Natural Beauties in Van

An Unequalled City: Van

We know, it has been a self-assertive expression. You should however know that, with all the spectacular natural beauties, Van is a fascinating city… For instance, the Lake of Van, the largest lake in Turkey, on the eastern coast of which the city of Van is located, is also situated partly in the province of Van. It is so large that it is sometimes called a sea as well. The province also hosts a wonderful waterfall that even fascinated the Ottoman Sultan Murat IV who stopped over in the area with his troops during a military operation. With its rich flora, climate, rich culture, flying fish, swimming cats, fairy chimneys, travertines, and many other extraordinary aspects, it is one of the most mystic cities of unparalleled beauty.

Here Fish can Fly!

It was not a joke when we said this city is unequalled! It is a unique city host to flying fish and organising a festival for these wonderful animals! 

With a high saline-alkali content, the Lake of Van provides a habitat to the pearl mullet, a fish species in the family of Cypriniformes endemic to this lake. Jumping up and down, and even flying, in the springtime, they run upstream to the highest points of the lake for spawning. It is a natural spectacular that fascinates everyone.

Do You Think Fairy Chimneys are Found only in Nevşehir?

The province of Van is located in a region of great riches with a history going back thousands of years… For instance, the hoodoos or earth pyramids are called here Fairy Chimneys… There are such rock formations in many parts of the world such as New Mexico in North America, the region of Savoy in France, and the region of the Alps in Europe, but the most prominent ones are in Turkey. One of the most beautiful ones of such rock formations, usually identified with Nevşehir in Central Anatolia, is found in Van, the Vanadokya Fairy Chimneys.

A treasure waiting to be discovered in a marvellous area formed by mother nature as a result of erosions forming in a process that lasts millions of years, the Vanadokya Fairy Chimneys are a mystical aspect of the province. Here one has the feeling as if one had been on a journey through a rabbit hole, arriving in the end at a wonderland.

It is not Cotton Floss, but Travertines!

Okay, we agree with you. It is a place that gives rise to a feeling of peace like a white candy floss invoking feelings of wonder in children. But the travertines in Van provide yet another mystic and special ambiance. The area has been designated as a tourism destination only in recent time, therefore it deserves a better promotion in any case. 

When the water that instantly emerges from a hot water spring up to a non-pressure environment, carbon dioxide de-gasses from it, as a result of which calcium and carbonate are deposited in form of a cake-cream and finally crystallises into travertines. The travertines in Van, among the most beautiful and most wonderful ones in the world, is described as ''the most beautiful wonder of nature''.

Beauty that also Fascinated Ottoman Sultans

Now imagine; what would a waterfall that also fascinated Murat IV, the great Ottoman Sultan, do to ordinary people like us! The waterfall that also fascinated Murat IV with its magical beauty ever-changing depending on the season and named therefore after the Sultan is one of the marvels that mother nature gifted to the city.

Is it a Lake or a Sea?

You think we have forgotten it, don’t you? We know, but here we are at GeziBilen! Subjects in a dull narrative, which you normally find everywhere, would never bore you when told by us! Besides, we would never oversee ‘The Biggest Lake with Saline-Alkali Content in the World’’.

As mentioned above, The Van Lake provides habitat to a fish species endemic to the lake and is recognised as the biggest lake with saline-alkali content in the world. It is so huge that it is also called a sea! It is a tectonic lake formed through waters that filled a crater created as a result of a volcanic eruption, and we continue our tour emphasizing its features as a lake. Otherwise, we would hurt all the pearl mullets, islands, and relics of historical value at the bottom of the lake.

Mother Nature has Granted Privileges to this City

Any selection of the natural beauties in Van located in an environment of numerous natural wonders would warm visitors' hearts, urging them to say, ''Why do we sit here, doing nothing? Let's go and see these marvels''. As it is clear that mother nature has granted the city great privileges here, why should we sit here doing nothing at all?