Cildir Lake
A Large High Lake On The North Eastern Plateau, Frozen Solid Through Winter With Horse Drawn Sleigh Rides And Ice Fishing, And A Bird Habitat With Pelicans And Cranes In Summer. A Remote And Cold Landscape On The Road To Ani, Kars And The Georgian Border · Cildir, Ardahan
Cildir Lake lies at about 1,950 m on the cold Kars-Ardahan plateau of north-east Turkiye, in Ardahan province, roughly 60-90 km north-west of Kars (confirm). It is one of the largest lakes in the east, a wide shallow basin of steppe, villages and low hills, with few trees and a huge sky. Summer is short and green, when cranes, pelicans, gulls and ducks gather on the reeds and islands, and herders move cattle along the shore. Winter is the reason most visitors come: from about December to March the lake freezes thick enough for people, cars and horse-drawn sleighs, fishermen cut holes for ice fishing, and local families offer sleigh rides, hot tea and fish on the ice at roadside stalls. The setting is remote and plain, with big cold light, and the towns of Kars and Ardahan supply the hotels. Cildir pairs naturally with the medieval ruins of Ani and the Russian-era streets of Kars on a north-east loop.
Cildir Lake, a high-altitude lake in the Kars-Ardahan plateau of north-east Turkiye roughly 70 km north of Kars, at about 1,950 m; coordinates approximate, Cildir, Ardahan, Turkiye
The lake is open to view at any hour all year, with no gate or fixed opening times. Sleigh drivers and ice fishermen work in daylight, roughly 09:00 to 16:00 in the frozen months, depending on cold and wind - confirm with your guesthouse. Roadside stalls and small restaurants serve from about 09:00 to dusk and close early in bad weather. Winter weekends bring the most visitors and summer weekdays the fewest. Thaw weeks in March and April end the ice season, when sleighs stop and boats are not yet running.