Travel S Helper

Located in the high plains of Eastern Anatolia, Malazgirt Historical National Park straddles the very ground where, on August 26, 1071, the Seljuk Turks under Sultan Alp Arslan defeated the Byzantine Empire. Declared a protected national park on 5 February 2018 (Council of Ministers decision 2018/11366), the site preserves the archaeological and cultural remnants of […]

Nestled between the Black Sea and the Anatolian interior, the Küre Mountains National Park (KMNP) is one of Turkey’s most remarkable and underappreciated wild areas. Established on July 7, 2000, this vast park (37,753 hectares, roughly 93,300 acres) spans Kastamonu and Bartın provinces in the Northern Anatolian range. It stretches along a rugged spine 300 […]

Situated on the northeastern shore of Lake Manyas in northwestern Turkey, Kuşcenneti National Park (“Bird Paradise” National Park) is one of the country’s premier bird sanctuaries. This reserve—initially only 52 hectares in 1959—comprises willow groves and extensive reed beds along the shallow, warm waters of Lake Manyas. These sheltered wetlands provide critical nesting and feeding […]

Far below a limestone ridge draped in pine and cypress forest, the Köprülü Canyon carves a dramatic scar through the Taurus Mountains. In places the sheer walls rise nearly 100 meters, stretching along roughly 14 kilometers of the bright blue Köprüçay River. This scenic gorge is far more than a single attraction. It is Turkey’s […]

Lake Kovada emerges as an emerald-blue mirror nestled among the pine-clad slopes of the Taurus Mountains. This tucked-away national park feels far from the hum of civilization: its calm waters and tree-lined edges constitute “one of the most serene and scenic freshwater settings in the region”. Soft sunlight dapples through ancient cedars and pines as […]

Established on 31 October 2016, Mount Kop Defense National Historic Park (Kop Dağı Müdafaası Tarihî Millî Parkı) is Turkey’s 42nd national park. Straddling the border between Bayburt and Erzurum provinces, it encompasses about 6,335 hectares (15,650 acres) of rugged highland terrain. The park was created on the 100th anniversary of the World War I battles […]

Nestled in the rugged folds of the Western Taurus Mountains, Kızıldağ (“Red Mountain”) National Park is one of Turkey’s understated natural treasures. Covering roughly 55,000 hectares in Isparta Province, this park takes its name from the rich, reddish soil and rock hues that cloak its summits. In recent years, intrepid travelers and local health seekers […]

Kazdağı (Mount Ida) rises like a living legend above the Aegean coast of northwestern Turkey. This ancient massif – a verdant refuge of pines, firs, chestnuts, and nectar-filled springs – has drawn pilgrims and storytellers for millennia. From its summit flows cool crystalline water; in its valleys thrive rare plants and wildlife. Yet Kazdağı’s true […]

Karatepe-Aslantaş National Park, established in 1958, lies in the rugged Taurus Mountains of southern Turkey. Spread over 4,145 hectares and bisected by the Ceyhan River, the park preserves a forested hilltop fortress dating to the Late Iron Age (circa 8th–7th century BCE) alongside rich Mediterranean woodlands. The site is best known for its open-air museum […]

Karagöl-Sahara National Park, designated in 1994, is a protected area in the Şavşat district of Artvin Province in northeastern Turkey. Covering roughly 3,766 hectares, it encompasses two distinct landscapes: Karagöl (“Black Lake”) and the expansive Sahara plateau. Karagöl is a high-altitude mountain lake ringed by dense conifer forests, while Sahara is a broad alpine meadow […]

Located in northeastern Turkey along the Black Sea, the Kaçkar Mountains form the loftiest section of the Pontic (Eastern Black Sea) range. Their highest summit, Mount Kaçkar, reaches 3,937 m, making it the tallest peak not only in Rize Province but in all of Turkey’s Black Sea region. These glaciated, alpine peaks tower above lush valleys, […]

Located on Turkey’s northwestern Black Sea coast, İğneada Longoz Ormanları Milli Parkı is a rare and fragile ecosystem that combines freshwater lakes, marshes, and coastal dunes in one place. Often called “floodplain forests,” these woodlands flood seasonally from the Strandzha mountains, creating a lush, emerald wilderness in spring and summer. Established as a national park […]