Destination: Turkey

LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL ITINERARY INFORMATION

Itinerary: We Dare You

AS LONG AS YOU`VE GOT IT

Travel in Turkey can be 100% pure adventure or soft and gooey like a piece of Turkish delight. You could leave your bathers on the coast and explore the regions and outdoor activities of Turkey unknown even to most Turks. Maybe even criss-cross borders to pass a day or two with Turkey’s exotic neighbours. We’re not encouraging you to do silly things; do your own research and make sure you check out the latest situation before you launch out on any adventure.



For those keen to explore places well off the beaten trail, western Anatolia’s Phrygian Valley offers spectacular scenery and Phrygian ruins. And now that the troubles in the southeast are seemingly on the mend, former no-go zones in the east are opening up to visitors. The upper valley of the Euphrates, between Elazig and Erzincan, is still uncharted territory. As is the stupendous scenery of the wild far southeast surrounding isolated Bahçesaray, Hakkari, and Sirnak. Get there before the tourists do.

The claustrophobic, but compelling underground cities of Cappadocia were once a haven from invading armies. Today you’re lucky enough to be able to play at being a troglodyte. Hire a guide, take a good torch and delve deep into Özlüce, Güzelyurt and Özkonak, underground cities well off the tourist trail.

Most tourists just ice their toes in the Saklikent Gorge, but there’s a full 18km to be explored by white-water rafting, canyoning and hiking. Mountaineers might want to tackle Mt Ararat, which has captivated the imaginations of travellers for centuries, and check out developments at Cilo Dagi (Cilo Mountains). Word is out that trekking trips will be starting here any day. One of the authors on this book confesses to being a border-crossing junky. For others out there Turkey has several gnarly border crossings: Georgia–Turkey, Azerbaijan–Turkey, Iran–Turkey and Iraq–Turkey. Spend a night in Georgia with a full-bodied red *wink*.

Peep into Azerbaijan’s isolated back pocket, Nakhichevan and spend a day in this intriguing oil- and gas-rich nation. Follow the classic hippy overland trail by dropping out in Iran. Enter from Dogubayazit, or from the more intrepid Esendere–Seró border crossing and spend a day or two in magical Tabriz. You can even follow Tony Wheeler’s footsteps into northern Iraq to see for yourself what’s happening in this Kurdish heartland.