TET Türkiye
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adventure
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motorcycle
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TET
Please read this section before you attempt to ride this route.
TET Türkiye offers a wide range of possibilities and takes you through different landscapes and climate. I will divide the whole route into 5 key sections:
Section 1 – Greece/Bulgaria until Istanbul:
The south route from Greek border is relatively flat going through fields. Occasionally you will pass through beaches where you can camp and swim. There’s a point at the top of a mountain just below the wind turbine where you can see two different seas at the same time. These tracks are usually ok when there’s no rain. If there’s a lot of rain, flat fields may mean there may be sticky mud. After the windturbines there will be some mountain ranges with nice scenery. After Naipkoy, the trail flattens again and start to head North and East. You will travel through sunflower fields. You will see the old Istanbul city walls and an ancient water transport facility that is more than 600 years old.
This is where the route meets with the track coming from Bulgaria. The north route from Bulgaria border to this point visits the seaside and beaches as well as the towns and forest trails. This section is full of fast and hard packed forest trails. The scenery reflects the Black Sea climate with the Igneada region covered with a unique type of forest. It is called Longoz forest, a unique fauna of trees partly living under sea water, which is also a protected national park.
The merged route will follow an asphalt road taking you into Istanbul. Why totally asphalt? Because, as you get closer to Istanbul, trails get more and more tricky. Instead of putting you through very tough/unreliable trails, I have decided to provide the least crowded asphalt road that goes all the way down to the Bosporus. This is probably the best route into the city center.
Section 2 – From Istanbul to Kastamonu:
Istanbul is huge and you will need to cross city from west to east. Traffic is tricky, please be careful. You will leave the city relatively quickly by using a nice and short (45 minutes) ferry trip. Literally, as soon as you get out of the ferry, you will get into the trails, hence make your shopping, top your fuel. This section is a long stretch that travels through relatively high hills (between 500-1500 meters of altitude). There will be many lakes, high lands, beautiful scenery and forests here. I recommend to spend one night at the forest watch tower (POI close to Geyve) and one night around Abant lake. Don’t skip the weird city in Mudurnu. After Gerede, you will enter into dense forest coverage until Safranbolu. Sircali Canyon (Turkish Trolltunga) is a must see. Kastamonu has one of the oldest forest coverage in Türkiye and large part of the city area is protected under the national park status. There will be untouched remote areas around here, as well as well known canyons and waterfalls. A visit to a very old mosque made entirely from wood without using nails is worth it. In Kastamonu, the suggested camping point is close to the city center, yet it’s very quiet and offers a lake view. I need to say that Kastamonu area offers much more than what TET covers.
Section 3 – From Kastamonu to Georgia:
After Kastamonu you may get some asphalt roads. However, especially starting with Ordu, this section suddenly turns into a new game. Altitudes will get much higher, time to time exceeding 3000 meters. You will cruise above 1500 meters most of the time. So, warm clothes needed even in August. Do not attempt many of these roads before end of June, there’ll still be a lot of snow. You will be above the tree line, and views will be amazing. Occasionally you will ride above clouds. This can easily be the ride of your life if you are lucky. When I say lucky, I mean the weather. These mountains will stop all the humidity coming from the Black Sea, so there is always rain. Sometimes a lot, sometimes less. If you come across a lot of rain, just take the twist to the south, which will almost always be dry and doable in May/June as well. There will be intermittent mobile coverage and you have to plan food/fuel/camping properly in this section. This section has the deepest green and the highest mountains, at the same time probably the highest rainfall. In this section TET also covers the famous D915 road, which is advertised as the most dangerous road in the world. This is a big hype, but still enjoyable with the nice view. If you are seeking some real challenge, read further down to find out about the new “Rolling Stones” road we may recommend.
Section 4 – From Istanbul to Salda Lake (Denizli):
This section is brand new, added in 2022. I find it to be a very interesting road because it combines history with nature. You will most of the time moving directly from north to south, towards Denizli. You will need to go over couple of green mountain ranges where you will go through high lands, small villages and fields. As you go south, you will see an ancient city that actually has the world’s first stock exchange. You will visit the ancient Cilandiras Bridge, ancient Pepuza houses and reach a beautiful canyon (Ulubey Canyon). Just before Pamukkale, make sure you visit the small, less known temple ruins that offer great panoramic views, probably one of the best I’ve ever seen in my life. No need to mention Pamukkale, the white stones and ancient city. Make sure you spend at least two hours to visit this magnificent natural wonder. The track will then take you into the mountains where you will finally end up with Salda lake, which is known to be the Maldives of Türkiye.
Section 5 – From Salda Lake (Denizli) to Cappadocia:
This section is also brand new, added in 2022. It basically takes you to Taurus mountain range. Your altitudes will increase again, sometimes above 2500 meters. The roads will be dusty and rocky. Yet, from time to time, you will be surprised by the green fields, dense pine forests, rivers and waterfalls. This section is probably my favorite in Türkiye, given its reliability and scenery. The Rolling Stone is a piece of tough road that basically takes you down through a valley, at the edge of a cliff. Do not attempt it if you are not feeling confident and if you are travelling alone. Make sure to take showers below waterfalls and/or clean rivers. The water will be cold. After some breathtaking sceneries by Aladaglar range, the track will take a deep breath and take you towards Cappadocia. Cappadocia needs no introduction, yet you will have the chance to reach this place from off-road tracks.
You may resume the route you prefer afterwards to reach Tunceli/Erzincan area. These tracks will take you though mountain ranges and stone bedded tight roads into beautiful twists before connecting again with the northern tracks.
TET Türkiye is a real team effort and Fatih is assisted by Lengthsmen Levent TOPÇU, Suat ÇELİK, İlyas ONBAŞILAR, Ahmet ZERMAN and Hami KAPLAN.
Author Tips & Tricks
Turkish trails are perfect for camping. You will not regret if you carry your gear with you.
If you fancy Turkish culture, just stop at small villages. The tea houses are gathering place for people and these places are usually located very close to the local mosque. You can spot mosques from far away by the tall mosque tower. You can drink your tea and spend some time with the local people in the tea houses. This is also the best place to socialise or ask for help or food.
