The mountainous province of Hakkari in Türkiye's southeast has emerged as a highly preferred destination for both domestic and foreign visitors owing to its natural beauty, ski center and snow-covered peaks.
Recently, the city, currently blanketed in snow, has become one of the favorite spots for adrenaline-seeking tourists, with snow depths reaching up to 3 meters (9.84 feet) in some places.
As part of this trend, a group of 12 people from Germany and Austria arrived in the city a couple of days ago through a tour company to ski, according to an Anadolu Agency (AA) report Sunday.
The ski enthusiasts, guided by company representative Yüksel Yılmaz and Hacı Tansu, the president of Cilo Mountaineering and Nature Sports Club, skied on the 3,050-meter-high Şivekör peak and the peaks in the Durankaya region.
Skiing down from the summit, the skiers enjoyed the thick layer of snow.
German Alexander Graym, speaking to AA, expressed that Hakkari is a small and beautiful city.
Emphasizing the extraordinary beauty of the snow and mountains in the region, he noted there was "a large amount of snow."
"The region is very good. We have to travel for a long time to see this much snow in our country, but here, the snow is right next to you. I have been to Türkiye a few times before. I will come again in the future," said Graym.
"We skied in abundant snow. It was magnificent," he added.
Austrian Stephan Clain similarly expressed that they've arrived in the city for skiing, touching upon the plan of their stay.
"We came together, 10 Germans and two Austrians. We plan to stay here for a few days. The weather was a bit unfavorable for the first day, but this place seems beautiful," he noted.
Tour company representative Yılmaz, for his part, noted they had climbed the hill next to the ski center and skied with their guests.
Describing the excitement they experienced as magnificent, Yılmaz said, "The snow is very beautiful. Hopefully, we will ski here for another four to five days and then go to Yüksekova."
"There is not (much) snow in Europe this year. It was a big surprise for them. They were not expecting to see more than 2 meters of snow and such high mountains here," he noted.
"Hakkari's scenery is unique in Türkiye. There is a magnificent view. We didn't see much yesterday due to the fog. The amount and quality of snow are rare," he added, expressing the aim to attract more tourists to the location.
Tansu of the Cilo Mountaineering and Nature Sports Club also highlighted the efforts to promote the region close to Iraq and Iran's borders.
"We are hosting our first group from Europe. In the future, we will host people from all over Europe here. Our region has wonderful natural resources. We should evaluate this."
