The Aladağlar, "the Red Mountains", are the central Taurus range, sitting between Cappadocia and the Mediterranean coast. They are the most-climbed mountains in Türkiye, with serious alpine routes on the high peaks and a long history of summer camping in the valley below.
The range tops out at Kızılkaya (3,767m) and contains more than thirty other peaks over three thousand metres. While Kızılkaya holds the title of highest peak, mountaineers know the range by its iconic face, Demirkazık (3,756m), a few metres lower but the summit climbers come for. The eastern face is what climbers come for, sheer limestone walls, alpine routes graded from easy scrambles to long technical climbs. The western valleys and the southern Bolkar range complete the regional package.
This guide combines the Aladağlar themselves with the Bolkar mountains to the south and a few of Niğde's lower-elevation cultural sites. Four days minimum if you want to climb. Two if you only want to camp, walk, and look. Before you scroll, the film at the bottom of this page travels through most of the places below, so it is worth a watch.
