Turkey's best-kept secret lies in its northeast playground of perfect snow
There’s more to Turkey than sun, sand and cosmopolitan cities – Maryann Wright takes to the mountains of Sarıkamış-Kars to discover the country's snowy secret
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Your support makes all the difference.Sarıkamış-Kars is a snow-capped alpine region in the far north-east of Turkey. Flying over two hours from Istanbul into tiny Kars airport, the dramatic landscape evolves as green turns white, and black pine forests poke out of powdery mountains with natural undulations, as if a contemporary artist scraped away white oils from a dusty board.
This icy region – the coldest in Turkey – is also one of the least populated, and the opposite of what comes to mind when most travellers think of the southern Turquoise Coast on the Aegean Sea for year-round sun and sand, or the cosmopolitan buzz of Istanbul or Antalya.
Sarıkamış-Kars might just be Turkey’s best kept secret. It’s an adventurers’ theme park with ski slopes offering perfect ‘crystal snow’, rivalled only by the Swiss Alps, but at a fraction of the price; almost untouched national parks filled with grizzly bears, wolves and lynxes; world-famous delicacies like local honey and cheese; and ancient cultural wonders that expand your understanding of Anatolia and its unique position as connector of East and West.
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The all-inclusive ski resort Duja Chalet Ski Centre, located an easy 30-minute drive from Kars airport, serves as an ideal base for exploring the north-eastern region. It’s wedged in the seat of Cıbıltepe Mountain and comfortably within an hour’s drive of most landmarks. For those looking for winter sports, Duja Chalet offers affordable skiing and snowboarding for the whole family from December to March.
With ski-to-door access, and all ski kit hireable on the slopes, the conditions work whether you’re beginner or professional, with nine slush-free, ice-free and queue-free pistes. The Turkish Government owns the slopes, and with day passes costing around £7, you’ll unlikely find quieter or cheaper skiing anywhere in Europe (the average day pass in Europe is £55, and more affordable ski destinations like Serbia and Bulgaria still cost close to £30 a day). Plus, this time of year you’ll get an extra hour or more of skiing due to 6pm sunsets.
If adventure sports aren’t your jam, catch the ski lifts all the way to the top of the mountain and enjoy the serenity of 2,600m high altitude surrounded by yellow pines and a warm Turkish tea at the Bayrak Tepe ski cafe. These lifts are the most scenic and safest way to comfortably explore the Allahuekber Mountains National Park in winter. Keep an eye out for wolves, foxes, rabbits, lynxes, badgers and even grizzly bears if you catch them out of hibernation.
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The Duja chalet is impressive five-star accommodation, with 144 rooms and extensive relaxation offerings. This includes a spa with hammam, massages, an indoor heated pool, sauna, steam room, and daily yoga classes. There are also billiard rooms, 24-hour bars, delicious buffet dining, après-ski every evening between 3pm and 5pm, and the Turkish post-ski tradition of late-night soup, available from midnight to 1am.
Nothing brings Turkey’s cultural alchemy to life like the Unesco-listed ancient city Ani, an hour's drive east of Kars on the border with Armenia. Stretched across 250 hectares, the site has been inhabited since the Bronze Age and showcases the evolution of medieval architecture in Anatolia between the 4th and 18th centuries. Volcanic caves scatter through the mountains in the ravine that forms a natural border with Armenia, separated by the Arpaçay River. From the Zoroastrian Fire Temple, built in the 4th century, to the Menüçehr Mosque built by the Seljuk Turks in the 11th century and and the Church of St Gregory built during Armenian rule in the 13th century, the sites poke out of the icy landscape and evoke a sense of wonder.
Perhaps most special is the crumbling Silk Road Bridge, which stands as a lasting reminder that this region, at its height of power, was one of the largest cities in Turkey, housing 100,000 people when it was a major stop on the Silk Road, connecting East to West in the 10th century. Wrap up in winter (it was minus 15 degrees when I visited) and explore the ruins by foot with a guided tour to soak up the almost spiritual force of this place. For those less mobile, buggies are available.
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Another impressive journey is the even more remote Lake Çildir, further north by the Georgian border. The extra hour in the car showcases the region’s natural beauty better than any other route, with wild wolves often sitting in the middle of the winding roads, nestled between mountains covered in sparkling snow. Çildir is the largest freshwater lake in the region and is entirely frozen in winter. Move over Lapland, here you can enjoy a sleigh ride on a troika – a traditional Russian sleigh – across the lake, led by galloping horses. Warm yourself with mulled wine or Turkish tea while gazing into the icy depths, hoping to catch sight of the local yellow fish; feast on the catch caught daily from little ice holes in the lake at the local fish restaurant next door, Gunayin Yeri.
The city of Kars – 30 minutes from the Sarikamiş slopes – is a good first stop to sample the region’s star ingredients: Kars cheese and Kars honey. The countryside is dotted with tiny villages of beekeepers, cheesemakers, and cow and sheep farmers. Among the Baltic architecture – due to Kars’ Russian occupation in the late 1800s – you’ll find The Cheese Factory, an impressive new museum housed within a string of underground bunkers with life-like figurines, a gallery of the region’s endemic flowers, and a journey through the cheese-making process. The shop stocks its showstoppers: Kars Kashar, a creamy aged cheese, and Kars Gravyer, a salty, sour hard cheese (similar to emmental), all made in the surrounding villages. Almost every second shop sells the local Kars honey, which is light-coloured with an intense flavour thanks to the wild mountain flower nectar in Kars’ high, unpolluted altitudes. The honey is best enjoyed while still on the comb with kaymak (Turkish clotted cream) and fresh bread.
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Winter is a brilliant time to explore Turkish flavours, so opt for the local dish kaz (goose). Slow-cooked in a tandoor and served on a bed of bulgar and zesty local plums, it’s a succulent winter feast. Cap off your meal with sahlep, a traditional sugary milk drink with orchid root powder and cinnamon, or try a nip of the anise-flavoured raki liquor.
Sarıkamış-Kars is a hidden gem in Turkey that won’t stay secret for much longer, and not just because of its near-perfect ski conditions. There is currently only one daily flight departing from Istanbul to Kars, so consider a stopover to feast on the museums, mosques and markets of Istanbul before heading to Kars for a treat of almost untouched winter magic.
Maryann Wright travelled as a guest of Duja Chalet Ski Centre.
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