Turkey

Start here

A quick overview so you immediately know what’s a must-see and how I personally experienced Turkey.

Where I went

Antalya and southwestern Anatolia, Cappadocia (Konya and surroundings),
and the east — Doğubayazıt and Mount Ararat.

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What awaits you

Oriental cities, mosques, bazaars and flavours (şalgam, salep, Traditional Turkish baklava).
Cappadocia: a geological “anomaly” and lunar landscapes.
Ararat: a 5,137 m snow-covered dome with a true expedition feel.

Map

Turkey is huge — that’s why this guide treats “Cappadocia” and “Ararat”
as two main storylines.

Outline map of Turkey — If you don’t use a map, leave this empty — CSS has a fallback ornament.

Top experiences

Mount Ararat – snowy summit — **Ararat trekking**
The route to the summit of Mount Ararat.

Cappadocia valleys — **Cappadocia**
Lunar landscapes, valleys and rock formations.

Antalya coastline and city — **Antalya**
A metropolis on the Anatolian coast with dramatic cliffs.

Trekking: Mount Ararat

It starts with crampons — and ends with hugs on a snowy summit.

Mount Ararat base camp or summit — INSERT PHOTO LINK (Ararat 1)

After five hours of hiking we reached the first base camp (~3,200 m),
welcomed by tea, snacks and an almost magical spread of food.
The following days were spent acclimatising towards ~4,200 m,
battling wind and a restless night before summit day.

At 2 a.m. the final ascent begins — below freezing, crampons biting into the snow.
And then comes the moment when nothing remains ahead of you but sky.
At 5,137 m, the expedition was a complete success.

“Just before eight in the morning, emotions exploded — there was nothing left in front of us but sky.”

— Mount Ararat, 5,137 m

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Cappadocia

Lunar landscapes, Konya and flavours that linger even in your hotel room.

We arrived in Cappadocia the Turkish way: late, in good spirits,
and guided by Haris. Antalya on the southwestern Anatolian coast feels
like a major metropolis — until the road turns inland, into a geological anomaly.

Konya is a different world: the morning call to prayer is louder than any alarm clock,
and the city surprises with the number of mosques.
Along the way, you pick up local rituals: şalgam (fermented turnip juice),
salep and, of course, baklava.

“In the coming days, he would guide us through the lunar landscape of Cappadocia — more about this relief ‘anomaly’ when the time is right.”

— Cappadocia

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