Ankara Off The Beaten Path

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Visiting the lakes at the south of Ankara is not usually on tourists’ list but stopping at a park with no name just to see them first from above is obviously really rare!

We parked our car at the side street of Turan Güneş Bv (Oran caddesi for the locals). Keep your eyes open for a green door for ODTU(Middle East Technical University) EYMiR area. There is usually a man selling fresh orange juice near the gate!

We walked a bit through the (boring) park, not much of flowers, just some typical trees (pic 1) but we liked the fact we were alone and we could breath fresh air and enjoy the silence after a busy day at the chaotic city center of Ankara.

We checked some more trees (pic 2) and we ended up at a clearing where a couple was watching Eymir lake from above (pic 3), we didn’t spoil their moment for a while but then we went closer and we had a picture of the lake too (pic 4). More info about Eymir lake at my next tip because after a while we went down there.

If you turn your head a bit to the right you will see another lake at the distance (pic 5). It’s Mogan lake (locally known as Golbasi) 25km south of Ankara at Golbasiarea, it’s a small (6sq kilometers) alluvial set lake, 3km SW of Eymir lake (100 years before the 2 lakes were one due to a heavy flood). It houses camping areas and many restaurants, recreation park and numerous walking paths.

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Polatli is a big town which is 76 km from Ankara. It is important for Turkish travellers.
Gordion(yassi hoyuk) is a ancient area but there are also something to see about Turkey's big war for independence. Bombardier's school museum also worth to see.

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You may say ODTU (Orta Dogu Teknik Üniveritesi) in Turkish. It is one of the best university in Turkey. There are many international students here. Students can go to US or Europe from here easily. It has a good education, good campus, nice forest, many activities, concerts etc. Eymir lake also belongs to university. But it is far from university.

Ankara has 2 big lake. Mogan is at the Golbasi town. Eymir is the smaller river which belongs to Middle east technical university. But you may reach from Oran area and walk around the lake if you have extra time..

Near the southern end of Ankara, behind the TRT building, Middle East Technical University maintains a forest and a lake. It is 4 YTL to drive your car in, but if you park outside and walk it is free. The walking path around the lake is 11 km, but you can stop and rest your feet at any number of shoreline restaurants and cafes. You can also picnic, but open fires and grills are restricted to preserve the forest. If you want to have a peaceful time, go before 12:00 pm, but if you want to people watch, after 2:00 pm is the best time.

If you walk your dog, you will be barked at by some of the semi-owned dogs in the area, but they are completely harmless.

If you are a runner, a running club meets in the TRT side parking lot, outside the gate every Saturday morning at 8:00 am, rain, shine, or snow.

It can be very interesting to have a trip over the houses and apartments in a gondola for recognising the ordinary housing and daily life with the teleferic line of Kalaba valley in Kecioren district Ankara.You can have a good Turkish meal also in the authentic restaurant located near teleferic station at "estergon kalesi" castle.

eymir golu is a nice little lake in the outskirts of ankara.
it has a lot of cafes and is a favorite hangout for ankara intellectuals.
i really like chilling out there with some fish and beer while chatting to university turks.
the place is hard to reach though and you will need your own transport in order to get there.

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A crater lake 74 kms away from Ankara. 29 kms away from Cubuk province. Surrounded by tree covered cliffs. you can either take your own food (barbecu etc.) or there is a small fish restaurant. take a walk thorugh the forest but dont get lost!. You gotta use your personal car or there may be some travel acencies for daily trips.