Aladağlar National Park

The Aladağlar are the highest part of the central Taurus, a compact block of limestone with four climbable peaks over 3,700 metres, the highest Kızılkaya at 3,767, with sheer walls, deep glacial valleys, karst plateaus and almost no trees above the base - the rock takes a rusty tone in low sun, which is said to give the range its name, the crimson mountains. The national park, set up on 21 April 1995, covers some 55,000 hectares across Kayseri, Niğde and Adana provinces. It is the centre of Turkish mountaineering and rock climbing: the big north face of Demirkazık, the Yedigöller plateau with its seven small tarns, the Emler and Kaldı summits, and long walking routes through the Hacer, Narpuz and Çimbar valleys with waterfalls and karst springs. The base villages around Çamardı have guesthouses and guides, and pastoral communities still take flocks to the high yaylas in summer. This is serious terrain: routes are unmarked, weather turns fast at altitude, water is scarce on the limestone, and rescue is distant. Guides are not a formality here.

What's there

• The Demirkazık face - the range's great north wall.
• The Yedigöller plateau - seven tarns in a high basin.
• The glacial valleys - Hacer, Narpuz and Çimbar.
• The summer yaylas - shepherd camps on the high pastures.

When to go

June to September; snow lies late and the high routes are alpine outside that window. Even in summer nights are cold and afternoon storms are common.

Practical notes

Routes are unmarked and the limestone is loose in places - a local guide is genuinely necessary above the valleys. Water sources are scarce and unreliable. Facilities are village guesthouses and basic huts.

Nearby

Kapuzbaşı waterfalls are on the eastern side; Niğde and Cappadocia are north-west.

Key facts