Botan Valley National Park: Siirt’s River Canyons

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1. What is Botan Valley National Park?
2. How do you get to Botan Valley National Park?
3. When is the best time to visit Botan Valley National Park?
4. What is the history of Botan Valley National Park?
5. What is Botan Valley National Park famous for?
6. What can you do at Botan Valley National Park?
7. Frequently asked questions about Botan Valley National Park
8. What do the official records say about Botan Valley National Park?

What is Botan Valley National Park?

Botan Valley National Park protects the canyon of the Botan River (Botan Çayı) south and east of Siirt, where the river has cut deep gorges through the mountains before joining the Tigris. It was declared a national park in Türkiye’s Official Gazette on 15 August 2019, and covers parts of the central, Tillo and Eruh districts.

The landscape is one of steep rock slopes and deep gorges. The provincial culture and tourism directorate notes that the valley has many deep canyons; where the paragliding launch sits, the valley widens to about 3 km. The park has about 29 km of routes, and the directorate has marked several walking trails.

How do you get to Botan Valley National Park?

The park begins close to Siirt city. The paragliding launch site is about a 15-minute drive from the centre, according to the directorate, and the trailheads are reached by road from the city and nearby villages such as Gökçebağ and Taşbalta. You need a car or taxi; there is no regular public transport into the valley. Siirt Airport (SXZ) is the nearest airport.

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When is the best time to visit Botan Valley National Park?

April, May, late September and October. The canyon is very hot in summer, and the directorate warns that there are no water sources on the summit trail, so carry plenty. In spring the slopes are green and the river runs high. Winter brings rain and occasional snow on the heights, and paths can be slippery.

What is the history of Botan Valley National Park?

The 2002 inventory records the Bünyan Wall on the bank of the Botan, on the Pervari road between Taşlı village in Şirvan and Taşbalta village, a solid wall that guides the river with a road running over it, and the Billoris hot spring on the Botan’s bank. It also notes that the Botan caves are the best known of the province’s many limestone caves, some of them with traces of human habitation.

The same inventory listed a tourism development plan for the Botan Valley among the projects foreseen under the regional GAP tourism plan. National park status followed in August 2019, and the provincial directorate now promotes the valley for walking and paragliding.

What is Botan Valley National Park famous for?

• Canyon scenery. Deep gorges cut by the Botan River.
• Paragliding. A launch site at 960 m on the south-facing slopes, with landing on the valley floor at 470 m.
• Walking. Marked trails, including a 10 km climb to the highest point in the project area.
• Rafting. The river is suited to rafting in the right season.

What can you do at Botan Valley National Park?

Walk the Botan Summit trail. The directorate describes a trail that starts about 300 m from the Ancient Road trail, leads to Gökçebağ village, then turns left up a narrow but clearly marked footpath to a hill 1,180 m high, the highest point in the Botan Valley project area, with a wide view over the valley. The round trip is 10 km. The section to Gökçebağ is rated medium, and the steep final climb advanced. There is no water on the route.

Try other trails. The directorate lists the Gökçebağ, Taşbalta–Çatalı, Ancient Road (Antik Yol) and Akabe walking routes as well.

Watch or fly paragliding. Pilots take off from a dirt runway at 960 m and land on the valley floor at 470 m. Ask locally about tandem flights and conditions.

Take the waters at Billoris. The inventory describes the Sağlarca (Billoris) spring, 15 km from Siirt on the Eruh road on the bank of the Botan, with sulphurous water at 35°C. A report by the Refik Saydam Hygiene Institute, it says, found the water good for skin diseases, rheumatism, gynaecological complaints and neuralgia.

Rafting. The river is used for rafting; check with local operators about seasons and safety.

Frequently asked questions about Botan Valley National Park

What do the official records say about Botan Valley National Park?

Because calcareous formations hold an important place in the province’s geology, a great many caves have formed. In some of them traces are found showing that they were used by people as dwellings. These natural caves, which formed when limestone with little resistance to water dissolved, are generally concentrated along the valleys. The most famous of them are the Botan Caves.

All of the province’s land falls within the Tigris basin. After the Euphrates, Kızılırmak and Sakarya basins, the basin is the country’s fourth-largest catchment area. Siirt is surrounded by plateaus covered in rich meadows that receive abundant rain in summer and winter. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Siirt Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)

Main photo: Fatih YILMAZ, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.