The Bolkar Mountains, which stretch high and wide across the provinces of Niğde, Konya and Mersin in central and southern Turkey, hide many wonders on their foothills and peaks, including the glacial lakes of Karagöl and Çinili.
The lakes are nothing out of the ordinary during spring and summer, but when the first snow falls on the tectonic mountain range, the lakes offer a mesmerizing view to visitors as well as amateur and professional mountaineers who challenge themselves by climbing these mountains.
Formed as glaciers on the mountains eroded, these lakes are ornamented with endemic plants and host many local visitors such as foxes, wild horses, squirrels and birds of prey.
The lakes lure nature lovers who love to hike and photographers who want to capture Mother Nature in her most refined form.
Bülent Fakı Şengün is one of those photographers. He hiked more than 2,000 meters to reach the lakes. He said since the hiking route was mapped out and marked, it was not hard to climb to where the lakes are located.
“I previously heard about the glacial lakes of the Bolkar Mountains. After I saw photos of them on social media, I decided to come here and take my own photos. I got a chance to see the Taurus turtles which are about to go into hibernation. This is a place where every nature lover should see once in their lifetime,” Şengün said.
The Karagöl and Çinili lakes, as well as the Meydan Plateau, were recognized as protected areas by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization in 2017.
