Hey all,

I will be in Turkey soon and need some info on what to see and where to ride. Such a big place and so many little mountain roads...it's all a bit much.

Got a KLR with decent tyres so easy off road stuff is ok by me. Getting lost in the mountains is really what i am after.
Any info will be more than appreciated.

Cheers lads and ladettes,

John

Capadoccia was nice with the rock formations, good camp site in Gorome with a pool. I though the very eastern part as I came in from Iran (Sero border) looked very nice too but wasn't there long enough. I made the mistake of riding down to the south coast from Capadoccia and wished I hadn't bothered, much like the over developed parts of Spain really. Couple of decent ruins down there but very touristy.

Note that the petrol was bloody expensive when I was there end of 2008, not sure what it's like now though.

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Hi, I would agree with MikeS, give the south coast a miss, Cappadocia is brilliant and the mountains around the central plains are good for getting lost in (I did it acouple of years ago on a KLR). Whatever you do enjoy

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"It would be rude not to"

Hi John, i share your ideas on touring 'getting lost in the mountains' is when i am happiest. I spent a month in Turkey last summer and cannot recommend it enough. i found the NW to have the best mountain tracks around Caykara. The track between Caykara and Bayburt is excellent with loads of small tracks into the mountains. 'The Road of Stones' at kemalyie is a must. In the South there are indeed thousands of tracks in the mountains. Cappadocia and Pammluke are both major tourist sight but still worth a visit. Petrol is expensive but food and accomodation are reasonable. Andy B

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Hi John!

I was in Melbourne couple of months ago and drove the great ocean road, it was fantastic!! You may enjoy a similar ocean road in Turkey if you ride between Antalya and Fethiye. Beautiful road, many places to see, many places to stay.

When will you be in Turkey and how long will you stay? I can suggest you some routes.

It is still bloody expensive (I guess around 2 US per liter) but food & accomodation will be cheaper than Melbourne.

Cheers

Oguz

If you like green, twisty roads, Black Sea Region is very good. If you really want to get lost in the mountains and forests, you may try Kure Daglari National Park's Kastamonu region and stay at Pinarbasi or Azdavay. The coastal road from Istanbul to Sinop is a very scenic road and full of good places to stay and visit. In the Eastern Black Sea region, there are the Kackars and Ayder plateau (touristy ones but not like Mediterranean) and many other plateaus around Giresun, Rize, Trabzon, Artvin.

If you decide to go to southern regions, the road from Tasucu to eastern parts of the Mediterranean is a very twisty and fun road. Also the dirt roads on Taurus Mountain range is a very rewarding experience.

In central Anatolia, you can visit Cappadocia and then Aladaglar, Nigde. There is a road to main camping area for mountaineers. (but there is no facilities in the camping area but as far as I remember there is a small hotel on the skirts of the mountains)

As Andy said Tasyolu (The Road of Stones) is a very good place visit. Sivas, Corum and Yozgat has also plateaus around.

If your way passes through Ankara, send me a message. I would like to meet you and buy you a meal and . Also, If you need a specific information about a place, I would try to help as much as I can.

Cheers,
Ozgur

Thanks so much for the info. My parents are riding there at the moment but the furthest east they got was Capadoccia. Petrol is still expensive is seems. But the Turkish Delight makes up for it they said.

Cheers Andy for the Road of Stones info. I saw some of your other pics. Looks like a bikers dream. I will make sure i have PLENTY of time to explore around there. Looks a long way from the hoards of tourists.

I am currently in Syria learning (well, actually TRYING might be the right word) Arabic and i will be heading into Turkey around the start of June. Will head east along the southern border, then heading north around the eastern border and into Georgia and Armenia for a month or so. Will then travel back to Istanbul along the northern part, spending a fair chunk of time around the mountain areas/tracks you guys have recommended.
Flying out of Istanbul back to Aus for a couple of weeks to take care of some 'business'!, returning to do the other half of turkey eventually getting into Iran...Inshallah!

That's the plan, I usually stay away from the big cities but Ozgur, if i do find myself near Ankara, the idea of a and a chat is certainly right up my alley. Cheers for the invite.

Any more info would be greatly appreciated. As would a meeting on some distant track in the mountains of north east turkey.

Thanks again,

John

Turkey has a multitude of amazing routes to travel by bike - I guess you fathomed that by now It's safe, traffic free and unbelievably bike friendly. I belong to an advanced riding group that can advise, lend assistance and even ride with you sometimes and it's all for free!
Check us out at ..:: A.R.A. Training System ::.. also ommriders.com
RideTurkey. You will find all manner of stuff including ride reports, routes etc etc.

I am based in Southern Turkey on the coast near to Fethiye. Let me know where you will enter the country and I will make a few suggestions. Will you rent a bike here? Pass through and I might even join you.

YOU GUYS!! That was so much helpful and good information. Thanks for that!

