camping

Trekking to the Summit of Mt. Erek

Eastern Anatolia

Around Lake Van, there are huge mountains.

Mt. Erek is one of the nearest to the populated city of Van. Trekking around the summits and snowy heights is nice all year long.

The foothill of the mountain contain fresh mountain steems. However, on the higher parts near to the summits, the terrain is fully covered with the fresh snow sometimes as long as 30-40 centimeters.

We started walking at 5:30 at the Village of Bakraçlı. 3 hours later, we are at the summit.

A good hike and the view from the summit and on the route is spectacular. Although, the weather was generally cloudy.

 

Mt. Erek summit trekking route: Wikiloc

 

Hiking to Butterfly Valley

Lycian Way

Today I walked from Kabak to reach Faralya.

As I arrived Faralya, I left the extra stuff to my bungalow at George House which I’m gonna stay overnight.

When I talked about the path From to the Butterfly Valley in the village of Faralya, the local residents told me that they don’t advise people to hike down. I guess, due to the some accidents recently; they are pretty skeptical about the safety of the path between the Valley and the Village.

Butterfly Valley Rocks

Ropes on the Path

Also, It’s officially forbidden to walk down. However, It’s not executed by the local authorities.

In the light of the thrilling atmosphere up in Faralya, I just head to the starting point of the path. The path is all marked with red dots.

Anyway, the very beautiful view of the Valley on the path is a must-see.

The path is mostly a moderate steep hike. However, there are 3 rocky climbs until the base of the Valley. Basic rock climbing skills help a lot, too. Here on these parts; ropes are placed to help. Don’t forget the check them before using.

I met an Ukrainian couple, a British couple and an Israeli traveler on the cliffs who take the Lycian Way and can’t stand going down.

  • It’s a 3 kilometres hike from around 300 meters to sea level which takes around 45 minutes. Camping is possible in the Valley for a fee around 40 TL. They provide food and drinks.
  • There is only one footpath to Butterfly Valley and It starts from the village of Faralya (Uzunyurt), as I did. Other option is to take a boat from Ölüdeniz.