In recent years, Turkey has become closer and dearer to Russian tourists than their Black Sea resorts. Some attract service, others exotic. Indeed, there are many things in Turkey that you will not find anywhere else in the world. A vivid example of this is the ascent to the top of Mount Tahtali. This excursion is not one of the most popular, but the most popular among tourists from Kemer, Antalya, Finike, Tekirova, Goynuk and other resorts located close and not very close to the mountain. The difference for sightseers is only in travel time from your hotel and back and in price. And everyone's impressions remain about the same. They can be described with the words "enthusiastic", "unforgettable", "exciting", "indelible", "fantastically beautiful" and "incomparable". What is Mount Tahtali and why does everyone like it so much?
Geographic data
"Tahtali" in Turkish means "from the boards", or "board". The fact is that the rocks that make up the body of Mount Tahtali look like layers or folds that are pushed one over the other. These are Paleozoic and Tertiary deposits, vaguely resembling rowsbars. Many mountains in the Balkans and Asia have the same structure, and not only the Taurus mountain system, to which Tahtali belongs. They began to rise above sea level during the era of Alpine folding, which continues to this day. Perhaps in the future, Mount Tahtali, whose height is currently considered to be 2365 meters, will become even grander. But even now it dominates the surrounding area so much that it is perfectly visible from the boundless distance, for example, from Belek, which is more than 50 km from Kemer.
Nature of Tahtali
For those who chose Kemer for their vacation, Mount Tahtali can give wonderful weather conditions during their vacation. The mountain range of Beydaglari, of which it is the peak, protects the area from the northern winds. As a result, its own microclimate is created here, pleasing with more sunny days than in neighboring resorts. At the same time, on the top of the mountain you can see snow even in June, however, in summer there is not so much of it, only separate small layers. It's still original to bring a free souvenir in the form of a snowman from an excursion to the mountain in a temperature of +35 and above. In the spring, African winds often blow in the Kemer region, bringing reddish dust with them. She paints the snow-white peak of Tahtala in red, which looks somewhat unusual. Vegetation on the mountain is represented mainly by conifers and herbaceous-floral undergrowth interspersed with evergreen shrubs. All this is beautiful and colorful closer to the foot, but the higher, the vegetation becomes scarcer and at the boundaries of 1800-1900 metersdisappears completely. Only bare rocks remain.
Animals and birds
The animal world of Tahtala has become very impoverished with the influx of tourists. Therefore, the Turkish government creates reserves in order to save at least something for posterity. Now on the slopes of Mount Tahtali, if you're lucky, you can meet hedgehogs, tortoises, badgers, mouflons, lizards, and if you're not lucky, vipers and mice. Very rarely, deer and wild boars wander here, living in places of the Taurus Mountains that are still inaccessible to humans. There are also meetings with a fox or a jackal (usually in winter). From the world of birds, predators nest in the rocks of Tahtala - eagles, falcons, and in the forests there are a lot of all kinds of singing trifles. Of course, in order to see all this, you need to climb to the top not in the cable car, but on your own. For this, a special tourist route has been laid. The local population of the vicinity and the foothills of Tahtali use goats and sheep for grazing (of course, not in the area of the ski lift).
Uphill walk
The top of Mount Tahtali has always attracted tourists and all desperate romantics. The lift appeared here only in 2007. Until now, the ascent was carried out on its own. And now this route has been saved for everyone. It is part of the famous Lycian Way and is only suitable for the physically fit. Up to about 1811 meters the road is very interesting. You can not only breathe the purest air, not only admire nature, but also touch it with your hands. To be honest, Mount Tahtali opens up in a completely different way. The photo is proof of that. Next landscapebecomes monotonous and, if you are not a fan of geology, boring. All that will catch your eye are gray-brown bare rocks, along which you need to stomp up for about half a kilometer. And at the top, a well-deserved wonderful rest awaits with a visit to the toilet, a shop and a cafe (who wishes). Getting on the trail is easy. You need to get to the village of Beychika (Beysika). In that place there is a pointer with an arrow. It is impossible to get lost further, as the path has been well trodden. It is better to make such an excursion in the autumn months or in the spring, because in the summer, until you climb up a kilometer and a half, the heat is utter.
