It was 1 January 2022. While most people were resting the day after New Year, we were in Kars. We flew because time did not allow the Eastern Express we had long dreamed of. Our main reason was skiing in Sarıkamış, yet leaving Kars without seeing the centre was out of the question.
Where are Kars and Sarıkamış?
Kars is a city in the high country of north-eastern Turkey, known for its historic buildings, its castle and buildings left from the Russian period. Nearby Ani, with its medieval ruins, is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Sarıkamış is a district of Kars surrounded by Scots pine forest and known for its ski resort.
What can you do in Kars in one day?
We set aside one day and one night in the centre and fitted in the Caucasus Front War History Museum, Fethiye Mosque, lunch at Hanımeli Kars Mutfağı, and Kars Castle and its surroundings. The museum is the place known in the literature as “Kanlı Tabya” after a battalion of soldiers was lost in the Ottoman-Russian war, and it is very moving. Fethiye Mosque was built as the Alexander Nevsky Church and later converted. The castle is within walking distance of the centre, and we reached it past the 12 Apostles Church and the tomb of Celal Baba. In winter it gets much colder once the sun sets, so dress warmly.
What is skiing in Sarıkamış like?
Sarıkamış was our real reason for coming. It was just after New Year, with crystal snow and quiet pistes. The snow quality lived up to what we had heard, there are not many hotels but they are generally good and fairly priced, and the pine forests add a special atmosphere. Kars and Sarıkamış are about an hour apart, and two nights or more are enough to enjoy it. We stayed at Kayı Snow Hotel and had no problems.
Winter notes
Dress in layers, wear shoes with a non-slip sole and take care on icy ground. For cold days, Rider Healthcare makes a cashmere sock with silver yarn, and Galata Healthcare offers a hot-drink sachet with vitamin C, zinc, echinacea, ginger and B vitamins. Educated Moto Riders organises trips for those who prefer a group.
Read the full story in Turkish with photos and videos: Kars ve Sarıkamış Gezisi.