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Summary
Nice small crag close to Istanbul
Description
Small gorge with limestone outcrops of different aspects east of Istanbul. This idyllic place is somewhat of a recreational reserve with a creek running along the valley and a popular weekend destination also for non-climbers, when it can become crowded. The sectors are termed "Left area" and "Right Area", which refers to the sides when looking INTO the gorge, as opposed to the geographical convention of left/right.
Approach
5-10 min
Bus: From Istanbul, start at Harem Otogar (be sure to pronounce it "ha-REEHM"), which is bus terminal on the asian side.
Take a minibus to Gebze town center (~2:00 h), where you change to one the two local (green) buses towards Tavşanlı ("tough-shunn-leh", do not confuse this with Tavsancil;0:10 h).
From Gebze, bus #499 goes to bus stop "Ballikayalar Caddesi" which is at the north end of Tavşanlı village. Or Bus #397 goes one stop further to the hairpin bend with the Ballikayalar park sign post. Then it's about a 10 -15 min walk to the park entrance.
Train: From Istanbul take the Marmaray line to Gebze. From here take a taxi to the crag and get a contact number of the driver to come and take you back. Alternatively you could find a bus to Gebze town center to connect with the buses detailed above.
Car: from Istanbul, follow D-100 east to Tavshanli, go north till the final parking (fees on weekends).
Where to stay
Camping is said to be permitted on the Western plateau.
Ethic
no pitons, no bolts where natural pro suffices.
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Ballikayalar - Ballikayalar
Left Area - Ballikayalar Left area.jpg
Thu 25 May
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