KMII
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Turkish roadtrip pt. 3 - Kars to Van 🇹🇷
For those interested in reading the other installments, see following:
- Part 1: www.watchprosite.com
- Part 2: www.watchprosite.com
The third part will cover the day trip from Kars in the East of Turkey, via Ani, Igdir, Dogubeyazit to Van on the salty Lake Van.
The journey from Kars to Ami follows probably the lowest rank of road we had encountered up to that point and while potholes were still absent, snow wasn’t, which led to both additional fun and adrenalin levels in our RWD car.
Still it’s not that far to get to Ani and it was a breeze - just good enough to get properly awake and settled in. Ani itself is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, containing many Armenian as well as later Turkish buildings in different states of repair.
The one below is supposedly one of the more significant Armenian churches. It is one of those unfortunate cases of so close, yet so far away - if you look to the upper part of the picture, you can see a flagpole with an Armenian flag - the border is the ravine inbetween - still for most Armenians all of this is likely inaccessible. The border crossing has apparently only been opened twice in the last 40 or so years (both times when there was an earthquake in the other country and humanitarian aid was sent).
In addition there are Turkish mosques on the grounds as well - it truly is worth a visit, should you be in the area, although it’s quite a walk in snow in winter ❄️
Here you can see the border between the two countries, with remains of a much older bridge, that does not look like it will get mended any time soon, unfortunately 🤷🏻♂️
After the sightseeing, the journey continued towards Igdir. Of the options of returning the same way we came and exploring a lesser travelled road that would take us to the more mainstream D070, we decided on exploration - the snow and unsuitable vehicle didn’t stop us so far, so why change course now? 😁
A couple of heart in mouth moments and inclines taken at speed later, we reached the main trunk road, which also seems to be a relatively heavily frequented route for goods exchange with Iran (there certainly have been quite some Iranian trucks).
Both the environment and the road changed quite a bit and there were nice, flowing mountain sections with good straights inbetween to aid overtaking.
And with curves aplenty for an upper body workout 🦾 While still pothole free, the surface was bumpier but not to the extent to reduce enjoyment or hamper progress.
Approaching Igdir, we managed to get a glimpse of Mount Ararat or Agri Dagi - the tallest Mountain of Turkey. Unfortunately the shot below was the best we could manage on the day - you will have to believe me that it’s not all cloud but part mountain, too 😊🗻
While climbing up is technically feasible for those better versed, we had neither the time nor the stamina, so it will remain a task for another year.
The road between the two - the D080 - was not as constantly straight as the shot makes it appear but it paired some twistier sections with a good rate of progress (being an important transport route necessitates some practicality, too).
Dogubeyazit has a large military garrison, being a border town (we sanely decided rather not to take pictures of any installations 😉) but is otherwise a typical town for the part of the country, with what I gather is a large Kurdish population.
But even in the far reaches of Turkey, electrification (at least of public transport) is in full swing. Some European countries claiming how impossible it is could have a look 😉
A short climb out of the city lies the Isaak Pasha palace - and what a sight it is! First you have a nice curvy climb to it, though.
In spite of its age it offered mod-cons of practically modern times, with central heating, floor heating, etc. The pasha certainly appreciated his comfort 👍🏻
Above it there is a fortress as well, which is likewise relatively well preserved.
In addition to the comfort, the views from the palace are spectacular, with 270 degree vistas over the surrounding valleys and mountains.
Were I born a tad sooner I could find a lot to like in aspiring to live in a place like this 😁
The tourism trail ticked off and still some driving ahead made us skip lunch and head towards Van.
This would also see us cross the highest pass of the journey, the Tendürek Geçidi at 2644m ASL.
And here a shot just below the top (sadly missed the very peak 🤷🏻♂️).
Descending on the other side brought again a completely different - yet still snowy - landscape. The beauty of the trip is that there was something for both driver and passenger throughout, so if you were not enjoying yourself behind the wheel, at least you had an epic panorama outside.
Given that this stretch of road runs parallel to the Iranian border, there were many signs of where to turn off - but not on this trip.
Finally Lake Van appeared. I suppose the largest lake of Turkey, its water slightly salty, it made for a wondrous sight with its intense blue against the white of the surrounding mountains.
Quite some of the road towards the city of Van follows the lake shore, giving the whole endeavor a winter riviera feel.
As a final installment for the day we decided to climb up Van castle to stretch our legs and see the sights.
Again something I imagine being easier without the snow ⛄️
Having missed lunch and trekked across quite some snow, a modest dinner was called for - and was tasty as always 😋
Hope you enjoyed the travelogue and will return with some more installments in the weeks to come.
Turkish roadtrip pt. 3 - Kars to Van 🇹🇷
For those interested in reading the other installments, see following: - Part 1: - Part 2: The third part will cover the day trip from Kars in the East of Turkey, via Ani, Igdir, Dogubeyazit to Van on the salty Lake Van. The morning started bright and c...
What an Adventure, with beautiful nature, some of your pictures reminded me....
Of the Midwest in the US, look forward to the next installments 👍
Glad you enjoyed it 😊👍🏻
The landscapes are certainly a lot more varied than those who have only been to the Turkish coasts would expect and I fully agree with your comparison to the Midwest. There is so much variety on offer within a day’s drive, which makes it a great road trip...
Thanks a lot!
Certainly has been a very memorable trip and well worth visiting if one is in the area. Likewise a great place to drive 🚘
Let’s hope it’s a more times in a lifetime one 😁🤞🏻
There was quite some driving on a regular day (this was one of the shortest, allowing for more sightseeing) but we tried to add at least 10.000 steps of walking to compensate 😊 And the food was spectacular throughout and with good variety - something that...
That there was plenty of 👌🏻🗻
The place had the somewhat empty, large skies feeling for most of the part, which I always enjoy 🙌🏻
Lake Van was definitely one of the highlights of the trip 😊👍🏻
I have a weakness for large lakes in winter ❄️ And the intense color was a bit of a surprise 👍🏻
Probably very hot 🥵
The plateau has a Continental climate so the summers are quite warm in spite of the elevation. I suppose the look and feel would be quite different without the snow, though 😊👍🏻
The variety is what made it so amazing 😊👍🏻
There was something new behind every proverbial corner. And the fact that there was so little traffic helped with being able to stop everywhere without fear of being stuck behind a slow vehicle as a result, like on many European mountain roads 😁
The heritage might not be the easiest…
But the landscapes are stunning and the people very friendly and hospitable. Well worth a look if you’re not averse to going beyond the beaten path 😊👍🏻
THAT !!!!!! is a roadtrip as it should be !
The views are stunning and that food looks delicious ! For this trip I would definitely prefer your M3 over any of my cars Bim
Actually it was a relatively humdrum CLS…
With RWD. Not optimal for winter but did it great job overall. It was comfortable and sufficiently fun to drive and much more power would probably get us into real trouble. The roads are relatively empty and the temptation could prove too much 😉😁🤷🏻♂️ Not...