Back in February, we told you we were taking you on an East Turkey road trip and mapped the route out that we took. It was a long journey done over a couple of nights and our stops were Muradiye for the Muradiye waterfalls, Doğubeyazıt for İshak Paşa Sarayı, then Iğdır for a sleep, Tuzluca for the Tuzluca Salt Mines and finally on to the city of Kars so we could visit the amazing ruins of Ani.
Well, as if all that driving wasn’t enough, when we arrived back to Patnos we were told we could keep the car for another day if we wanted. “Great,” said our friend. “There’s a few more places I want you to see along the lake.”
And so, the day after, we were in the car again and I was once more in driving heaven, driving west along the north shore of Van Gölü.
So, for the next few blog posts, we’re taking you on another East Turkey road trip. We’re going to Adilcevaz to visit a mosque on the shores of the lake, we’re going to a cemetery – never fear, it’s not a depressing cemetery – in the small town of Ahlat, and then we’re going on to Tatvan. Tatvan is a railway town and the final stop of the Güney Express; the train we were supposed to take from Ankara, but ended up on an amazing far-from-second-best Doğu Express train journey from Ankara to Erzurum instead.
And, as you might be able to imagine from the route you can see above, the scenery…oh, the scenery. Yeah, of course we put the camera into overdrive and took too many photos. There’ll be lots of those coming up, too…
This is a road trip that we did from Patnos to Tatvan and back in one day. The road along the north shore of Van Gölü is wide and wonderfully empty…and we’ve already mentioned the scenery. If you are ever thinking about driving around this area, take a look at our 10 driving tips for an East Turkey road trip just to whet the appetite. Click the links above to get an idea of the fantastic places we saw and what awaits you – and look out for our next few blog posts which will no doubt tempt you further…
Alan
Thursday 19th of June 2014
. . now you are back in my sort of territory - look forward to your follow-ups
Turkey's For Life
Friday 20th of June 2014
Ha ha, yeah we know your territory is round the east. :)
budget jan
Wednesday 18th of June 2014
Looking forward to your pics. Would love to do another Eastern Turkey Road Trip. I wonder if that train is running yet and why it stopped running in the first place.
Turkey's For Life
Friday 20th of June 2014
Would guess the Güney Express is back up and running. Yeah, re road trips in East Turkey - just lovely! :)