Hakkâri, known in Kurdish as Colemêrg, is a city of about 60,000 in Eastern Anatolia. It's in the far southeastern corner of Turkey, and the main reason to visit is to hike the surrounding mountains.
Understand
[edit]Hakkari is about 200 km west of the tri-point of Turkey, Iran and Iraq. To the Iranian border is 115 km by road; to the Iraqi border is about 80 km but there is no crossing along this stretch. There's a heavy army presence to catch smugglers and illegal immigrants but above all to keep an eye on the Kurds, the majority population hereabouts. All three countries plus Syria are paranoid that the Kurds might unite and carve out a separate state. The main separatist faction is the PKK, Partiya Karkerên Kurdistanê or Kurdistan Workers' Party, which mounted terrorist attacks and from 1984 outright rebellion. Turkish forces have destroyed entire villages and massacred hundreds of Kurds in retaliation. A ceasefire of 2015 broke down, a further ceasefire of 2025 is holding for the time being. This means a cautious peace in which you can visit the area, but keep abreast of local news while keeping yourself out of local politics.
Get in
[edit]
Yüksekova (YKO IATA) is the nearest airport, 80 km east. This has flights 4 days a week by Turkish Airlines from Istanbul (IST) taking 2 hr 20 min, and 3 days a week by Ajet from Ankara. In full it's "Hakkâri–Yüksekova Selahaddin Eyyubi Airport" with Selahaddin referring to Saladin (1137–1193) who wrested Jerusalem from the Crusaders.
Hakkâri is off Highway D-400, the fast divided road along the south of Turkey, from Bodrum and Antalya on the Med coast via Mersin, Adana, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa and Mardin. From Hakkâri it continues east to Yüksekova and the Iranian border at Esendere. A good road branches off D-400, crosses the river and climbs the slope, to make a loop around town centre.
The national inter-city bus lines don't venture this far out. Hakkâri Seyahat dolmuşes run hourly from Van. Dolmuşes from Yüksekova take about 90 min.
1 Hastane Cd is the stop for buses and dolmuşes - it means "Hospital Street" and it's just an open square-cum-parking lot off Gençlik Cd by the State Hospital. Hakkâri like other Turkish cities built a new bus station away out of town, but after a while they noticed that hardly any buses ran there so they abandoned it.
Get around
[edit]Hakkâri's limited sights are within walking distance but you need wheels, preferably 4WD, to explore the area.
See
[edit]
- Town centre is bland 20th century low-rise. It was wrecked by the earthquake of 1930.
- 1 Grand Mosque (Ulu Cami) was demolished in the 2020s and re-built in trad Ottoman style.
- 2 Hakkari Museum, Sevgi Cd. M-Sa 09:00-17:00. Ethnography museum in a restored madrasa built 1700, set around an elegant courtyard.
- 3 Zeynel Bey Madrasa was built in 1560 but is now a scrappy ruin.
Do
[edit]- Hamams are traditional Turkish baths. Zekigüzel Hamamı is at Fidan Hanım Cd 4/E by Sibar Otel, open daily 07:00-23:00.
- Mountain hikes: seek local advice on which trails are safe to access, which varies by season. Cennet Cehennem Vadisi ("Heaven & Hell Valley") is the best known, reached by a dirt track passable by high-clearance vehicles.
- Skiing: there's a resort in the mountains 11 km west of the city, see Sleep. Don't bring your canoe, kayak is Turkish for skiing.
- Durankaya is another ski resort further west.
Buy
[edit]
A dozen small supermarkets in town centre, typically open daily 08:00-22:00.
Eat
[edit]A score of small eating places, with the main cluster north on Bulvar Cd.
Drink
[edit]Cafes might serve alcohol, but this is a conservative area.
Sleep
[edit]- 1 Sibar Otel, Altay Cd 15, ☏ +90 438 211 2505. Fairly basic, and overpriced for what you get. Make sure you see the room before you book (the view might be the street, the mountains or a brick wall) and be prepared to haggle. Ümit Otel opposite is now part of Sibar. B&B double 4000 TL.
- 2 Hotel Şenler, Bulvar Cd 38, ☏ +90 438 211 3808. Old fashioned but reasonably comfy hotel. B&B double 4000 TL.
- 3 Hakkâri Camping, Firat Cd 49, Merzan (3 km west of town), ☏ +90 537 446 0405. Good base for climbers.
- 4 Kayak Merkezi Otel, Sarıkaya (11 km west of town). Modern ski centre hotel, usually booked up by groups.
Stay safe
[edit]Going for a wild walk (to take pictures) on your own even to the top of one of the hills close to the city could let you end up next to a military zone. Drones and photography are forbidden in some places, and be cautious using binoculars. You should always have your passport or ID with you. Do not cross the border except at official crossings and even then please read up to date safety advice about Iraq or Iran beforehand.
As always if trekking be properly prepared for the weather and ask local advice if unsure.
Connect
[edit]
As of 2026, Hakkâri has no 5G and a patchy 4G signal from all Turkish carriers, but there's nothing out of town or on the approach roads.
Go next
[edit]- Yüksekova has the airport and is a stopover on the way to Van and Esendere border crossing.
- Van stands on salt-soda Lake Van and has a battered castle.
- Esendere border crossing in 2026 is open, if your paperwork is in order. Urmia is the first town reached in Iran, and the highway continues to Tabriz and Tehran.
| Routes through Hakkâri |
Şanlıurfa ← Nusaybin ← Şırnak (  N) ←
|
W  E
|
→ Yüksekova →  Esendere/Serow → Becomes   → Urmia 
|
| Doğubayazıt ← Van ← | N  S
|
→ Ends at 
|