How to Visit Mt. Nemrut

 

ARRIVE IN ISTANBUL

It was always a childhood dream of mine to see the statue heads on Mt. Nemrut since I first saw it on the cover of a National Geographic magazine in the 80's. It just looked magical. Unreal. So, I made it the first place to travel to in Turkiye. The following is how I realized my dream.  

I had just landed in Istanbul and wanted to start my journey through Turkiye by hiking up Mt. Nemrut.  After a long flight from Canada, I got myself a hotel nearby for the night so I could rest from my long flight and freshen up. 

FLY TO ADIYAMAN

I flew to Adiyaman the next morning.  I headed to the airport and made sure I had enough Turkish Lira exchanged for my journey.  This is important as you will find out that the airport in Adiyaman does not have a money exchange office or an ATM.  It actually doesn't have much at all.  You will walk off the plane onto the tarmac and head straight into a building that looks like a warehouse.  Inside this warehouse will have a luggage carousel.  Once you find your luggage, head for the front entrance.

I flew with Turkish Airlines.  Their prices were the best and found the flights crowded with many locals.  It was all part of the experience.

ARRANGE AN AIRPORT PICKUP FROM THE HOTEL OR TAXI IT 

I had tried to make make arrangements with my hotel to pick me up from the airport a few days before I landed in Istanbul but we were unable to connect in a timely manner.  Hence, my only option to get to the hotel was by taxi.  There are no taxi's waiting outside this airport.  There is a taxi stand to the right of  the building of the front exit doors.  You will need to call the taxi company listed on the sign and pray you get someone who speaks English.  The security guard saw me standing there and came over to ask where I was going.  Thankfully, he offered to call the taxi company to come get me.

If you are able to connect to the hotel, they will arrange a pickup from the airport to the hotel.  I stayed at the Nemrut Euphrat Hotel.  Unfortunately for me, there were two hotels with the same name.  There was one in the village of Kahta and the other in the outskirts of Kahta, closer to Mt. Nemrut.  I was staying at the later.  My driver was an older gent who didn't speak English so we ended up at the first hotel in Kahta and then I explained to him that it was the other hotel I was looking for.  

He took me to a gas station after talking to the hotel concierge inside, where he parked by the gas pumps.  I thought he was going to fill the tank up with gas.  I was wrong.  I watched him walk into the gas station store where four men were sitting outside playing backgammon.  He went in and walked out with two cups of tea.  He offered one to me and took the other for himself.  Once I finished my tea, another driver came over who spoke English and confirmed the hotel with me then sat in the driver's seat.  Here I said goodbye to the older gent and off we went. He was much younger and knew of the hotel I as staying at.  He drove quickly and an hour later, I arrived at my destination.  It cost roughly 1250 TL ($55 CDN) for the taxi ride. I always paid in Turkish Lira.

STAY AT NEMRUT EUPHRAT HOTEL

Nemrut Euphrat Hotel was a 10 minute drive from the base of the hike to the top of the mountain.  It is a beautiful hotel with a many beautiful clean rooms and a pool to enjoy.  The views from the deck overlooking the valley and mountains was amazing. It cost me  1837.91 TL ($81 CDN) for the night.

I was the only person at the hotel until later in the evening when a bus pulled up loaded with Korean tourists.  Dinner was served in the dining area with chicken stir fry, sautéed vegetables and potatoes.  It was deliciously prepared.

NEXT MORNING HEAD TO THE MOUNTAIN - DRIVE OR ARRANGE WITH HOTEL FOR A  RIDE

As I was solo travelling and wasn't expecting to do any driving there, I was able to speak with the owner, Korkut Bey, on arranging a ride to the base of the mountain.  He had offered me a vehicle to use but I wasn't keen on driving there myself.  He offered to have someone drive me there when I was ready. We agreed to leave at 7:30am the next morning.

PURCHASE YOUR TICKET FOR 250 TL

After breakfast, Mehmud Bey drove me to the base of the mountain.  He stopped at the Nemrut Visitor's Center.  You need to purchase a ticket from the attendant inside for 250 TL ($11.02 CDN).  Once you have your ticket, the security guard unlocks the gate and you can drive the rest of the way to the base of the mountain.

Once at the base, you can start to walk up the stairs located around the side of the mountain.  Please make sure you have an inhaler with you if you have any breathing issues.  I got halfway up the mountain and realized my breathing was fast and it was because the air was thin at that height.  Thankfully, there are benches located every few meters.  I sat down and got my breathing back to normal and then slowly continued up the mountain with no further issues.

I was able to explore the whole way around the top of the mountain as there are statues located on both sides and there is a boardwalk you must stay on that takes you all around.  There are a couple guards at the top to make sure you don't stray off the boardwalk.

Once I was done, I headed back down the mountain, I got back into the car that Mehmud Bey was waiting in for my return.  He then drove us back to the hotel.

COME BACK AND THEN LEAVE HOTEL

Korkut Bey was able to drive me to the bus depot (Otogar) in Kahta as he was dropping off a couple other guests in town.  From there, I continued my journey to Goreme.

Note:  There are many hotels around this area that you can stay in for much cheaper but it was worth it to stay here considering what was included and the hospitality was great. It was a wonderful stay and recommend it. 

You can also pay to do a sunrise tour or sunset tour of the mountain to see the sun hitting the statues at the right angle.  Most hotels can arrange it for you.  I chose to not go in a tour group as I like to have the place to myself to enjoy.  There were maybe three other people there when I went.  I reached the top in 30 mins. 

If you choose to stay longer, you can arrange for a day trip to Sanliurfa with the hotel. 

I hope this helps in planning your trip to visit Mt. Nemrut.