And on the lift
For everyone who cannot or does not want to climb the mountain on their own, in 2007 they launched a lift. The cable car, called Olympos Teleferik, was built by the Swiss company Doppelmayr Seilbahnen GmbH, which has proven itself in creating similar structures in Austria, Singapore, and America. Everywhere their lifts work perfectly, they do not break off the cables. These lines seem out of place until you sit in a booth and start climbing to the coveted peak of Mount Tahtali. From about a third of the way, when it is already 500-600 meters to the ground, the booth at the next junction can noticeably twitch or even freeze. At such moments, passengers exclaim in unison: “Ah!” and begin to look at each other anxiously. That's when the knowledge of how reliable the firm that built this road is, it helps a lot to everyone who has weak nerves. The climb itself takes 10 to 15 minutes.
Mount Tahtali: how to get to the lift
Tahtali is located 7 km from Kemer, not far from the villages of Chamyuva and Tekirova. The cable car does not start from the foot, but from the lower station, located on the side of the mountain at around 726 meters. Here you can also take a walk, take beautiful photos, admire the lake with fish and ducks. All sightseeing buses bring you here along the serpentine. You can get to this place on your own in a private car or taxi and already here pay for a seat in the booth. So it comes out 15-20 dollars cheaper. In addition, you can buy only one lift. Down then either on foot or by paragliding. The flight takes 40 minutes and ends at Tekirova beach. Those who are afraid to fly in the clouds themselves can go down with an instructor. The lift cabins are more than roomy. They can accommodate 80 people at the same time, but in reality this happens infrequently. The walls of the booth are transparent, so you can start taking pictures on the way.
Top
There is an observation platform (there is a cable fence), from which unrealistically fantastic landscapes and views open up. But this is only in sunny and clear weather. On other days, you will either have to contemplate the foggy haze, or even be in the clouds themselves, which cover the top of Mount Tahtali quite often. On such days it is especially damp and inhospitable here, so you should definitely take warm clothes with you, even if the thermometer goes off scale at the foot. But even on clear days, a blouse will not hurt. For the convenience of tourists, they builta three-story building with toilets, a souvenir shop and edible trifles and a cafe, there is even a row of sunbeds. The prices here are as high as the top of Tahtali.
Legends about Tahtali
Inhabitants in the vicinity of Kemer have a spiritual legend about the calling card of their city - Mount Tahtali. By the way, the Greeks who sailed here called it Olympos. They also christened the city built at its foot, from which picturesque ruins have survived. The legend about the appearance of Mount Tahtali is as follows: once upon a time there lived a mortal beauty Tahtali, with whom the immortal god Taurus fell in love. It so happened that the girl died from a snake bite. The unfortunate lover tried in every possible way to kill himself in order to also commit suicide, but he did not succeed. You can't argue with immortality. Then he asked Zeus for a favor. He took pity on the feelings of poor Taurus, forever uniting him with his beloved. He turned one into a mountain range, the other into a beautiful peak.
Helpful tips
Mount Tahtali (Turkey) is unusually attractive. Photos from its top turn out to be of unprecedented and unwritten beauty. There are also people who, risking their heads, climb onto cliffs and eaves inaccessible to mere mortals and take pictures from them. Their pictures cost from 5 to 10 USD. Yes, but the views are really unique. In order not to make a mistake yourself, you need to go to Tahtali, as mentioned above, on a clear day. There are telescopes at the top for the price of 1 lira. A trifle can be changed on the mountain, but it is better to take it with you. Better yet, bring your own binoculars. The third tip concernswarm things. Do not hesitate, there is no heat on the mountain, but the winds piercing to the bones, coolness and dampness “pamper” constantly. The fourth piece of advice concerns fires escaping from stones. For this spectacle, you need to go not to Tahtali, but to Chimera (Yanartash), located near the village of Cirali. The fifth and last tip - when in Turkey, be sure to take the time to climb Tahtali. You won't regret it.
