Floating Islands Lake 2026 — Yüzen Adalar, Solhan, Bingöl

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What is Floating Islands Lake?
How do you get to Floating Islands Lake?
When is the best time to visit Floating Islands Lake?
What is the history of Floating Islands Lake?
What is Floating Islands Lake famous for?
What can you do at Floating Islands Lake?
Frequently asked questions about Floating Islands Lake
What do the official records say about Floating Islands Lake?

Key facts: Floating Islands Lake

What it is: A small natural lake whose islands of vegetation float freely and drift across the surface; known in Turkish as Yüzen Adalar (Floating Islands).
Where: Aksakal hamlet, Hazarşah village, Solhan district, Bingöl province.
Water: Fresh water, with no mineral salts, according to the 2002 inventory.

What is Floating Islands Lake?

Floating Islands Lake (Yüzen Adalar, or Yüzen Ada in the 2002 inventory) is a small lake in Solhan district of Bingöl province, enclosed on three sides by mountains and hills. On its surface sit islands of matted vegetation that are not attached to the lake bed. They move slowly across the water, pushed by the wind, and you can stand on them and feel them shift beneath you.

The inventory calls it “a wonder of nature” and describes its islands as “a natural phenomenon not seen until now”. It has become Bingöl’s best-known sight and is the main reason most travellers come to the province.

How do you get to Floating Islands Lake?

The lake is at the Aksakal hamlet of Hazarşah village in Solhan district, east of Bingöl city. Drive from Bingöl towards Solhan and Muş, then follow local signs to Hazarşah. A car is the practical way to get there; taxis can be hired in Bingöl or Solhan for the return trip.

The nearest airport is Bingöl Airport, about 20 km southeast of the city. Muş Sultan Alparslan Airport is an alternative if you are coming from the east.

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When is the best time to visit Floating Islands Lake?

Late May to September. In summer the islands are green and the access road is dry; on still days they barely move, and on windy afternoons you will see them drift. Winters at Solhan are long and snowy, and the lake may freeze.

What is the history of Floating Islands Lake?

Floating islands form when plants, roots and peat build up into a mat thick enough to stay buoyant and then break away from the shore or lake bed. Once free, they are carried by wind and currents. This lake is a natural formation; the inventory describes it as a crater lake.

The site was already known locally in 2002, when the inventory listed it under photo safari for Solhan district alongside walking at Zulüm Tepe and the Aksakal crater lake. Since then it has become one of the most photographed places in the province.

What is Floating Islands Lake famous for?

Islands that move. The inventory notes that the islands are independent of each other and move freely.
Standing on the water. Visitors can step onto the islands and feel them drift.
Fresh water. The inventory notes that the lake contains no mineral salts and that fish could be raised in it.

What can you do at Floating Islands Lake?

Watch the islands drift. Find a spot on the shore and see how the islands change position over an hour, especially when the wind picks up.

Step onto an island. Where the islands touch the shore, visitors step onto them. The surface is soft and uneven; go carefully, keep children close, and do not jump between islands.

Photograph the lake. Morning light and reflections on calm days make the best pictures.

Walk nearby. The inventory recommends Zulüm Tepe and the Aksakal crater lake in the same district for walking.

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Frequently asked questions about Floating Islands Lake

Where are the floating islands in Bingöl?

At the Aksakal hamlet of Hazarşah village in Solhan district, east of Bingöl city.

Why do the islands float?

They are mats of plants, roots and peat that are not attached to the lake bed, so the wind moves them across the surface.

Can you stand on the floating islands?

Yes, visitors step onto them from the shore and can feel them move. The surface is soft, so take care.

When is the best time to see the floating islands?

Late May to September, when the islands are green and the access road is dry.

What do the official records say about Floating Islands Lake?

Yüzen Ada, a wonder of nature located at the Aksakal hamlet of Hazarşah village in Solhan district, is a completely natural crater lake surrounded on three sides by mountains and hills. Yüzen Ada has a natural phenomenon not seen until now. The two islands in the middle of the lake are able to move freely on the lake.

The islands are independent within the lake, and while on them it is possible to see the islands move slowly from side to side. The water of the lake is fresh and contains no mineral salts. It is possible to raise fish in the lake. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Bingöl Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)