions, NGOs, and Hike’n Sail Travel. In addition, Hike’n Sail provides opportunities for guides to take part in Travelife online training programs focused on sustainable tourism practices.

This combination of hands-on and online learning ensures that our guides are not only experts in the field but also fully equipped to promote and implement sustainability principles during every journey.

Every Member Of Our Team is Outstanding

Our support staff is equally well trained to fulfill the expectations of travelers. The crews of our gullets work quietly to stay on schedule and maintain spotless order while monitoring our guests’ safety and comfort. The cooks on board amaze our guests with the miracles they create in their tiny galleys. The drivers who take us from place to place conform to the sustainable standards of speed and safety.

Unlicensed Guides in Türkiye are Illegal!!!

Please note that all Hike’n Sail guides are certified, official guides, and they are paid in full guiding fees to ensure your safety and a quality experience. Tourism is a leading industry in Turkey and in order to sustain the quality of services, tour guides in Turkey are certified by the government after they get their 4 years bachelor’s degree. Other means of tour guiding is illegal. Before you buy a tour, we recommend confirming that your guide is official.

 

Alper Ertübey

Founder Of Hike’n Sail, Certified Tour Guide

Founder Of Hike’n Sail, Certified Tour Guide
I am the founder and the senior guide of Hike’n Sail Travel. I studied Industrial Engineering at Istanbul Technical University. I am conducting active trips to experience the natural & cultural heritage of Turkey since 1988.
I have participated in 3 bio-diversity programs and developed a passion for wildflower photography and I share my photos at www.floraofturkey.com.
When I design new itineraries for our clients, I prioritize to honor the principles of responsible/slow tourism in order to minimize our carbon footprint, our impact on natural and cultural environments and help the local communities.
I consider myself a happy hiker and a green-activist and one of the most experienced adventure guides in Turkey. I like to hike, kayak, photography, food, cooking, history.

Liliana Rios Santana

Sustainability Coordinator
Liliana is the Sustainability Coordinator at Hike’n Sail Türkiye, where she oversees the company’s sustainability practices and monitors its environmental footprint. Originally from Colombia, Liliana holds a university degree in Marketing and a Master’s in Languages. Her passion for responsible travel led her to complete GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council) training, and she proudly represented Hike’n Sail Türkiye at the GSTC Global Summit in Stockholm. Liliana brings both analytical skill and cultural sensitivity to her role, ensuring that sustainability remains an active, measurable, and evolving part of every journey. During tour operations, she also supports the team with airline logistics and coordination.
Outside of work, Liliana enjoys Latin dancing, drinking tequila, tasting the food of the world, spending time in nature, and exploring new destinations — pursuits that reflect her vibrant personality and love for meaningful travel.

Simay Alp Sucu

Operations Manager
Since 2019, I have been actively working in the tourism sector within the field of operations, combining my professional experience with a strong commitment to environmentally responsible and sustainable tourism practices. Throughout my career, I have taken on managerial responsibilities in operational processes, contributing to the effective coordination of teams and the smooth execution of complex organizations with a holistic approach.
I strive to deliver seamless and well-structured operations, viewing guest satisfaction not merely as a target, but as a natural outcome of professional excellence.
In my spare time, I enjoy traveling, exploring new destinations, and going on long walks with my dog, Carlos. Living close to nature is an essential part of both my lifestyle and my professional motivation.

 

Özlem Şimşek, Ph.D.

Adventure Guide

Certified Tour Guide
Özlem has graduated from Law school, completed a master’s degree a Ph.D. in Classical Archaeology. She participated in the excavations of the ancient Ionian site Klazomenai at her home town Urla.
Her special interests include Classical Choirs 20 years of participation as an alto: Boonville MO. Methodist Church Choir, Miami Bach Choir, Izmir French Cultural Association Choir, and Izmir Municipality choir, hiking, gardening, cooking, and sailing. Her vast experience, educational background, and charming personality make her an exceptional adventure guide.

Gökhan Köksal

Executive Director & Certified Tour Guide
Born in 1986, Gökhan Köksal is a professional tour guide with extensive experience in cultural and sustainable tourism. After receiving his degree in Ege University’s Tour Guiding program, he has been guiding since 2009.
Alongside his guiding career, Gökhan has served as a full-time lecturer in the Tour Guiding Department at Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, where he taught subjects including Sustainable Tourism, Turkish Folklore, and Classical Mythology. His academic focus includes experiential marketing in tourism, cultural heritage, and sustainable tourism, supported by his published scholarly works. As a member of the Arapgir Archaeological Survey Team in Malatya, he brings scholarly depth to his fieldwork.
Outside guiding, he enjoys hiking, camping and enduro motorcycling amid Türkiye’s diverse landscapes.

Cemil Bezmen, Ph.D

Adventure Guide

Certified Tour Guide
Cemil has a background in physics at Bosphorus University and received his Ph.D. degree in Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge for his work on Cappadocia.
He was active at the mountaineering club of the university and upon graduation became one of the first generation adventure guides in Turkey. He organized and guided mountaineering and trekking tours all over the country.
Meanwhile worked as an archaeometry field assistant at some prehistoric excavations.
He is one of the most experienced guides for ecotours, arts and history, and archaeology as well as active tours.

 

Meltem Ayaz

Certified Tour Guide
Graduated from  French high school Notre Dame de Sion İstanbul,  got an BA degree in Economics from University of İstanbul  and MBA degree in Eco-tourism Tour Guidance from University of Şırnak.
Meltem is seasoned for tailor-made, private and boutique tours with english and  french speaking guests. Her special interests are sustainable & environmental tourism activities, eco-tourism activities as well as hiking tours. She is also specialized in Prince’s Island tours and İstanbul city sightseeing tours. She likes archeology, history, photography, cooking and Turkish coffee. She lives in Prince’s Island, Büyükada.

Erkan Akburak

Certified Tour Guide
I was born in İstanbul than move to Cappadocia for family reasons. Educated middle, high school and university in Nevşehir. Start to work in a pottery workshop as an artist and salesman. I started to run my own workshop in 1997 under the name of Venessa Seramik. I did many exhibitions as an artist in different countries like China, Vietnam, Philippines, Taiwan, Tunisia, Italy, and South Korea. I have arranged lots of hiking and cooking tours at Cappadocia region. Still working freelance guide in Cappadocia

Mürüvet Gündüz

Certified Tour Guide
After graduating from the Department of Political Science at Gazi University in Ankara, I moved to London, where I worked as an Au Pair while attending a Financial Literacy Program at Oakland College in the U.K. Although I spent 20 years working as a manager in the banking sector, my true passion has always been travel and guiding.
I later earned an MBA in Eco-Tourism Guidance from Şırnak University, combining my professional background with my love for nature, culture, and sustainable travel. Today, I lead specialized cultural, gastronomic, and trekking tours, sharing authentic local experiences and stories with travelers from around the world.
In my free time, I enjoy scuba diving, long-distance trekking, and reading. I am also an active member of the Stray Cats and Dogs Protection Commission, the Book Reading Club, and the Nature Walk Commission. I’m a proud cat mum to two lovely companions — Efos and Taci.