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Kemaliye International Culture and Outdoor Sports Festival

(21-27 June 2008, Kemaliye Erzincan)


You can not compete with nature, while performing in outdoor sports you compete with your self ego. The target of Kemaliye Outdoor Sports Festival is to raise sportmen from the region who have respect for nature and for other living things while performing sports and managing their daily life.The first outdoor sports festival in Kemaliye was undertaken in the year 2004 which was dedicated to Governor of Erzincan Recep Yazıcıoğlu. Outlook of this festival is to be traditional festival of Kemaliye for Outdoor Sports while embracing district’s cultural values and characteristics.The unique natural beauties of Kemaliye and suitable geographical structure of Kemaliye for every outdoor sport promises a very suitable foundation for ecological tourism and alternative tourism for the City of Kemaliye.There exists undiscovered 600 m rocky climbing areas for professional climbers, where as there also exists courses for beginners. Also horizantally going down rocky canyon walls to Euphrat riverbed gives a very exiting opportunity for the ones who loves canyoning sport. There are also many courses and tracks for river and water sports like rafting, sea-kajak, jetski, waterski, boat safari. City of Kemaliye lies on the starting edge of river to lake transformation point of Keban Damlake. Lake sports like rowing boat discipline seems to be popular in the future because of very suitable courses in Kemaliye near Keban Damlake for rowing.Especially Mountain Bike races which are conducted every year in Kemaliye make Kemaliye an important racecourse in the National Cycling Federation activities. Racecourses of Kemaliye have special authentic tracks for mountainbike races and this is also admired by professionals from the National Federation of Cycling.Cirit (Javelin, Horse riding game) is a national and traditional sport for turkish people. The game area beside Euphrat River is a very suitable place for this spectacular horse riding game.Ancient caravan paths and high mountain passages as trekking courses gives a breathtaking trekking opportunity and magnificient spectacular nature scenes to all tourists who prefer to perform trekking in Kemaliye.

Special types of edible delicious wild mushrooms can be found also in the nature. These mushrooms can be found between April-June. This mushroom is called “Göbek” in Kemaliye which means belly in english because it is white, soft and looks like a belly. For centuries the regional folk have been searching for these mushrooms during that 2-3 week period in April-June. These mushrooms can be found under a plant root called “chashur” in Kemaliye. This mushroom search is like a trophy in the region. You can undertake this trophy. These is also a slogan if you do Belly(“Göbek”) Trophy, you loose excess weight (fat from your belly).

Parachuting, deltawing, paragliding and ultralight can also be performed in the region as outdoor sporting activities.

Near Kemaliye’s city center Euphrates becomes a dam. That is why river sports made by rafting boats. You can undertake rafting through Dark Canyon Valley starting from Gumuscesme village till Chevlik Lake. This route gives us a breathtaking ‘Boat Safari’ route.

Distributed villages and houses serve a very good track for off-road and enduro motor sports fans. You can discover many different tracks from one village to another while having breathtaking views of 2000m high Saricicek high plateau’s wild life on one side. Munzur Mountain and Euphrates River and many small springs lie on the other side.

Outdoor Sports’ and Alternative Tourism’s Hidden Heaven: Kemaliye lies in the east of Ankara, in the heart of east anatolia. You can reach east black sea region and capadoccia with a half day trip for the weekend. As Divrigi and Harput, Kemaliye has also a non-discovered authentic and ethnographic culture and architecture. This characteristic unites these cities for a regional tourism attraction centers.
Like ”Route 66”, ”Route Nemrut” will be a candidate new road for the offroad and motorbicycle hookers.

Route Nemrut which begins from Capadoccia, goes through Divrigi, passes through Kemaliye by using Stoneway “Tasyolu”, directs its way to Harput from Kemaliye, and finishes in Nemrut, will be a motive for the ones who would like to unite history and breathtaking natural views with adventure.

Non-polluted clean air gives you a very clear view to count the craters of moon under the stars.

Divrigi Ulu Mosque and its Kulliye is one of the famous Seljuk Era Architecture. You can book a four-five days tour package beginning with the Kemaliye’s unique authentic culture and architecture in Kemaliye, ending in Nemrut with a mystic sunrise.

Malatya, Elazığ and Erzincan city centers are about 2 to 2 and a half hours car ride to Kemaliye. You can reach 3 airports in three cities where you can find 3 national airlines which are providing flights almost everyday sometimes two times a day to major cities inTurkey like Antalya, Ankara, and Istanbul.

One also has the opportunity to stay 2-3 days in Kemaliye and reach the eastern Black Sea region and Capadoccia region. You can reach these regions from Kemaliye by using two different roads.

Legendary Orient Express’s route is not far from Kemaliye, just 40 minutes by car.
You can reach Kemaliye after an enjoyable train journey. The train also provides sleeping facilities.

