Guide
Davraz Dağı rises to 2,635 metres in the Lakes Region of the Mediterranean, between Lake Eğirdir and Lake Kovada, one of the mountain masses that ring the Isparta plain. Its ski centre is on the northern slope at the Kulovası plateau, 26 kilometres south-east of Isparta and eight kilometres from Çobanisa, the nearest village; the area was declared a tourism centre, the Davraz Dağı–Karlıyayla Winter Sports Tourism Centre, on 17 February 1995. Pine, juniper and cedar make up much of the vegetation, and the runs look out over Lake Eğirdir.
Twelve runs add up to 23.5 kilometres, between 1,650 and 2,344 metres. The Isparta governorship describes gentle routes for beginners and runs of eight to ten kilometres for experienced skiers, with no avalanche danger and no risk of getting lost on the pistes. Three chairlifts climb from 1,674 to 1,961 metres, from 1,961 to 2,150 metres and from 2,080 to 2,344 metres; a 624-metre T-bar also runs from 1,961 to 2,150 metres, and there are two 300-metre baby lifts. Nordic and alpine skiing, ski touring and snowboarding are all possible. From the terrace of the café at 1,950 metres you can watch the chairlift, the skiers and Lake Eğirdir below.
Snow begins to fall in December, and the season runs from December into May, with snow depths of 50 to 250 centimetres; January and February are the busiest months. Ski instructors, a medical service and an equipment room operate through the season. Besides the hotels at the ski centre, there is a guesthouse in Çobanisa, the village at the entrance to the mountain, and visitors also stay in Eğirdir and Isparta.
In summer, football teams use Davraz as a training camp in June, July and August, and the mountain is used for climbing, mountain biking, trekking, paragliding and jeep safaris. Solo and tandem paragliders launch from the eastern runs at around 1,800 metres and land on the Kul Ovası. Three routes lead to the summit, Ulparçukuru Tepesi. The western route starts above the town of Sav on the Isparta–Antalya road; there is no water above a spring among young red pines, and in summer the climb can be done in a day without technical gear, though an ice axe and crampons may be needed in winter. The northern route climbs from the ski centre by way of Kıryayla, Masa Tepe and Oğlaktaşı, but cornices that form in winter make it prone to avalanches. The eastern route, also from the ski centre, crosses the Büyük Geven area to the Küçük Davraz and Büyük Davraz summits; it is safe in winter but long.
Getting there
The ski centre is 26 kilometres south-east of Isparta, on an asphalt road that is kept open through the winter.
When to go
- Climate
- Across Isparta as a whole, monthly mean temperatures run from 1.9 °C in January to 23.5 °C in August; the mean stays between 15 and 25 °C in May, June, July, August and September; rainfall is heaviest in December (86 mm) and lightest in August (14 mm). Long-term means for 1929-2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
