When making preparations for a visit to the gallipoli national park in Turkey and you are looking for accommodation you should have a look at this small authentic hotel. The Gallipoli houses offers accommodation for 20 guests and is the most authentic hotel within the gallipoli national park.
THE GALLIPOLI HOUSES
Kocadere Village
17900
Eceabat / Çanakkale
Tel : + 90 + 286-814 26 50
Fax : + 90 + 286-814 16 17
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the gallipoli national park
Although with restrictions it is possible to have a great diving experience featuring natural beauty & history alike.
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And last but not least, the famous historical site of Troy is just across the Dardanelles.
The Gallipoli
National Park is the final resting place of thousands of soldiers who gave
their life during the Gallipoli Campaign.
Although burdened with this grim military history,
the Gallipoli National Park
today is a peaceful place of great
beauty, charm and serenity; a
striking contrast with the bitter fighting that took place
here in 1915.
No need to say that the main
attraction of the National Park are the battlefields.
They consist of three main sectors :
Suvla, Anzac & Helles.
One should
allow half a day for each of them to get an decent impression; a full
day if you have a more than average interest.
Every battlefield-enthousiast however will tell you
that
the only way to
get the "real experience" is walk the battlefields. So if possible allow a day (or two) for hiking places such as Schrapnel Valley, the New Zealand trail
from Chunuk Bair to the outposts, the Kireçtepe Ridge and/or Gully Ravine.
Not only are these hikes of
historical value but they also offer beautiful scenery
and with a bit of luck a glimpse at the
local wildlife.
The
Gallipoli
National Park has a great Aegean feel,
simular to the south of France yet untouched by the 21st century.
When driving in the park one
frequently comes across
shepherds herding their flock, farmers working the land and
sleepy village squares where the only sign of life comes from the village
café.
The
Gallipoli peninsula is home to some
of Turkeys last
remaining pristine beaches. These beaches are possibly the
best kept secret in Turkey as even in summer they don't get crowded.
Wildflowers bloom in
Spring and give the peninsula a colourful carpet. In summer this carpet turns
yellow with the thousands of
sunflowers that are grown by the farmers.
Birdwatchers will not regret they brought their binocolors : resident
birds
are plentyful and in Spring and Autumn there is a hectic activity near the
Suvla salt lake where migratory birds take a short break
on their trek North or South.
Today, the
battlefields remain quietly beautiful around the year. Since the great forest
fire of 1994, Anzac stands almost as it was in 1915, its dry scrub punctuated by
the dazzling white stones of the cemeteries where Birdwoods men lie close to
where they fell. The trench lines are still clearly visible, especially around
the lip of the escarpment for which so many died. Fragments of equipment litter
the area : mess tins, water-bottles, food cans, cartridge cases, innumerable
shards of ASC rum jars. At Helles, the piers on the beaches are still visible,
though ground down by 80 years of storm. Off W beach lies the Majestic, from
which enterprising Turkish fishermen will undertake to retrieve mess plates and
other items. To walk up Gully Ravine is a truly haunting experience, and to
stand near Pink Farm and see the ground over which the battalions charged to
certain destruction is to sense the futility of it all. Suvla remains alone,
deserted save from the patient farmers who scratch what existence they can from
the poor soil. In high summer the heat is almost unendurable, but in spring and
autumn the weather is temperate. It is surely the most beautiful of all old
battlegrounds. Out to sea lie the islands of Imros and Samothrace, and to stand
on the summit of the Sari Bair Ridge at point 971 and watch the sun go down
behind the latter is possibly the most moving of all the many experiences to be
undergone in this place. It is here that the visitor is moved to silence, to
reflect that around these hills, and on the plain to the front, there died an
age of innocence.
Gallipoli, (London 2000),
Michael Hickey, p. 340
... For me, the wildlife I saw in the National Park was an unexpected
bonus ...
John Shephard - UK
To read more testimonials
click here
We were sat there on "A" beach one
day when one of our party said "You know this is every bit as good as any
Carribean beach
I have ever sat on - the only difference is that we've got it to
ourselves".
Martin Wills - UK
Read more testimonials :
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the gallipoli national park
Looking
for more information on what happened here in 1915 ?
Visit our
"the Gallipoli
campaign" website.
A
large
collection of pictures
taken during numerous walks, complimented with period pictures and
passages from the many books
that have been written on this ill-fated campaign. In no way is this an attempt
to give an overview of the campaign, nor is this an online guidebook, but rather
a
kaleidoscope on the Gallipoli campaign.