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Photo by Marc Gibaud, Clouds on Tres Cerros and Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia

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Photo by Marc Gibaud,
Clouds on Tres Cerros and
Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia



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  • 1 Post By Mehmet Zeki Avar
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  #1  
Old 12 Mar 2017
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for your information.Checked today.
Before Kobane,Nusaybin M4 and akçakale 712 road gates are open,ceylanpınar is closed.you can also easily make to şanlıurfa via these gates then west through gaziantep.

Visa fees of turkey for AUS.
AVUSTRALYA
passport must be valid for minimum 5 months..
90 days with multiple entry.

e-visa...... 60 $
https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/

gate visa.. 70 $/ 50 € / 45 £

İnsallah your road angels be beside you..

Al the best and safe travels..

PS. you have made to the highest atm. of the world in a crazy weather so this stage may be a cheese cake for you..Great blog..Good luck..
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Last edited by Mehmet Zeki Avar; 12 Mar 2017 at 18:54. Reason: note added..
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  #2  
Old 21 Nov 2018
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Hi Mehmet,
I use this old thread to ask you if you have any recent update about situation in South East Turkey and Northern Iraq.
Next spring I would like to visit Sanliurfa, Mardin, Diyarbakir, Van, Dogubayazit and maybe spend a few days in northern Iraq to Erbil: do you know how are things going in the region now?
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  #3  
Old 27 Jun 2019
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Hi Crisidsto
Quote:
Originally Posted by crisidsto View Post
Hi Mehmet,
I use this old thread to ask you if you have any recent update about situation in South East Turkey and Northern Iraq.
Next spring I would like to visit Sanliurfa, Mardin, Diyarbakir, Van, Dogubayazit and maybe spend a few days in northern Iraq to Erbil: do you know how are things going in the region now?
Did you make it across to Erbil ? How did you find it? I’m going to Turkey and the Caucasus in sept and am looking at a short detour through Northern Iraq.

Cheers
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  #4  
Old 27 Jun 2019
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Originally Posted by terrybaker View Post
Did you make it across to Erbil ? How did you find it? I’m going to Turkey and the Caucasus in sept and am looking at a short detour through Northern Iraq.

Cheers
First plan was to go there in the spring but then I changed it and I was supposed to go in august.
Because of Iran situation with bikes of more than 250cc, I had to change my plan one more time: it will not be this year for me...

BTW, I can now answer myself about the other question: Sanliurfa, Mardin, Diyarbakir, Van, Dogubayazit all seemed safe last april. Even checkpoints are not so many: I think I was stopped only one time.
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  #5  
Old 6 Jul 2019
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I'll be doing a route similiar to this in two months, Adana -> Gaziantep -> Urfa -> Mardin -> somewhere -> Tatvan -> Dogubeyazit -> Kars -> Georgia.

Do you recommend to stay on the main highways the entire time and avoid rural roads? Or is everything pretty safe these days? I read a comment on wikivoyage saying that there have been reports of bandits between Adana and Gaziantep on the motorway but it sounds a bit like scaremongering.
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  #6  
Old 6 Jul 2019
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Originally Posted by mbdiain View Post
I'll be doing a route similiar to this in two months, Adana -> Gaziantep -> Urfa -> Mardin -> somewhere -> Tatvan -> Dogubeyazit -> Kars -> Georgia.

Do you recommend to stay on the main highways the entire time and avoid rural roads? Or is everything pretty safe these days? I read a comment on wikivoyage saying that there have been reports of bandits between Adana and Gaziantep on the motorway but it sounds a bit like scaremongering.
From Goreme to Gaziantep, I took the eastern route through Pinarbasi and south through the mountains to Kahramanmaraş.
The one passing from Adana should be faster.
I did not rode it, but I don't see why it should be less safe than any other place in the area. Or, at least, I never heard anything about it. I would not be worried to ride it.

Regarding rural roads, from Sanliurfa I went south to Harran and then east very close to the border to visit some pretty remote sites (I highly recommend Sogmatar ancient city, if you like history and remote places) and then I reconnected to the main road to Mardin. I did not saw anything strange or worrying.

From Mardin, I did a loop Midyat>Hasankeyf>Diyarbakir.
Even in Diyarbakir it seems that life is coming back to normality. Police presence is still heavy there.
I felt bad seeing the signs of destruction in the city center and the new buildings popping around with propaganda everywhere, but I think it is probably the most interesting city in the area. It definitely has some particular vibe.

Tatvan is a modern city: if you have to stop in that area, I suggest you to choose Bitlis.
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  #7  
Old 7 Jul 2019
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mbdiain View Post
I'll be doing a route similiar to this in two months, Adana -> Gaziantep -> Urfa -> Mardin -> somewhere -> Tatvan -> Dogubeyazit -> Kars -> Georgia.

Do you recommend to stay on the main highways the entire time and avoid rural roads? Or is everything pretty safe these days? I read a comment on wikivoyage saying that there have been reports of bandits between Adana and Gaziantep on the motorway but it sounds a bit like scaremongering.
It is all safe my friend... No worries !
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  #8  
Old 9 Sep 2019
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To report back on my trip for anyone interested, it was completely safe and dare I say, uneventful. Road quality was excellent to Mardin (two lane highway) and from there still pretty good the rest of the way. Only issue was Google Maps decided to take me through a steep mountain pass over a gravel road in Agri province, followed by a freak hailstorm. Thankfully a friendly local let me shelter inside his van.

There wasn't an overt military presence and although there were checkpoints at the entrances to all towns from Urfa through to Kars, I wasn't stopped at one of them, and indeed most looked completely empty at the moment. The Police I did see were friendly, stopping up next to me on their bikes while I was parked to compare motorcycles and ask where I was from.

The one thing I'd say is, you have to get used to some downright hostile staring in Urfa, I don't know if it's due to the influx of refugees or simply that the city is extremely conservative but I got the impression that Europeans aren't exactly welcome there, while Mardin (and of course the rest of Turkey) was the complete opposite.
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