BEST CAMPING ROUTES IN TURKEY
KEMALİYE
What does a traveler pursue? Unspoiled nature and local life, original architecture, visual diversity, local dishes, friendly people and conscious tourism movement. These are all in Kemaliye, Erzincan, formerly called Eğin.
The town, which is located in a bowl in the middle of Sivas, Erzincan and Elazığ, in eastern Turkey is a center of attraction with its diversity in tourism. One of these is the Stone Road, which will affect you with its story, or the Dark Canyon, one of the deepest canyons in the world. It invites all those who wants to have a holiday with its hiking trails, organic products, endemic plants, the Anatolian Spotted Salamander, which is the symbol of the region, and its truly unique landscapes. In addition to the 3, 4 accommodation facilities currently available in the region, new ones are being built in accordance with the local architecture.
KASTAMONU CANYONS
When it comes to Kastamonu, most people think of Turkish pastrami called ‘pastırma’. However, there are many more natural and cultural treasures there than this delicious delicacy. You can see the unique and preserved structures of the local architecture both in the city center and its towns and villages. Horma Canyon, reached from the town of Pınarbaşı, located within the borders of the Küre Mountains National Park, used to be a canyon where professional canyoning athletes would come to. The end of the canyon leads to the Ilıca Waterfall, one of the natural treasures of the region. The long wooden walkway is the only track of this length in the world and is made especially not to spoil the canyon and magnificient view. You can take great photos with the road itself and see this natural wonder from the entrance to the exit. The waterfall at the end can be the reward of this beautiful journey.
THE BUTTONED HOUSES OF ORMANA
Ormana, which is a district of İbradı in Antalya, can be reached by a two-hour trip from Antalya and Konya Airports. The region awaits its visitors with its hiking routes, natural beauties and houses with historical buttons.
Buttoned houses are structures made of cedar wood as a skeleton to interlock each other, by stacking stones within the wood, without using any ‘glueing’ materials such as mortar or cement. Since precious cedar treees were once used in the construction of the houses, you can witness the history as you walk through the streets. You can also visit the Eynif Plain next to Ormana and observe the wild horses with a total population of 800 and living in herds. One of the natural wonders in the region is Altınbeşik cave. It is also an indescribable feeling to visit Altınbeşik Cave, the third largest underground lake in Europe, by boat.
Apart from these, there are also courses for hikers. You can take long walks on the old Silk Road and unspoilt Ancient Pisidian roads.
İĞNEADA FORESTS
Turkey’s largest swamp with İğneada, a wonder of nature can be reached by a three-hour ride from Istanbul. A great weekend route for those who live in Istanbul.
Summer tourism is very popular in Igneada and we can say that people flock to the town in the summer. But the best time for Longoz Forests is spring and autumn. Camping in the forests that return to the revel of color in autumn attracts travelers who want to witness the revival of nature in spring. Taking long nature walks in the diversity of plants and trees in Longoz Forests that surrounds İğneada, canoeing in the Mert Lake at sunrise, mingling with migratory birds, drinking coffee in Limanköy at sunset, visiting the Limanköy Lighthouse and Liking the border with Bulgaria. Walking on the beach in the village is one of the activities we can pinch in İğneada after a weekend.
THE BACK DOOR OF THE BLACK SEA; ŞAVŞAT
It is a small district between Artvin city center and Ardahan. The majority of the population lives in the 61 villages of Şavşat. What makes Şavşat special are these villages. It is possible to observe traditional architecture and unspoiled cultural structure, which is rarely found in the Black Sea region, in these villages. You can easily observe this aesthetic and region-specific style even in newly built houses, which is the indispensable part of Şavşat people. A local culture is preserved with its architecture.
What makes Şavşat geographically different is that the mountains are surrounded by wide valleys, not narrow valleys like the north. This presents a view that doesn’t look like the Swiss Alps, which everyone loves.
LAZ ALPS
It is an excellent option for a different holiday experience where you can observe local life in the Black Sea. It is a natural habitat where tourism activities are minimal. Hemşin plateaus and border neighbors are the plateaus that are reached by passing through Laz villages in Maselevat Valley at the foot of Altıparmak and where the Laz people (a minority with their own language and culture) live.
When you go to this region, you instantly are transformed into a different world. Those who visit the region and stay at the pensions and plateau houses run by the people of the region, tend to feel like a Laz themselves in no time. It is a real treasure that can be visited for a week or two and is waiting to be discovered. The region is also very suitable for hiking and trekking programs.
You may be greeted by locals performing Horon, the traditional folkloric dance when you step foot in the region. You can dance the Horon with them, sing folk songs, milk goats, yeast your own highland yogurt. When returning home, it is also possible to take the products produced in the region or produced by you. If you want, you can spend a day like a shepherd and walk with goats until the evening, or you can prepare dinner by fishing and catching trout in the creek at the end of the walk.
It is definitely not a luxurious vacation destination but suitable for those who are seeking to live and observe the real Black Sea experience.
