Mount Ararat, Lake Van, eastern Turkey
 

Photography and Journey, Turkey, Mount Ararat, Van, Akhtamar Island.
Thought of sharing this, nearly 100 Photos on there. Careful, may make u wanna go.

Hi. Great photos. Me and a friend are thinking of heading that way next year. Any good tips, info etc would be great. What are the weather conditions like around Lake Van at the mo and in March/April? Happy riding.

Those really are great photos.. What sort of camera did you use? I need to upgrade my 12 year old Sony to something more modern that will store more than 5 photos on a disk :)

These pics are awesome.
"Road to Sunrise" has just begun the new desktop wallpaper of my computer at office.


Thanks for sharing!

Van
 

Thanks guys, really I adored country and people. Camera is a 5y old Fuji Fine Pix pro S3 DSLR (takes Nikon lenses). Yes could still be snowy, as much of it is high up and passes are up to 2600m. And I am not sure whether I was just lucky with the weather. But east and south becomes desert country, receives a lot less rain than Black sea coast.

Definitely check out http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/country/turkey for very useful and pertinent information.

I was in Van a month ago (late October 2009) and it was slightly chilly but quite wet - had a nice week-long rain parade...

Alexandros

Winter can be really cold with snow. Main roads are ok.

For moderate adventure: do a circle through Naxcivan, Iran, Iraqi Kurdistan, back into Turkey.

For Turkish Kurdistan (Hakkari road) you need really good nerves.

'good nerves', please expand?

The road from Van via Hakkari to Cizre (and the Iraqi border) is 400km through a hot military zone. There is not much in the news about this area, but don't underestimate it. 30 military checkpoints with VERY nervous soldiers.

The perceived level of "danger" here is much higher than in Northern Iraq, Iran or the rest of Anatolia.

P.S.: Road is half gravel, half tarmac and a very small "rough section" in between (shallow river crossing; deep potholes). But doable in 2x4 car.

:eek3:wanna go by bike thro turkey, iran, pak to India. what 'safe' route would you suggest thro the first 2 countries?

More than Northern Iraq? Not really. Have been in both of the countries. It is not a fair comparison.

I woul be much more concerned about the wheater. The area is very high and gets lots of snow dirzzle etc.. From late spring (may) to early fall shoul be prefered.

One late rider who went from Istanbul to India, has informed the main roads were mostly 2 lane divided asphalted in easterne Turkiye. Of course there are lots of gravel, dirt paths which can be taken.
Regards

I am not comparing the countries.

I was comparing a) Northern Iraq Kurdistan region with b) The Hakkari Road in Turkish "Kurdistan".

a) is a stable, peaceful autonomous region with little (visible) military presence

b) is a full-blown war zone

You must have been in Hakkari before the 80s, I assume.

Both Turkey and Iran are among the friendlier and safer countries of this planet IMHO, with very good roads and rewarding traveling.

The only roads you may want to avoid are Van via Hakkari to Cizre and Van via Yüksekova to Urmia (Iran), because of the ongoing Turkish-Kurdish problems.

I haven't been east of Teheran, so I cannot judge the eastern Iranian border territories.

Again, my suggestion would be to integrate part of the Lower Caucasus into a Turkey - Iran overland trip. Either Georgia - Armenia - Iran or Naxcivan - Iran.

Well I have been to northern Iraq recently. It may appear calmer than Bagdat region. But still the tension is there with many many people with kalashnikovs on the street. To get in the airport you go through security checks whiach tells you about the situation. Unfortunately attacks are carried on the civilian which you do not see on the other side of the border.

A full blown war zone as you mention in your e-mail is not the best way to describe south east Turkiye. As I have mentioned it would be like black and white to do comparison.

Okay enough with it, I hope it was spring and I had week to spare. Would have been fantastic to go for a ride.

Regards
Regards

Regards

Nomadb, as travelers rely on your information on the HUBB, it would be good not to make a statement about an area you have not been to personally (Hakkari). I can assure you, it looks different from what you see on TV in Istanbul.