My husband and I are planning a motorcycle trip from UAE to Europe in June and July, and it is my intention to spend some time in Turkey, so this information is very handy. I'm just gonna challenge the community a little more. Is there any one specific place that is a must in your opinion with motorcycle touring in say, the Black Sea region.

Cheers all!

Shu

Kas on the Turkish Med is a nice place to visit. Relatively unspoilt and surrounded by the Taurus mountains it offers great coastal rides and offroading. The Mrs and I have hosted Belgians, French, Germans and Brits so far at our place.

Further info can be found here

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/cou...ey/kas-antalya

and here

DickyB's Turkish Delights - ADVrider

Cheers,

Dickyb

Without any doubt the place you must visit is Cappadocia. It's a fairytale landscape like no other place on earth with stunning hotels built into caves. I've lived in Turkey for 7 years and for me it's still the 'must visit' place. Look it up on google or my pics of of Goreme, Nevsehir, Cappadoccia at robertkhodadad.com

When I rode Turkey two years ago, I really enjoyed Pamukkale.

Google it and see by yourself...


Turkish people are fantastic!!!!

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Nick and his 2010 Yamaha XT1200Z Super Ténéré

In Black Sea Region, from West to East, good places I visited in Black Sea Region;

Agva - A place mostly preferred by people from Istanbul. Really nice place near Goksu River. A bit pricey though, especially weekends but nice.

Kerpe/Kefken is (or was) a nice little town. Akçakoca - Amasra is good places also. They were much better when they were small but still they are much smaller than many Mediterranean towns. They offer accommodation for every budget. Amasra has many historical places to visit also.

Also in between Kefken and Amasra there is Acarlar Longozu. I loved that place. There is no place to stay but a restaurant. Just for the beauty of that place, I stopped and ate a second lunch after a big lunch. It is in my plans to go back and eat another lunch.

Seven Lakes is not the coastal region. If you like hiking, nature, it is really good place to stop but you need to make a detour to Bolu province. And roads to Seven lakes are in between dirt and gravel roads. You can visit Abant Lake and stay there for one night also but it is a well-known place wit posh hotels. Though camping is available for those who prefer.

Safranbolu is a historic, scenic and touristy place. People tried to preserve the texture of Ottoman style. You can stay in Old Ottoman mansions. (though might be hard to find a place in high season) Also the one of important things about Safranbolu is saffron. Try turkish delight with saffron, i liked it though what i ate was very fresh so the taste might differ.

On the road from Amasra to Cide, there is Gideros Cove which I liked it very very much. May be because of its serenity. Ducks were swimming in the cove, there was a pleasant wind in that hot summer day. Just the place to fall asleep. There was one small hotel and a few places for camping. Even if you decide not to stay, eat really delicious fish.

Inebolu, Abana and Ayancik are nice places to stop. If you feel, you were upto the dirt roads (though the roads might be better now) you may try to see the Inalti Cave and Erfelek Falls which Inalti is a nice, big cave and Erfelek Falls are famous in that region.

Ahh, Sinop. I liked Sinop also a lot. It was small city yet bustling with activity. (Pirates from Commodore era.) Visit the old prison, now a museum which has many tales from near and far past. I also advice you to eat a fish called Iskorpit. It was really delicious.

Till Sinop roads are 2 lanes, twisty, climbing up and down. After that, you can prefer the coastal highway or make some detours to the inner regions like Çorum (and to Hattusha, Nice place if u like historical sites and touristy place), Amasya and Tokat.

On the Coast after Sinop there is Samsun, a biggest city in central black sea region and one of big the ports of black sea region.

After Samsun, Unye and Fatsa are good places to stay. Especially Unye For me, Unye always looks out of place in Black Sea Region. Then there is Ordu. A coastal city, not big and nice. I like Ordu especially they stand against the highway and in the end, they preserved their city as it were.

Then after Ordu, there is Giresun. The best hazelnut in Turkey comes from Giresun and around. Also, Giresun has lot of scenic plateaus. The one I visited was Bektas plateau (plateau = yayla). There is a 2 star hotel in the plateau and a very dirty small motel just across it. It is a very small place but the meat is good.

My trip ended in Giresun so I dont know much about after Giresun personally but hopefully this year I will complete the rest of Black Sea Region and learn where to go and eat.

Also one side note; eat local food like corn bread, different fishes (though in summer you cant find most fishes.), kapalı pide with meat (kıymalı, kuşbaşılı or kavurmalı) (pizza kinda thing but looks a bit like calzone) or with cheese (kapalı pide is especially better after Samsun), karalahana diblesi, hamsi böreği (but not possible in summer hamsi = anchovy), kadayıf in Giresun and also karalahana soup. Also if your way passes from Sebinkarahisar ask for the reastaurant that makes Doner from Lamb meat (kuzu eti). It was one of most delicious Doners I 've ever eaten.

Cheers,
Ozgur

We will be in Turkey, Georgia and Armenia this summer. Where exactly is this famous Road of Stones?
Gr,
Vincent

Hi Vincent, it is less than 1K from Kemaliye which is SW of Erizican, NW Turkey. Andy B