Turkish Lakes and Taurus Mountains MTB and E-MTB Tour

Transfer to Egirdir. Dinner in Egirdir is included.
We check in the pension, assemble our bikes and have a briefing. We stay in a friendly heritage listed hotel by the shores of Lake Egirdir with great panoramas of the surrounding mountains.

Overnight Fulya Pension Lake Egirdir.

We leave the lakeside of Egirdir and transfer 20km to Bagoren, where the ride begins at 1200m on the picturesque slopes of Barla mountain. From here we ascend on a good tractor track up through a wooded valley to reach a spectacular 1750m pass with fantastic views to the lake below (the last section is steep so we’ll probably have to push!). We then descend on a rough path to a fine alpine meadow, where you can dip in and out of an eroded water course or carry on straight over the fields. We pass by a high mountain tented settlement and continue to enjoy stunning views and more long, rocky downhills that takes us back to lake level at the rustic village of Beydere. Then we head back to base at Egirdir on a quiet asphalt road. A great, relatively easy, first day and a perfect introduction to the Lake District area!

Overnight Fulya Pension Lake Egirdir.

We transfer to Davraz Ski Centre (35km / 40 mins) and then climb over the frequently snow-capped shoulder (Bes Kuyular) to 2000m with commanding views of the lakes and valleys below. We descend an awesome, long, rocky downhill and continue on rough tractor tracks down through natural oak forests of Kasnak National Park to Balkiri village. From here it’s an easy cruise back on the road via Akpinar to Egirdir on the lakeside. Although there’s a good net descent, the terrain, elevation and technical sections make today fairly challenging.

Overnight Fulya Pension Lake Egirdir.

Transfer to Aksu – Melekler Yaylasi (1700m) on the northern side of Dedegol mountain (55km / 1hr)- one of the most imposing peaks in the whole Lake District area. Here you are likely to encounter Yoruk semi nomadic shepherds, who live in traditional goat hair tents to tend their flocks of goats and sheep throughout the spring and summer. We head south, with awesome panoramic views to the Yaka Canyon below, and descend into the main Basak river valley at Karacahisar. After a short section on the road along the valley bottom, and a riverside picnic lunch, we climb again on a steadily rising dirt road, above Eldere to Kuzukulagi Yayla, under the massive limestone faces of Dedegol mountain. From here it’s mostly downhill to where our driver awaits at the valley bottom (Ibisler) to take us on up the valley to Kasimlar. We stay in a very friendly, cosy village house pension and enjoy hearty local food.

Overnight St. Paul Yol Pansiyon, Kasimlar

We leave Kasimlar, climbing into beautiful mountain scenery, passing though lush green scenery in the village of Bucakdere on a long climb through mature pine forest up and over the shoulder of Tota mountain. A good 800m of vertical climbing on a rough tractor track this morning is challenging, but with incredible views evolving at every hairpin, hugely rewarding! We traverse across the mountain at around 1800m, then drop down onto a level, grassy plain. Here we enjoy a picnic lunch in the shade of juniper trees surrounded by gorgeous wildflowers in spring and early summer. We join a relatively easy-going dirt road that soon arrives at Saray village, near Sutculer. From there we follow a dirt road downhill, along the course of an old migration route, dropping down into the valley bottom on a rough and sometimes technical track. We stay in a newly built, comfortable and friendly pension, nearby the ancient ruins at Adada.

Overnight Adada Butik Hotel, Yeniköy

We start the day with an excursion to Adada ancient Roman city where there are impressive ruins to explore, plus a fantastic 40 minute walk down a Roman road made of huge stone slabs. Then we take a transfer (40km / 1hr) through the lively market town of Sutculer, to our start point at Beydilli- a tiny village with little contact with the outside world at 1535m altitude. A rough dirt road takes us relatively easily up and over to the magnificent Koprulu canyon, with incredible views at the 1900m pass. Dropping down into the vast valley we enjoy an awesome rough tractor track descent all the way down to 580m in the canyon bottom, where clean fresh pools make a quick swim very tempting! Passing Eski Beydilli village, the ride is a great journey into a forgotten pastural world. After letting our picnic go down we hit another good climb up out of the canyon to Cukurca and an easy last section on traffic free asphalt that takes us to our finishing point besides the river at Caltepe. Caltepe is a lovely little riverside village, upriver from the main canyon and our pension is a fine spot to relax and soak up the area’s unique vibe.

Overnight Erdinc Pansiyon, Caltepe.

The trail takes us on asphalt tracks uphill through the unique and improbable rocky outcrops around Delisarnic, passing amidst majestic countryside with sweeping views of the Koprulu Canyon below. Via a dirt road we continue through remarkable rocky scenery to arrive at Selge, where extensive Roman ruins make for a fascinating historical excursion and a good place to picnic. Continuing down a long, windy asphalt road back into the main canyon valley, we arrive at the cool, fast flowing river, where a fantastic swimming place awaits- a great way to end ride! Another scenic drive brings us to Antalya, where we head into the old town via a seemingly unfathomable maze of old, narrow streets…

Overnight Tuvana Hotel, Antalya

We pack up our bikes, say our goodbyes and leave for the scenic drive back to Antalya and flight home.