Eastern Anatolia

Sarıkamış is located to the southwest of Kars city center on highlands with an altitude of 1,500 to 3,000 meters. Surrounded by Allahuekber, Soğanlı and Güllü mountains, Sarıkamış is located at the transition point of Anatolia to the Caucasus.

The region, which has an average height of almost 2,100 meters, begins to receive snow in October and quickly turns white. Pine trees and their ground-facing needle leaves turn white.

Sarıkamış is made up of gorgeous mountains, deep valleys between them, and foothills highlands.  The highest mountain in the region is Aladağ with an altitude of 3,138 meters. It is followed by Süphan with a height of 2,909 meters and Balıklı Mountain with a height of 2,835 meters. Many of the mountains in the vicinity have summits that exceed 2,000 meters.

Sarıkamış is a very old settlement as one of the doors of Central Asia extending to the west. The earliest evidence of settlement dates back to 9000 BCE.  Traces of empires such as Hurri, Urartu, Scythian, Med, Parth, the Armenian Kingdom of Bagrat, Rome, Sassanid, Byzantine, and Ottoman are scattered all over the district.

Consisting of mountains, highlands, and valleys, Sarıkamış has 21 different hiking trails, ranging in length from 5 kilometers to 32 kilometers, marked and signposted according to international standards. The total length of these trails is more than 250 kilometers. Every nature lover can easily walk these paths, which go through the foothills of the mountains and deep valleys, in company with the fresh air accompanied by the yellow pine forests. Also, keep in mind that the winters in Sarıkamış are rather harsh.  That's why you should walk on these trails in other months, not in winter!