Hakkari is the province most travel writers admit they have not visited. It sits in the far southeastern corner of Türkiye, against the Iraqi and Iranian borders, and contains some of the most dramatic mountain landscape in the country. For decades it was effectively off-limits to international visitors due to regional security concerns. The situation has improved markedly in the last five to ten years.
The mountains here are the Cilo-Sat range, with peaks above four thousand metres and small remnant glaciers, the southernmost glaciers in Türkiye. The valleys are dramatic: deep, narrow, water-cut. The culture is Kurdish and the food is what you would expect, slow-cooked lamb, generous breakfasts, strong tea.
This guide is shorter than our others, because Hakkari is genuinely off the tourist circuit and information is harder to verify second-hand. Take this as a primer. If you go, do so with a local guide. The reward is real, but the logistics are not casual. And if you want to see these places in motion before you go, there are a few of our own films from the region further down the page.
