Turkey
Highlands
Hatay Highlands
Belen - Güzelyayla
(Sogukoluk)
Transportation: After the fork in the road leading to Sarimazi, it is 8 km. to Belen on a winding asphalt road which passes through a beautiful green area covered with forest. It is possible to make use of the minibuses that travel to Iskenderun and Belen.
Description: The highland tradition has continued for hundreds of year at Güzelyayla. The fact that this mountain getaway is also close to the sea makes it even more attractive and there has been much improvement in the infrastructure of the region. It has a commanding view of the Iskenderun Bay and many old and new structures that are worth seeing. This highland has been the subject of many folk songs and poems. It is a delightful place for short jaunts into the forest, camping and picnicking.
Accommodations - Food and Drink: There are small bed and breakfast type houses for lodging as well as shops to buy daily necessities.
Iskenderun - Nergizlik Highland
Transportation: It is 14 km from Iskenderun on an asphalt road and 4 km. from the Güzelyayla highland.
Description: This is an highland village though some infrastructure improvement has been done. Besides the simple village houses, there are also highland houses. Every conceivable kind of fruit and vegetables are grown here.
Accommodations - Food and Drink: The highland houses can be rented if arrangements are made ahead of time.
Samandag - Teknepinari (Batiayaz) Highland
Transportation: From Antakya it is 20 km. on an asphalt road and from Samandag it is a 17 km. ride on a gravel road.
Description: This is a highland village where history and nature are inseparably intertwined. Because of the ice-cold crystal waters at the camping and picnic sites, the fact that it raises every kind of fruit and vegetable peculiar to the Mediterranean and because of how close it is to the other countries in the Middle East, it has drawn the attention of visitors both local and foreign.
Accommodations - Food and Drink: Besides camping areas, there are also shops at which one can buy daily necessities.
Erzin - Kocadüz - Üçkoz - Bagriaçik - Karincali Highlands
Transportation: The road to Erzin is asphalt for 11 km and gravel for
8 km. During the summer months there are minibuses going to and from
Erzin in every hour.
Description: The highlands at Erzin and Osmaniye are a collection of
mountain meadows which are very close to one another and for this reason
it is a very suitable trekking spot. The mountain meadows are surrounded
with pine, fir and juniper trees and thyme, daisies and other wild flowers
grow everywhere.
Among the pine and fir trees so heavily frequented as a picnic area
in the summer, there are several simple highland houses made entirely
of wood and which are perfectly compatible with their natural surroundings.
Accommodations - Food and Drink: The highland houses are used by the locals. Those who want to stay in tents should bring their own supplies and equipment with them.
Dörtyol Topaktas Highland
Transportation: The only road to the highland is a gravel one and it is 18 km. from Hatay.
Description: The Topaktas highland is completely surrounded by a forest of pine, juniper and scrub trees. There are many wood houses built in the local architectural style and a few scattered houses of reinforced concrete. The people living in Dörtyol come here in droves during the summer months.
Accommodations - Food and Drink: The mountain homes are used by the locals. Those who want to stay in tents should bring their own supplies and equipment with them.
Dörtyol - Çökek Highland
Transportation: It is 8 km. by gravel road from Dörtyol to the highland.
Description: This is a charming little mountain plateau with pine trees and fruit orchards, clean fresh air and abundant water. It is a perfect place for camping, picnicking and short excursions devoted to listening to the songs of nature sung by the birds and the insects.
Accommodations-Food and Drink: There are no facilities here and those who want to stay in tents should bring their own supplies and equipment with them.
Kirikhan Delibekirli Village and Çataloluk Highland
Transportation: The village of Delibekirli can be reached from Kirikhan. Three kilometers of the road is asphalt and 3 km is gravel. The highland is another 7 km from this village.
Description: Delibekirli is a delightful little mountain village nestled in among vineyards and gardens in which can be found almost any kind of fruit or vegetable grown in the Mediterranean Region. The mountain plateau of Çataloluk, 7 km from the village, is in pristine condition. This plateau lined with century-old sycamore trees supplies the drinking water for Kirikhan. It is definitely a place worth visiting.
Accommodations - Food and Drink: In the village of Delibekirli there are restaurants and shops where you can get a good meal and a cup of tea.
Kirikhan - Alan Highland
Transportation: In order to get there you need to take the Hatay - Kirikhan - Gaziantep highway out of Kirikhan (6 km.) and turn left onto the road leading to Asagi Esmisek village. The village is 4 km. only two of which are asphalt. Eight kilometers past the village, along a winding road lined with scrub trees, is the Alan Highland. There is a gravel road from here to Iskenderun as well (40 km.)
Description: This spacious mountain plateau is surrounded with pine forests and in the summer it is covered with flowers. Except for a few mountain homes, this unspoiled highland is used by the area villagers as productive farm land. The mountain meadows of Haymapinar, Degirmendere, Pasaoluk, Akarca and Çamlibel on the Iskenderun road are all used by villagers as farmland.
Accommodations-Food and Drink: The mountain homes are used by the locals. Those who want to stay in tents should bring their own supplies and equipment with them.
Belen and Atik Highland
Transportation: The road to the village forks off at the 27 km. mark on the Antakya - Iskenderun highway.
Description: The current town of Belen has been inhabited for hundreds of years. The famous water of the Atik spring, much sought after by the people living in Iskenderun and Kirikhan, originate here. The town has grown up so much that now Atik is just a neighborhood within the Belen city limits. There are quaint country tea houses and small markets among the fruit orchards and pine and sycamore groves. Because of its residential developments and its proximity to the sea, it has become a very popular holiday spot.
Accommodations - Food and Drink: Here you will find lodging facilities and restaurants.