Trip Planner: Europe / Turkey / Van Province / Van / Nature / Lake Van

Lake Van, Van

4.6

#2 of 14 in Things to do in Van

Water Body Nature / Park

Lake Van is the largest lake in Turkey, located in the far east of the country in the provinces of Van and Bitlis. It is a saline soda lake, receiving water from numerous small streams that descend from the surrounding mountains. Lake Van is one of the world's largest endorheic lakes . The original outlet from the basin was blocked by an ancient volcanic eruption. Although Lake Van is situated at an altitude of 1640m in a region with harsh winters, its high salinity prevents most of it from freezing, and even the shallow northern section is only occasionally an exception.Hydrology and chemistryLake Van is across at its widest point, averaging a depth of 171m with a maximum recorded depth of 451m. The lake surface lies 1640m above sea level and the shore length is 430km. Lake Van has an area of 3755km2 and a volume of.The western portion of the lake is deepest, with a large basin deeper than 400m lying northeast of Tatvan and south of Ahlat. The eastern arms of the lake are shallower. The Van-Ahtamar portion shelves gradually, with a maximum depth of about 250m on its northwest side where it joins the rest of the lake. The Erciş arm is much shallower, mostly less than 50m, with a maximum depth of about 150m.The lake water is strongly alkaline (pH 9.7–9.8) and rich in sodium carbonate and other salts, which are extracted by evaporation and used as detergents.

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146 reviews

Roderick S

I went to the pier to be organised for a lake crossing, and was surprised at the range of activities available. It is accessible by minibus from the centre, then a 500 m walk. That was jammed with par... more »
arman580

We went to the Akdamar beach for swimming and swimming in blue water in late summer was very attractive. Then, get a boat trip to visit its island. The trip in the blue water lake with blue sky in top... more »
mehdirani

It is a nice lake.and you will have a nice view of the mountains.I had a good feeling when I was there. And also van city is the beautiful small city more »