Patrycja and Mateusz from Hit the Road on a trip around Turkey

Patrycja and Mateusz from trzyma w Drogę set off on a journey through beautiful and picturesque Turkey with a tent that they tested for us for 10 months! The Dutch Mountains Alutop 3 tent bravely accompanied them on sunny, frosty and windy days. How it performed on their honeymoon in Turkey you can read in this article.

Turkey has been a dream of ours for a long time. We planned to visit this country in the summer of 2022. However, health issues stood in the way. The way we traveled is closely related to our car – a second-generation Nissan Terrano. All camping facilities, apart from the Offlander tent, are made by us ourselves. On board we have a kitchen with water, a refrigerator and the entire electricity supply system. All these elements are made by us and basically every year something needs to be either repaired or improved. This has its advantages, because we discover on the road what we lack and what is unnecessary, then we implement these modifications.

Unfortunately, in the spring of 2022, right in the middle of preparations for the summer season, I had an accident during which I injured my hand. The incident was so serious that it was not known whether just climbing the ladder and sleeping on the roof would be possible. That is why we postponed the modifications to the camping part and our plans for the biggest trip so far, we had to postpone it until next year. In the summer of 2022, we went to the Bieszczady Mountains, which delighted us with their majesty. The number of kilometers we covered then was much smaller, so the car did not have to be as thoroughly prepared as for the trip to Turkey. The year 2023 is a completely special time for us. In the spring, we got married, and the trip to Turkey changed its status to „honeymoon”.

On our new path of life, the first direction we took was to Istanbul. From the beginning, we knew that we wanted to avoid the Turkish Riviera, escaping the crowds of foreign tourists. However, we did not completely deny ourselves the beaches. We reached the Black Sea coast near the small town of Kisirkaya (50 km from Istanbul). We reached the beach on the weekend, where a lot of people were relaxing. However, using the off-road capabilities of our car, we managed to find a beautiful place with a beautiful view on a cliff, away from the crowded beach.

Visiting the Asian continent was something new for us. Neither I nor Patrycja had ever driven this far. We do not know the whole history of Terrano, but we can assume with great certainty that the good Nissan visited this largest continent for the first time. After a one-day trip through the streets of Istanbul, where we only tasted the aroma of this huge agglomeration, we headed further east, driving on local roads along the Black Sea coast. On the map, we found a promising beach near Cebeci. The demanding drive through dunes and sandy hills meant that we were there in very intimate company. We spent two days there enjoying the sun, the sea and rides in the Terrano on the beach at sunset.

From the north we set off into the country, heading towards Cappadocia, which was our main point on the map of Turkey. The locals we met were extremely polite and helpful. They always asked us where we were going. When they heard that our destination was “Kapadokya”, they nodded their heads in approval, adding a comment about how beautiful and magical the place was. This only confirmed our belief that we were heading in the right direction and whetted our appetite for this famous region of Turkey. On the way we saw the “Turkish Disneyland”, a housing estate of 732 abandoned luxury villas built in an incredibly beautiful mountain landscape. They earned their nickname thanks to their fairy-tale, soaring turrets.

Driving towards Ankara we entered the land of the Rainbow Hills, which enchanted us with their multi-coloured layers. Between Nallihan and Davutoglan we entered the mountains, for one of the most unusual overnight stays, among the pastel hills. That night the howling of coyotes was loud and clear, like never before. The last stop before entering Cappadocia was Lake Tuz Golu, which is the second largest lake in Turkey and the second saltiest lake in the world. Its depth in many places is less than 0.5m, and the beautifully reflecting light and sky surface of the water is a snorkel for many photographers. Flamingos can be seen at Tuz Golu, unfortunately we did not have the opportunity to admire them in the salty landscape.

Our gateway to the historical land of Cappadocia was the small town of Avanos, famous for its charming old town, where you can admire the ceramic products of local craftsmen in small galleries and, of course, drink delicious Turkish coffee.

Next we went to the area of ​​Love Valley, called by the locals a bit differently, but we won’t mention it because we would have to change the label of this article to „adults only”! Goreme and its surroundings are the place known from most photos and films about Cappadocia. It is here that almost every morning, just before dawn, the unseen spectacle of dozens of hot air balloons begins, lifting tourists many meters above the ground. Only to admire Cappadocia bathed in the warm light of the rising sun.

