Turkish delight: Five reasons why eastern Turkey makes for the perfect driving destination
For Aussies on the hunt for a dream drive with a difference Turkey could be the ticket for those on the lookout for breathtaking scenery and roads to die forOn the recent international launch of the new Mazda CX-60, we were not only given the keys to the SUV to put to the test but were given the opportunity to drive and explore a truly magical and unique location, eastern Turkey. Not only is there a vast variety of scenery to absorb but the roads themselves are truly challenging yet breathtaking.
If an international driving holiday is on the cards, here are five reasons why eastern Turkey makes for the perfect driving destination.
You'll fall in love with the scenery
Some 1200km from the heaving Istanbul metropolis, well into what was once ancient Asia Minor, it won't take long to fall head-over-heels with eastern and central Turkey. That's after you've escaped Trabzon – the slightly shabby seaside resort on the Black Sea – you soon discover just how stunning and sparsely populated this part of Turkey is.
Our drive truly began as we escaped the outer suburbs and started to climb up into the foothills of the Pontic Mountain range. Lush and green, on account of plentiful rain and a short summer, it's here you'll find yourself in an area famed for tea plantations and hazelnut orchards that supply nuts to make Nutella.
Drive further and the scenery shifts to the Swiss Alps – without the traffic – then no sooner have you soaked that up it feels like you've been transported to the most beautiful parts of northern Spain. Moments later you could be in central Africa or, even the American West – it has it all.
You get to drive one of the world's deadliest roads
Well worth the trip to this part of the world is the opportunity to tackle Turkey's infamous State Road D915 – known locally as the Derebasi Turns. Built by captured Russian prisoners of war back in 1915, the treacherous mountain pass consists of 29 hairpin bends as it coils its way up the rocky Mount Soganli.
Featuring no guard rails, little signage and consisting primarily of dirt gravel and rock, it's possible to experience fog, rain, sleet, snow and bright sunshine all in one day as you slowly climb 2500m to its peak. It's thought most of the modern casualties come from accidents involving passing vehicles on the narrower section where one wrong turn will send you, your car and its unlucky occupants to oblivion.
In most cases, the light traffic means it's never a problem and the biggest risk you'll run is getting a puncture but the satisfaction of reaching the top, where you're greeted by smooth, perfectly surfaced driving roads is something to savour.
You can take the slow road
When we mean 'slow' we're talking time to build, rather than velocity because nestled within the tall Munzur mountain range is a small stretch of 8.7km that took an unbelievable 132 years to build, mostly by hand. The reason for the delay is over the last couple of thousand years neither rulers nor conquering armies ever thought it was worth connecting the Kemaliye district of Erzincan to central Anatolia and Turkey.
This forced locals to take matters into their own hands and begin carving their own way through solid rock. Work began in earnest in 1870 with entire families chipping away slowly but surely.
Finally, the local authorities did eventually feel sorry for the isolated community and helped finish what would become named the Stone Road of Kemaliye which opened in 2002. Today the tunnel stands as a testament to local fortitude and is still a challenge to drive with some sections just two metres wide, but the result is something to be experienced, not least the many carved openings that provide a breathtaking vista a couple of hundred metres above the mighty Euphrates River.
You can get high and hide out in an ancient cave hotel
The region of Cappadocia is the scene of extraordinary geographical violence that some 30 million years ago saw the three local volcanoes compete in a bid to outdo each other for inflicting mass destruction on the local landscape. Today, the handful of settlements that remain are remarkable.
A must is a visit to Urgup which looks like Mars on account of its volcanic rock being covered by compressed layers of ash that, over millions of years, have been eroded away by water, frost and the wind. The resulting chimneys and unusual formations are best witnessed from the air in huge hot air balloons but there's also plenty to entertain those on the terra-firmer after a long day behind the wheel.
You can experience a culinary mixing pot cooked up over the last 4000 years
When you're not sightseeing or driving on some of the best roads Europe has to offer, Turkey has culinary traditions that fuse Mediterranean, Balkan, Middle Eastern, Central Asian and the best of Europe. Take breakfast, it's not uncommon for even the most modest hotel to roll out a small banquet of olives, jellies, hummus, cheeses, meats, breads and pastries.
From Kofte to kebabs, to a variety of meze, the eastern part of Turkey has enough to delight the most committed carnivore to the strictest vegan and wherever you are, even in the smallest town, there's always a welcoming place to stop and eat at a very modest price for the weariest of travellers.
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