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Nemrut Crater Lake
In Bitlis, not Van. A crater lake in the caldera of an extinct volcano between the districts of Tatvan, Ahlat and Güroymak.
Nemrut Crater Lake is in Bitlis province, not Van; it lies in the caldera of an extinct volcano between the districts of Tatvan, Ahlat and Güroymak.
Tatvan Kaymakamlığı (Tatvan District Governor’s Office) records the lake as Türkiye’s largest crater lake. The caldera floor is at an altitude of 2,247 metres, and its highest peak, Sivritepe, is 2,935 metres.
The caldera road does not open on the same date every year: it opens after snow clearance, which in recent years has been in May. Bitlis Valiliği (Bitlis Governor’s Office) instructs visitors not to approach or hand-feed brown bears in the area, light fires or enter the lake. The area was closed to visitors from 1 to 15 September 2025 because of bear attacks.
Directions: access the caldera road through Tatvan district in Bitlis.
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