# Through Turkey to the South – next stage of Desert Horizons

- Link: https://warsawtravelers.pl/en/blog/desert-horizons-2025-part-2-turkey/
- Published: 2025-10-12T23:53:52+02:00
- Author: Filip Chochół

Ten wpis jest również dostępny w języku:  [⌊Switch to Polski⌉Polski](https://warsawtravelers.pl/blog/desert-horizons-2025-czesc-2-turcja/)

 Table of contents

## Hey there, fellow traveler!

We’d like to welcome you to the second part of our Desert Horizons 2025 travel diary—
or simply, our little road journal — this time taking you with us across Turkey.

From smooth European highways, we dive straight into Istanbul’s traffic — where 
the heat, the noise, and the smells are on a whole different level than anything
back in Europe.

For those of you who’ve just joined us — this series is our daily travel log. No
sugarcoating, no guidebook clichés. If we stayed somewhere long enough to actually
explore, you’ll find separate posts with tips and photos from those places. And 
if you haven’t seen the beginning of our route yet, start here: [From Poland to Turkey (the first leg of the journey)](https://warsawtravelers.pl/en/blog/desert-horizons-2025-part-1-europe/).

More information about the entire project – including a map of the route, partners,
and subsequent stages – can be found at:

➡️ [Desert Horizons 2025 project website](https://warsawtravelers.pl/en/desert-horizons-2025/)

## Day 6: September 3, 2025, Wednesday

🇹🇷 [Turkey, Istanbul](https://maps.app.goo.gl/CM57a6i2vQvx4yvG6) -> 🇹🇷 [Turkey, Ankara](https://maps.app.goo.gl/asuTBNx1J3kUXKucA)

In the previous part, we left off on September 1st, when we rolled into Istanbul
late at night. September 2nd was all about the city — visiting a few places we’d
missed before, some walking, some eating. If you’re planning a short trip yourself,
or just have a stopover with Turkish Airlines, check out our post about what’s worth
seeing in Istanbul during a stopover — [we covered both what we explored back in 2023 and what we managed to see this time](https://warsawtravelers.pl/en/asia/travelers-guide-istanbul-stopover/).

September 3rd — time to pack up and hit the road: destination Ankara. Leaving Istanbul,
of course, meant traffic again, but just like last time, motorcycles can ride along
the edge or between lanes, so we flowed with the stream. We probably looked like
a mobile version of IKEA, but hey — we’re still on two wheels, and that saves a 
lot of time.

Outside the city, the roads were great: wide, smooth, and with beautiful views. 
We reached Ankara with a bit more traffic and some hilly stretches, but it’s nothing
like Istanbul — you can feel the difference right away. At the hotel, the staff 
smiled and congratulated us for taking on this route with such a “beast” of a bike.
We grinned — our GS loves hearing that.

An important insurance note. After crossing the Bosphorus, our comprehensive coverage
ended — and with it, the GAP protection. GAP is an extra type of insurance that 
covers the difference between the original invoice value (or the agreed amount in
the contract) and the current market value if the vehicle gets stolen or written
off. In short, it fills the “value gap” as prices of new bikes go up and the insured
value goes down. We had it, but only within Europe. So if you’re planning a similar
trip, make sure to check your policy details and territorial coverage. Honestly,
we were less worried about the bike getting stolen here than in some places in Western
Europe.

In the evening — a quick reset, something to eat, and straight to bed. The next 
day was all about exploring! If you want to get a feel for what Ankara tastes like
and what life there is like — where we ate, how safe it felt, and how we got around—
check out our post [🌃 Ankara – food, safety, and getting around](https://warsawtravelers.pl/en/asia/ankara-travel-guide-food-and-tips/).
And if you prefer something more practical, take a look at our guide [⛲️ What to see in Ankara](https://warsawtravelers.pl/en/asia/what-see-in-ankara-interesting-places/),
where we listed the most interesting spots along with short travel tips.

 * ⌚️ **Travel time:** 5 hours 26 minutes;
 * 🛣️ **Distance:** 464 km;
 * 🏍️ **Average speed:** 98 km/h

 [ ⌊Motorcyclists in helmets posing at night with a motorcycle in Istanbul, Turkey⌉ ](https://warsawtravelers.pl/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/desert-horizons-2025-road-015.jpeg)

## Day 9: September 6, 2025, Saturday

🇹🇷 [Turkey, Ankara](https://maps.app.goo.gl/asuTBNx1J3kUXKucA) -> 🇹🇷 [Turkey, Goreme (Cappadocia)](https://maps.app.goo.gl/LQ8PzWCvEn4f8mjY8)

After Ankara, it was time for a change of scenery. Jadzia was as excited about the
hot air balloons as a kid waiting for presents — that part of the plan was non-negotiable.
Right after checking out, we packed our stuff, left the city, and about three and
a half hours later we were in Göreme, which we chose as our base for exploring Cappadocia.

The ride went smoothly — good roads, smooth asphalt, and with every kilometre less
city, more open space. As soon as you enter the region, you can tell it’s like another
planet — the rocks, the valleys… you can’t help but slow down, even if you won’t
admit it.

Once we got there, the first steps were pretty down to earth — drop the bags, find
something to eat nearby, and check if our hot air balloon booking hadn’t been cancelled.
Balloons take off before sunrise, so a 4:30 AM wake-up call isn’t exactly our idea
of fun, haha. But the first surprise hit our wallets — Cappadocia is noticeably 
more expensive than the rest of Turkey. A meal that would cost around 40 lira elsewhere
could easily be twice as much here. And those little “on the house” extras you get
in most Turkish restaurants — like salad or appetizers — forget it. If someone only
visited this region and judged all of Turkey by it, they’d get a seriously skewed
picture.

