Denny, sorry I took so long with the reply. I'm going to travel largely on a budget and I will be taking a tent with me. I'll divide accomodation between budget hotels and camping, depending on how things are. Just anything or anywhere you can recommend really. Be good to hear from you,
JackoUK
Hi there, apologies for my late response too!
Not sure where you plan on going but Turkey is vast with many places to visit. Obvious ones are...
Cappadocia, first stop for all overlanders! Stay at Kaya Camping in Goreme. 30TL a night, has a pool!! Go past the Salt Lake on the way there.
You'll preumably be heading east from there towards
Adiyaman/Mount Nemrut. Popular for sunrise & sunsets. The sensible option to get there when looking at a map is via Kayseri & Malatya however the roads are boring and onward routes are limited. I suggest going via Develi & Tufanbeyli then K.Maras. Stay at Zeus Hotel in Kahta about 20km before. Or there are two places 12kms from the summit, can't remember their names but their prices are reasonable. One of them allows tents. Or you could pitch a tent at Nemrut Crater lake, I've not been myself but a fellow biker recently stayed there. It's not really an official campsite, just a clever local who has knocked up a few bits & pieces including hot çay on tap!
Diyarbakir, didn't stay there just went to see the sites. Not the best place to be right now either. Don't even stop in Batman! There's a car ferry over the lake from Kahta to Diyarbakir.
Hasan Keyf, ancient rock dwellings, worthwhile visit. Will be totally submerged soon due to a nearby dam
I haven't stayed overnight but have been told the only b&b in town is grotty. However
Midyat is very close by and has a couple of great traditional guest houses. Not cheap but not overly expensive. Haggling with a smile always works! We stayed here...
http://www.hotelnehroz.com/web_en/index.html
Mardin/Harran - Lots of history, and pesky kids grabbing you from all directions, especially at Harran.
Sanliurfa, colourful vibrant city. again, lots of history...food is fapping great!! We 'roughed it' and stayed in the Dedeman Hotel...4 star very nice...couldn't keep the wife in a tent all the time!
Gaziantep, Foods great, has lots to see, including the recently opened mosaic museum which is apparantly the largest of its kind! I stayed at my aunts so cant offer any advice, but there are a lot of hotels about.
Hatay/Antakya we opted to stay at Orient Camping, which is about 50kms from Antakya. Very close to Syria, lots of wierd & wonderful people. Museum there is awesome! Food is even better - Sultan Sofra ftw!! Turn left out of the campsite and the road takes you through a windy mountain pass then onto the coast which is a 30km stretch of dirt track along the coast. We didn't pass anybody for the entire stretch. Chose tarmac for the return leg
These are places that we went a couple of weeks ago. You may aboviously have something totally different in mind. The Black Sea region would be good but not at this time of year as it can rain a lot there with floods & landslides being regular occurences.
You could go further east up and into Iran. You probably wont get into Syria. I met some French travellers who tried but were turned back, apparantly you need a damn good reason to enter, or have a local invite you over. If you are going further east be careful and alert. The local terrorists (PKK) have stepped up their attacks. Their targets are military and govt, not bikers so it's ok!
South coast of Turkey is fantastic. The coast roads are awesome practically all the way from Mersin to Fethiye. Avoid Kusadasi, Kemer, Alanya, Bodrum or any other place with big all inclusive resorts. Recommend Kas - Kas Camping, excellent location with good facilities. Cirali is one of my favs, you can pitch a tent towards the end of the beach or just stay at one of the campsites. Olympos is in the neighboring valley and is more suited to the hip younger generation. I'm not old....just boring
Note that there are places called Ogretmen Evi (teachers house) all over the country. They offer basic but clean accommdation at a decent price. You don't have to be a teacher to stay there, but if you were one you'd stay for a fraction of the cost! You'll find one in most cities.
Roads...you can stick to the main roads or try cutting through. It will take longer but you get to see small villages and the scenery is generally better. Be carefull for gravel as the govt loves to scatter the shit all ofver the place without warning most of the time! And the speed limits for bikes are about 20kms less than cars. Cant remember exactly what it was though.
I can't think of anything else right now, hope this helps
) are sufficient to put the mockers on the whole trip.
