Our Nemrut trip and slightly beyond. How we got there:
Hüseyin Aydin, the owner of Güneş Motel came to pick us up at the Adiyaman airport in a comfortable 6 seater van, took us to a kebab restaurant for dinner outside of town and we got back to the hotel to sleep early so we could get up at dawn. If you take an earlier flight to Adiyaman you can also stop at the Cendere Bridge, Karakus Tumulus and Kahta kalesi or visit them the next day as we did. The Güneş Motel is very very simple, the rooms were warm and functional.
Nemrut Dağ at dawn
From Malatya it's a 2 hour drive to the motel and there are 5 flights a day.If you choose to come from Malatya you can visit Aslantepe Mound, a UNESCO protected World Heritage site.
Güneş hotel is the closest I found to the peak, only 2,3 kilometers away and takes from 20 to 40 minutes to walk it. There are other hotel choices further away but starting at sunrise we were better to stay close. Catherine walked up in the morning. The rest of us drove with Hüseyin bey to a point and then there was a short staircase to the top. Once on top we waited for the orange light, in the meantime other subtle shades of blue hit the huge sculpted heads.
The Sidem Cafe, Diyarbakir
The direct drive to Mardin is 4 hours but we spent a leisurely day visiting the Cendere bridge, Karakus Tumulus, and Kahta kalesi on the way with a stop for lunch in Diyarbakir at the lovely Sidem Cafe recommended by food critic Filiz Hosukoğlu by the 'Ten Eyed Bridge' over the Tigris river.
