Aladağlar Traverse hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Aladağlar traverse crosses the heart of the Aladağlar, the highest limestone range of the central Taurus Mountains in southern Turkey. It starts in Demirkazık village near Çukurbağ in Niğde, climbs to the Yedigöller (Seven Lakes) plateau at 3,100 m over the Çelikbuyduran pass, and comes down through the Sıyırma gorge and the fir forest of the Emli valley. The whole route lies inside Aladağlar National Park. There is no waymarked long-distance trail: the traverse joins two official park routes, Demirkazık village to Direk Gölü and Emli valley to Direk Gölü. You sleep in a tent at the park's camp areas, with village guesthouses at both ends.

The route

From Demirkazık village (about 1,600 m) a dirt track climbs gently to Sokullupınar, a spring and meadow at about 1,950 m below the south face of Demirkazık (3,756 m). The second day follows the Yalak and Karayalak valleys, past Sakartaş, to the Çelikbuyduran spring and the pass of the same name at about 3,450 m. Below lies Yedigöller, a bare limestone basin with a string of small lakes ringed by 3,500 m peaks. From Yedigöller the route heads south over a high, pathless col of about 3,500 m near Gürtepe, then drops more than 1,400 m on scree into the Sıyırma gorge to the meadow camp at Kocadölek (2,100 m). The last short day follows a path and then a forest track through the Bölük forest of Taurus fir to the Emli valley tent camp at about 1,750 m, where the public road ends.

This guide splits the route into 4 stages, about 8.0 km each, using the camps that every itinerary uses. The line measures about 32 km with roughly 2,900 m of climbing; the park's own route maps give about 38 km, mainly because their southern section swings further east before turning west.

Highlights

• Sokullupınar: a green camp under the south face of Demirkazık, with a cold spring
• Çelikbuyduran pass: the gateway to the high plateau; Emler (3,723 m) is about an hour up the scree from the pass
• Yedigöller: a lunar basin of lakes at 3,100 m; from camp you can climb Kızılkaya (3,771 m), often called the highest peak of the range, or Direktaş (3,510 m)
• The Sıyırma gorge and Kocadölek: a long descent into the deep Emli valley, under the walls of Parmakkaya
• The Bölük forest: old Taurus firs and junipers, the only real forest on the route
• Wildlife: wild goats on the crags and the Caspian snowcock, which birdwatchers come here to see

When to walk the Aladağlar traverse

The usual season is July to September. In May and June snow fills the gullies below Çelikbuyduran and on the southern col, and you need crampons and an ice axe. July and August are hot in the valleys but nights at Yedigöller can drop close to freezing, and most high springs dry up after July. Afternoon storms are possible. From October the first snow can close the high ground.

How many days do you need?

The 4 stages take four days. Most groups add a fifth day at Yedigöller for a summit (Emler, Kızılkaya or Direktaş) or a rest. Day 2 (Sokullupınar to Yedigöller, about 1,500 m of climbing) and day 3 (Yedigöller to Kocadölek, 7 to 9 hours with a long scree descent) are the hard ones. Sokullupınar and the Emli camp can be reached by 4WD, so it is easy to shorten either end.

Permits and booking

You do not need a trekking permit for this route, but it lies in a national park. The 2026 national tariff lists ₺75 per person for entry and ₺450 per night for a tent pitch; carry cash. Camp only at the park's camp areas and camp stops: Sokullupınar, Karayalak, Yedigöller (Direk Gölü), the Sıyırma gorge, Kocadölek and the Emli camp. Book the guesthouses in Çukurbağ ahead in July and August. Many hikers go with a local guide and hire mules or horses to carry tents and food between camps; guesthouses in Çukurbağ can arrange both.

Getting there and away

Demirkazık and Çukurbağ are reached from Çamardı, the district town. Niğde is about 70 km away and has buses from Ankara, Kayseri and Adana; minibuses run from Niğde to Çamardı, then you need a taxi or a guesthouse pick-up for the last 12 to 15 km. Kayseri airport is about 2 to 2.5 hours by car and Adana a similar distance. Coming from Kayseri, turn off for Çamardı before Niğde. At the end, the Emli tent camp is 6 km by dirt road from Çukurbağ and has no public transport, so arrange a pick-up in advance.

Money and phone signal

Bring enough Turkish lira for the whole trip from Niğde or Kayseri. Çamardı is the last place with shops and pharmacies; there is nothing to buy above the villages. Phone signal is patchy: you may get a signal on the high ground near Yedigöller, but there is often none in the Karayalak and Emli valleys.

What to pack

A tent that stands up to wind, a sleeping bag rated to about -5 °C, a stove and fuel (there is no firewood above the forest), food for four days, a water filter and 2 to 3 litres of water capacity. Wear boots with ankle support and stiff soles for scree, bring trekking poles and a helmet for the loose gullies, and carry a GPS track and a 1:25,000 map: much of the high ground has no visible path. In early season add crampons and an ice axe.

Difficulty and safety

This is a hard mountain trek, not a walk on a made path. The days above 3,000 m are long, the scree is loose and steep, and the crossing from Yedigöller to the Sıyırma gorge needs good navigation in mist. Altitude can cause headaches above 3,000 m; take the first night at Sokullupınar to adjust. In an emergency call 112, which reaches the ambulance and the gendarmerie (jandarma). There is no rescue post in the range, so help can take many hours; a satellite messenger is worth carrying. Tell your guesthouse or the gendarmerie in Çamardı your plan before you go. The nearest hospital is in Çamardı, with larger ones in Niğde and Kayseri.

History

Shepherd families still bring their flocks up to the summer pastures (yayla) of Arpalık, Eznevit and Sokullupınar. Climbers and researchers explored the range in the early 1900s, and a Glasgow team drove here in two Hillman Imps in 1963 to climb. The area became a national park in 1995. Since then Çukurbağ and Demirkazık have become one of Turkey's main climbing centres, with hundreds of sport and alpine routes in the Emli valley, the Kazıklı canyon and around Demirkazık.