Silk Route
The 2012 Route
Sections
Hills of Anatolia
Kars to Istanbul
Start: September 9, Kars, Turkey
Finish: September 24, Istanbul, Turkey
Price: €1,900
Finish: September 24, Istanbul, Turkey
Price: €1,900
Distance: 1,574km
Riding Days: 14 days
Resting Days: 2 days
Riding Days: 14 days
Resting Days: 2 days
(difficulty) |
(exotic factor) |
(comfort) |
Eastern Anatolia is the crossroads of the Armenian, Kurdish, Caucasian, Russian, and Turkish cultures. There, nature and civilizations have shifted through time, with palaces, castles, mosques, and churches dotting the rugged countryside. From the historical city of Kars, where Turkey’s troubled past can be witnessed by a trip to Ani, the nearby ruins of a great Armenian city during the Middle Ages, we will follow a set of quiet roads along a deep valley in the Kackar Mountains to one of the most relaxed towns on the route, Yusefelli, then onwards to the ancient city of Amasya. Set on a secluded section of the Yesilirmak River, Amasya boasts stunning Ottoman period houses, and grandiose Pontic era tombs carved into Mountain walls.
Our final days will be spent cycling along secondary roads in rural Turkey and across the undulating Anatolian plateau, stopping in beautiful Sanfranbolu for a rest day. As Istanbul and the minarets of Saint Sophia and the Blue Mosque draw near, a feeling of accomplishment and amazement at reaching this stunning city on the Bosphorus will be the reward to those who have covered the distance of Asia and the Silk Road by bicycle.
Countries: Turkey
