Guide
Rising to 4,058 m north of Lake Van, Süphan Dağı is the third-highest mountain in Türkiye and, among the country's volcanoes, second only in height. It lies within Adilcevaz district, between Adilcevaz, Erciş and Patnos. The volcano is extinct; when it was last active is not known exactly, but studies point to a final eruption around 8000 BC.
Its highest point is Sandık Tepe. At the summit sits a lava dome about a kilometre across, left from its active days, along with glacial lakes large and small, one of them said to be very deep, and the top is covered by an ice cap that makes a fine sight from a distance. The historic Kırklar Mezarlığı on the summit holds the graves of forty martyrs and is an important place for climbers, and from the top Lake Van spreads out below.
The mountain's volcanic soils make the lower plains around it very fertile, and they are farmed. Its many springs supply water to Adilcevaz, Ahlat, Malazgirt and Patnos, and one of its streams feeds Aygır Gölü. Mountaineering, ski touring, hiking, camping, off-road driving and paragliding all take place here, but climbing is what draws most people.
Most ascents are made from the east, the easier side. Climbers usually start at Aydınlar village and set up camp at Şekerpınarı or Süphan Yaylası, high pastures at about 2,500 m some 6–7 km away. Going to the summit and back takes 8–10 hours, sometimes as long as 12, passing springs and crater and glacial lakes on the way. The summer climbing season runs from late June to the middle of September.
Getting there
Climbs usually begin at Aydınlar village, on the eastern side of the mountain.
When to go
- Climate
- Across Bitlis as a whole, monthly mean temperatures run from -4.2 °C in January to 23.1 °C in August; the mean stays between 15 and 25 °C in June, July, August and September; rainfall is heaviest in March (196 mm) and lightest in August (7 mm). Long-term means for 2011-2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