For us, it was an extraordinary experience. First, technical teams, while still completely dark, spread the fabric of the balloons on the ground and used powerful fans to inflate their interiors. At the same time, the sky tourists were brought to the site by buses straight from the hotels where they were staying. And right next to us, companies were setting up that were doing paid photo and/or video sessions. That was probably what surprised us the most. We saw couples who did such an intimate and personal moment as a proposal, one next to the other, almost in a crowd of other people doing exactly the same thing. Just to immortalize this situation with the balloons against the backdrop of the rising sun. There were also old American convertibles, rented three-meter dresses dragging on the ground, fireworks and illuminated inscriptions. All this just to take a unique photo, which from our perspective had absolutely nothing to do with being unique. And in between all this, us, with our dusty Terrano, slowly sipping our morning coffee.

After a few dozen minutes, the tents landed. Cars with trailers, on which the basket with tourists had to be placed, performed a truly ballet dance, driving from place to place, chasing their balloons. After a successful landing, of course, applause, the distribution of a certificate of participation in the flight and a ceremonial glass of champagne.

When the sun rose a little higher in the sky and got going, the technical teams rolled up the balloons, the tourists were taken back to their hotels, and all those who were supposed to get engaged that day returned to their daily duties, peace returned to the valley. Only we and the camper a dozen or so meters away remained. This silence will be heard here all day and all night, until dawn, when the whole ritual based on this complicated choreography will start again, thus providing many people with unforgettable experiences.

We spent a few days in Cappadocia and from there we headed west. We passed through the towns of Aksaray, Konya and Isprata – above Antalya. We did not miss the so-called cotton castle in Pamukkale and the ruins of the ancient city of Hierapolis.

There is much to say about this attraction, as well as about all the places we visited. However, this article would have to be much longer. Nevertheless, we highly recommend a holiday at Lake Salda Golu and visiting a real Turkish bazaar, especially the one with vegetables, fruits and spices. The taste of fresh peaches and tomatoes is inimitable!

During the entire expedition, the reliability of our car left much to be desired. It all started with the replacement of injectors in Istanbul. Despite the fact that we had all four units regenerated two years ago by installing completely new tips in a trusted service, they were still damaged. On the way, our alternator belt also snapped, and the steering gear seal went into its undeserved retirement, because it was replaced just before leaving Poland. However, regardless of whether we had to deal with an oil leak from the steering system or repair the injectors, everything was done relatively painlessly. The mechanical simplicity of this car is its greatest asset and we emerged unscathed from every predicament. Maybe a little lighter by a few Turkish liras, but happy that we could continue our expedition. 

We were worried about the temperature. Turkey in July is known for throwing a very hot party at anyone who decides to visit in the middle of summer. The mountainous terrain and a car from the previous millennium loaded to the rafters can be part of the equation that results in an engine that boils. Fortunately, reducing speed on the long climbs and constantly watching the engine temperature gauge allowed us to drive around Turkey without a serious breakdown. Even the air conditioning worked well enough to keep the cabin at a livable temperature on the road. In the cities and when stuck in traffic jams, the situation was completely different, but fortunately we managed to avoid most of the large centres.

The people made the biggest impression on us in Turkey. We won’t hide the fact that at first we experienced quite a culture shock, because Turkey is extremely chaotic, especially on the roads. It is loud, lively, people are expressive and direct. What charmed us the most was their openness and hospitality. We always got help, even though it was hard for us to communicate. We drank a sea of ​​tea and ate the best breakfast in a small Turkcell mobile network salon. For many people, traveling by car on such a distant expedition seemed downright absurd. Turkey is chosen by thousands of our compatriots as a place to spend their holidays, but they usually travel there using the services of airlines.

For us, sleeping in a tent and the comfort of a complete camping structure, including a shower, gives us a sense of incredible freedom. We are not limited by a hotel or a rented car. We know what our car can do off-road and there was no place we could not drive in fear of damaging suspension elements. 

The fact that we were free to choose where we went next suited us just fine. Wild camping in Turkey is incredibly easy. The locals have camping in their DNA, and there were small fires everywhere, boiling water for tea or coffee. 

For us, a very important aspect is communion with local nature, which would be very difficult from the level of a hotel room. However, the possibility of waking up in a beautiful place with only fauna and flora as neighbors is an argument for us why we did not trade our vacation for the best all-inclusive package.

During the trip, the Alutop 3 tent worked great for us. We were able to make the most of our time during the day, because setting up the tent took us literally a few moments. We often used it as a viewing terrace to admire the most beautiful sunsets. This model is a good solution for travelers who change places every day, who want to quickly set up and take down the tent, in which they will only sleep. The only thing we missed was a little more space to be able to hide in the tent during rain, tiring wind or to simply calm down and rest from a lot of stimuli. We dreamed of a corner that would give us a breather, allow us to straighten up and admire the stars at night. We hope that we will be able to test such a tent soon. 

Below you can watch a video about the ALUTOP3 tent