Winter In Kars And Şavşat
5 days
An Eastern Anatolian Winter Tale
PRIVATE
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- The Pearl of the East: Kars
- The city we do not want to remain as ruins: Ani
- The largest freshwater lake in Eastern Anatolia: Çıldır
- Unlike its name: Devil’s Castle
- A European favorite for its snow quality and forests: Sarıkamış
- Short but pleasant forest walks
- The Alps of Turkey: Şavşat
- Only at Turkeyarchaeotrek
Per Person Euros
Single Supplement Euros
After meeting at the appointed time at Kars Airport, we head to a local restaurant for lunch. We set out to Ani Ruins, called the “Ephesus of the East” after lunch. We take lots of photos as we tour the ruins of this magnificent city, which managed to survive all the war, destruction, and natural disasters. Some structures have been brought back to life thanks to restoration efforts, but much more has to be done. We return to the city center for a late lunch after exploring this wonderful ruined city. After that, we tour the streets of Kars and the castle. The dinner is in a local cuisine restaurant in Kars.
After meeting at the appointed time at Kars Airport, we head to a local restaurant for lunch. We set out to Ani Ruins, called the “Ephesus of the East” after lunch. We take lots of photos as we tour the ruins of this magnificent city, which managed to survive all the war, destruction, and natural disasters. Some structures have been brought back to life thanks to restoration efforts, but much more has to be done. We return to the city center for a late lunch after exploring this wonderful ruined city. After that, we tour the streets of Kars and the castle. The dinner is in a local cuisine restaurant in Kars.
We set out for Sarıkamış after breakfast. The Aleksi mansion, also known as the Katherina mansion, is our first stop. Although the condition of this hunting and rehabilitation lodge, built by Tsar Nicholas II in 1896, is appalling, it is definitely worth a visit. From there, we hop back in our vehicle and head to Keklik Valley for a short but delightful woodland walk. Following our walk, we have our fish meal at a roadside trout restaurant. After the meal, we take the chairlift to the 1. stage runway, from where we set off on a 1.5-hour snow walk into the forest on an easy and generally descending path. At the end of the walk, we take another chairlift to the top and from there we take the chairlift back down. We proceed to the city center of Kars.
This time, after breakfast, we head towards Lake Çıldır. Without seeing this lake and its surroundings, which are situated at 1960 meters above sea level, this tour would not be complete. Since the lake is entirely frozen in winter, the locals make a living by fishing using a unique technique. In Atalay’s Yeri you will be able to observe exactly that. After eating the famous yellow fish from the lake, we stop by another gorgeous spot: Devil’s Castle! Within the boundaries of the village of Yıldırımtepe, the castle stands majestically, protecting one of the important branches of the Silk Road, located on the Kura River. We can go to the bottom depending on the snow conditions. If the weather does not allow it, we simply take photographs from a distance. Our destination from there is Şavşat. We continue till we reach the hotel, stopping for spectacular shots depending on the weather. Dinner is served at our hotel.
Our return journey to Kars begins after breakfast in the morning. This time we take a different route and see the Susuz Waterfall and Boğatepe villages. Visiting the cheese museum and Boğatepe village with its inhabitants we will learn special information about cheese making and stock breeding. In a village house, we enjoy a local lunch. We leave for the airport in accordance with our flight times after lunch.
Boutique Hotel
transportation
Our tour is available from everywhere in Turkey. Kars airport will be used for both arrival and departure.
Departure: You must purchase a ticket to arrive at Kars airport at 10.30 a.m
Return: You must purchase your ticket from Kars airport after 15:00
- Professional guidance
- All intermediary transports
- 4 nights’ half-board accommodation (4 breakfasts – 4 dinners)
- Obligatory TURSAB travel insurance****
- Entrance fees to museums and national parks
- Professional and high-quality service with a Başka Rota twist.
- VAT
****Obligatory TURSAB travel insurance is not health insurance. Please contact our office if you require private health insurance or tour cancellation insurance
- Personal expenses
- Transportation and return tickets to Kars
- Lunch
- Extras not included in the price
- Drinks, if not included in the price of the meals
Backpack: You should have a minimum 25 liter backpack for essential items such as a jacket, fleece, flask or bottle, sunscreen, cream, shorts etc. City type packs with no back support might cause you to experience back pains.
Walking Pole: Using a walking pole requires some experience. If you are an experienced user it will help with conveying the weight of a heavy backpack down towards the arms and thus will lighten the pack. However, if you do not have much experience it will cause more harm than good, especially on uneven surfaces while trying to place the tip properly on the ground. The best thing is either to use just one pole or to ask us to find a suitable tree branch from the nature.
Trekking boots: As our trail will generally be on paths and uneven surfaces, the trekkers should wear hard soled trekking boots with high enough necks that will protect the ankles against sprains. Actually these are essential items, so they are a “must” rather than a “should”. Your feet carry the whole weight of your body and walking on uneven trails without proper footwear is like diving without a scuba tank.
Gaiter: It will keep snow, mud, sand and dust out of your boots. You do not need to buy expensive ones at the beginning.
Raincoat (poncho): The best thing to do is to acquire a rainproof and breathable jacket (Gore-Tex or similar brand). It is an expensive item but you will use it for many years. Poncho-style raincoats are impermeable but they will make you sweat on long walks and thus cause you to get wet from the inside. You should prefer to get %50 of yourselves wet instead of 100%.
Headgear: Sunglasses and a sunhat are essential for sunny days.
Trousers: You should prefer quick-drying trousers that are especially made for trekking. Even better if they have zip-off legs that turn into shorts. We definitely do not recommend denim jeans.
Bottle or Flask: We do not recommend plastic bottles for health reasons but for beginner trekkers they are probably the best thing. You could also acquire a 50 cc metal bottle or thermos flask.
First aid kit: Your guide will have a general first aid kit but if you need special medication or any sort of special first aid that you might need for certain circumstances such as allergic reactions, do not forget to have them with you.
Swimwear: You will have many chances to swim in the sea if weather permits. So don’t forget to bring a swimsuit and towel.
