Guide
Nemrut Dağı lies between the districts of Tatvan, Ahlat and Güroymak in Bitlis. It is a dormant but active volcano, and the last lava flow is known to have happened in the fifteenth century. The crater area at its summit — the caldera, formed by volcanic explosions — holds five lakes, two of them large, along with many lava vents, lava funnels, spatter cones, hot springs and six caves.
The area was registered as the Nemrut Caldera natural monument in 2003 and declared a wetland of international importance under Ramsar in 2013.
The lake at the top is the largest crater lake in Türkiye. The hot water and thermal springs around it are the last traces of volcanic activity. Fed by snowmelt and by springs and deep in places, its water is cold and fresh. Plants belonging to different regions live together here, the lake levels stay more or less constant, and rainfall and evaporation are in balance — all of which indicate a microclimate.
The area is open to visitors and is used for riding, cycling, photography, butterfly watching, orienteering, trekking and wildlife observation. The directorate sets out what it asks of visitors in a fragile caldera: do not enter the lake, because of the danger of drowning; leave no rubbish; light no fire and no barbecue anywhere in the area, to avoid starting a forest fire; follow the warning signs, which stand throughout the site; and do nothing that would harm the wild animals in their own habitat.
