Kartalkaya ski resort lures visitors to Bolu

BOLU

Kartalkaya attracts thousands of local and foreign tourists. It is one of Turkey’s most popular ski tourism centers in its northwestern region.

Kartalkaya ski resort, with a total area of 70 kilometers and 25 different tracks, lies in the Köroğlu Mountains in the northern Black Sea province of Bolu.

The resort, which is located at around 45 kilometers from the city center of Bolu, 186 kilometers from the capital Ankara and 263 kilometers from Istanbul, is in the summit of Köroğlu Mountains, with an elevation of 2,200 meters.

Holiday-goers, who travel to the resort using the Anadolu motorway and the D-100 highway, can catch a chance to witness the mesmerizing natural beauty of Kındıra village and the snow-covered forest.

Sarıalan Plateau in foothills of the ski resort charms visitors with its houses and natural beauty. Five hotels with 2,000 beds offer a comfortable and fun holiday.

A total of 113,489 visitors, including foreigners, visited the ski resort in 2016.       

Tourists can enjoy skiing and snowboarding there, while those who don’t bring their equipment with them can rent equipment from hotels. Visitors also have the chance to take skiing lessons from instructors.

The hotels in the area provide night skiing for tourists. They also offer live music, entertainment, activities and various attractions for holidaymakers who prefer to stay in hotels instead of skiing.     

The hotels also offer various activities for children. In the resort, there are many tracks and playgrounds for children. They can also take skiing lessons from the trainers.       

Gendarmerie search and rescue teams (JAK) from the Kartalkaya Gendarmerie Station are always active to cope with any untoward incident as a result of fog and heavy snowfall.

If tourists slide off the tracks, they can press emergency buttons installed on different trees.

A computer system in the police office receives a signal via radio frequency and the gendarmerie search and rescue teams locate the tourists and rescue them using motorcycles.