You can reach Divriği through Stoneway “Tasyolu” tunnels like “caterpillar” especially with small cars. When you return you can come to Gumuscesme village where you can start rafting and boat-safari and you can do rafting till Kemaliye. You will never forget this breathtaking route and this activity will remain in your minds as unforgettable.
Picture (Tourists on the Stoneway “Tasyolu” /M.F. Celikmen)


Transportation


Visitors, who come without a car, can come by bus or by train and fly from Elazig, Malatya and Erzincan via Turkish Airlines and other companies then hop on one of the minibuses to Kemaliye.There are minibuses from Erzincan during the weekdays at 15:30, from Malatya all week long except Sunday at 16:00 regularly to Kemaliye. There are buses from Istanbul directly to Kemaliye on Sunday, Wednesday and Saturday. You can take the trains Orient Express or Erzurum Express from Haydarpasa and get off in Bagistas train station. Here you can get to Kemaliye via minibuses. We can guide the visitors who call us, we’ll guide you by transporting to Kemaliye.

Transportation and General Information


Latif Yalciner
Cumhuriyet Avenue - Kemaliye
Phone: +90 446 7512780-7513111
Mobile: +90 542 5911556, +90 505 2776565
latifyalciner@yahoo.com

Accomodation:


Bozkurt Hotel
The hotel is in the city center. It has 22 rooms with 44 bed capacity. The hotel is a 2 star hotel, and all of the rooms have bathrooms and toilets. There is a restaurant in the lobby of the hotel offering fine Turkish cuisine of Kemaliye, accompanied by the spectacular view of the Euphrates Valley.
Phone: +90 446 751 2301
Mobile: +90 536 743 9662-0542 512 1926
Fax: +90 446 751 2894Facilities of Ozden Newspaper
24 rooms with 54 bed capacity. It has rooms and a restaurant with great view of Kemaliye and the valley with a wide angle.
Phone: +90 446 7512150
Fax: +90 446 7512079
http://www.ozdengazetesi.com.tr Haci Omer Guest House
Haci Omer Yalcinkayalar serves the guests in a traditional Kemaliye House with 2 floors. The top floor is 80 m2 with a bedroom, a large room, a bathroom, a kitchen and a terrace with a great view of nature. On the first floor, there is a bedroom, a large room, a kitchen and a bathroom. The house has a garden with a pool and a pergola.
Phone: +90 446 7512636
Mobile: +90 532 2148456 Horoz Gözü Camping Place
This camping place is organized to serve tourists who want to perform mountaineering, climbing, and canyoning and explore caves. The capacity of this camping place is 500 tents. 5 showers with hot water, male-female toilets, drinking water, garbage, sewerage system, electricity are available in the camping place. Bahceli Guesthouse
8 rooms with single, double, triple beds, breakfast and accomodation is available.
Phone:0 446 751 2065
GSM: 0 544 365 0482 Kedost Camping Place (Village of Yuva - Lake Chevlik)
River and lake water sports like canoeing, sea-kayaking and rafting, also hot water, shower, WC for men and women, drinking water and all other infrastruture for camping is available near free air olympic swimming pool for guests.
Phone: 0 446 751 29 29Head Official of Kemaliye
Phone: 0 446 751 21 36
http://www.Kemaliye.gov.trMunicipality of Kemaliye
Phone: 0 446 751 20 16 -751 20 66
Fax: 0 446 751 25 52

KEMAV Office - Kemaliye
Phone:0 446 751 23 43
http://www.Kemav.org.tr
ÇEKÜL Office - Kemaliye
Phone: 0 446 751 28 52
http://www.Cekul.org.tr

KEDOST - Kemaliye Outdoor Sports and Tourism Agency
Phone: 0 446 751 29 29
Cumhuriyet Cad. 1. Sok. No:3 Kemaliye – Erzincan
http://www.Kedost.com

KEMAV - Culture and Development Foundation of Kemaliye
Dolap Cad. Sofular Mahallesi No:1 Kat:2 Kıztaşı - Fatih
Phone: 0090 212 523 43 54 Fax: 0090 212 523 43 55
Email: bilgi@kemav.org.tr



GSM-Youth Services Centre Program (from 2007)
For the description of GSM-Organization click here.

What do the shortcuts mean?

GSM01 Kemaliye- 1/ Erzincan 14 May-27 May 2007 FEST 18 vols

Partner: This is the 2nd time that we have been cooperating with Kemaliye Culture and Development Foundation whose aim to promote and protect Kemaliye and its natural, cultural beauties. In order to have more information visit: http://www.senlik.kemaliye.net

Work: During the camp, there will be held International Nature Sports Festival. The volunteers will take part the preparation of the festival area as well as be responsible of some practical work within the festival. The working hours will be flexible due to the festival program.
Food and accommodation: restaurant / dormitory
Location: In the Munzur Mountains in eastern Turkey is Kemaliye the small town of Erzincan. Kemaliye is one of few Turkish towns to have preserved its late 19th century architecture, and its beauty is enhanced by its magnificent setting in the steep valley. Beyond the orchards and fields along the river bank the town raises in terraces, the houses interspersed with shops, mosques, churches, schools and public buildings. Only at the point where the mountain rears into a sheer rock wall do the buildings and greenery come to an end.
Terminal: the nearest airport is; Ankara or Istanbul.