Kisirkaya is a district that is an hour from my house and has one of the famous lakes in Istanbul. In order to explore this lake and the district, I planned a small hiking trip for me and 5 other friends. We drove to the district and started the hike at 7:40 and finished around 9:20. We hiked around 10 km and went for a swim.

Initiative and Planning

This was a hike plan that was initiated and put together by me for a total of 6 people, I researched possible hike trails that can give us a birds-eye view of the lake, I arranged transportation to the Kisirkaya district, and planned the whole day including lunch and swimming as well as the price of the trip. I thought planning this hiking day for me and my friends who attend school online all day would be refreshing to get some physical activity and see some new scenery.

Global Engagement

Within my group, I have foreign friends, who do not know the Kisirkaya district so I saw this trip as an opportunity to educate them on some of the districts in Sariyer, Istanbul, and show how all the districts are connected.   Kisirkaya lake and forests are connected to Sariyer district in Istanbul and are 30-40 km away from a lot of Istanbul’s districts. Within the surrounding area in Kisirkaya there are opportunities to camp, swim, hike and relax at beaches. With its diverse species availability within the forests, camping in the forests is a wonderful experience. There are about 9 lakes in the Kısırkaya region. You can do off-road or trekking on long, narrow, and challenging tracks by the lake.

Challenges and Skills

This was an offroad hike by the lake on this elevated plato, therefore the trail was quite steep and long with the addition of the cold weather there were quite a few challenges that were undertaken within this day trip. We prepared for the cold weather with thick clothing but as the day went on the morning chill went away the weather became warmer. Therefore carrying all the jackets was difficult but manageable. Also because it rained the previous day, the track was quite slippery and muddy. Although it made the whole hike a little bit more challenging it was fun and we washed the mud and dirt off our clothes and skin in the lake.