If you want to see what it was really like — the balloon flight, how much it actually
costs, where we stayed, and what food we liked — we wrote all about it in a separate
post 🎈 [Cappadocia – impressions, balloons, prices](https://warsawtravelers.pl/en/asia/cappadocia-hot-air-balloon-in-goreme/).

 * ⌚️ **Travel time:** 3 hours 37 minutes;
 * 🛣️ **Distance:** 294 km;
 * 🏍️ **Average speed:** 99 km/h

 [ ⌊Motorcyclist wearing a helmet and gloves poses with touring bikes on a road near Göreme, Turkey for Desert Horizons Motorcycle Expedition⌉ ](https://warsawtravelers.pl/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/desert-horizons-2025-road-016.jpeg)

## Day 11: September 8, 2025, Monday

🇹🇷 [Turkey, Goreme (Kapadocia)](https://maps.app.goo.gl/LQ8PzWCvEn4f8mjY8) -> 🇹🇷
[Turkey, Sanliurfa](https://maps.app.goo.gl/Wo6xgGE3Lc8Z45KX6)

We left Göreme, and just a few kilometres in, it started to drizzle. Remember how
we sent our rain gear back to Poland in Bulgaria? Yeah… xD Would’ve come in handy
today. For the first hour it was just a light drizzle, but the closer we got to 
the Medetsiz mountain area (heading towards Adana), the heavier it got. It poured
so hard our mesh jackets turned into unwanted air conditioning.

The temperature dropped to around 17–18°C, so we threw on hoodies underneath and
kept pushing through. We stopped at a gas station — refuel, quick tea, checked the
weather on the Garmin — and saw that rain would stick with us all through the mountain
section. No point waiting — time to ride on.

On one of the long downhill stretches, we hit a section with grooved pavement. The
bike followed those lines like it was on rails — not exactly the feeling you want
in the rain, especially with this much weight. We slowed down and stuck to the right
side for a while, carefully avoiding the ruts. And then, just like that, the mountains
were behind us and the temperature shot up to 35°C. Us? Still in wet clothes. The
smell of adventure? Let’s just say… intense.

The last stretch of the route runs along the border. On the right side — fences,
military posts, and beyond them, Syria. It’s a strange feeling; just an ordinary
road, yet it carries a different kind of weight in your mind. Maybe one day we’ll
have the courage to ride to Aleppo, but for now, we’re just keeping an eye on the
situation — land crossings from Turkey are still closed to foreigners anyway. Along
the way, a few drivers honked at us, but not out of anger. These were the friendly
kind — waves, thumbs up, genuine smiles.

We arrived in Şanlıurfa in the evening — a long day with a lot of weather packed
into just a few hours. Quick shower, simple dinner from a nearby shop, and finally
we could spread out in a huge hotel room. We bought another eSIM card, this time
thinking ahead to Iraq, and activated our [Garmin inReach ](https://www.garmin.com/pl-PL/c/outdoor-recreation/satellite-communicators/)
subscription — it’s a satellite communicator that lets us send messages, share our
location without cell coverage, and has an SOS button that connects directly to 
a 24/7 rescue center. It gives real peace of mind, especially when the next parts
of the route lead through less obvious places. The bed was amazing. We were asleep
within a minute.

 * ⌚️ **Travel time:** 8 hours 13 minutes;
 * 🛣️ **Distance:** 629 km;
 * 🏍️ **Average speed: **95 km/h

 [ ⌊Desert Horizons Motorcycle Expedition in Sanliurfa, Turkey: red motorcycle parked at a lit street café at night⌉ ](https://warsawtravelers.pl/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/desert-horizons-2025-road-018-scaled.jpeg)

 [ ⌊Motorcycle rider waving on the road at sunset during Desert Horizons Motorcycle Expedition in Sanliurfa, Turkey⌉ ](https://warsawtravelers.pl/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/desert-horizons-2025-road-017-scaled.jpeg)

## Day 12: September 9, 2025, Tuesday

🇹🇷 [Turkey, Sanliurfa](https://maps.app.goo.gl/Wo6xgGE3Lc8Z45KX6) -> 🇮🇶 [Iraq, Erbil (Autonomous Region of Kurdistan)](https://maps.app.goo.gl/hkFLuw4LFknRDsuc9)

Alright then — we’re off to Iraq! 😀 After a year of planning and overthinking, 
it’s finally becoming real. The guys at the hotel entrance were clearly curious 
about us as we packed up the roll bags and fired up Stefan. We wanted to buy some
Turkish tea as gifts, but time was running out. A lot of kilometres ahead — and 
this is only the end of Turkey.

The first part of the route went smoothly, though the road surface had its moods.
We kept jumping between a fresh layer of asphalt on the right (made for trucks) 
and an older one on the left, dodging the occasional pothole. The closer we got 
to the border, the more chaotic it became — classic border towns where everyone 
drives wherever there’s space.

Near Syria, Waze, Google Maps, and Apple Maps all gave up on us, showing messages
that navigation isn’t available in this region. Luckily, we had our Garmin and offline
maps in mapy.cz, so we went old-school — just following the track, no fancy features.

Once we reached the border crossing, a little show began. First, there was a passport
check — or at least that’s what it looked like — but no, “not here”. Then a window
with a passenger list — which we didn’t have — so with a mix of gestures and broken
English, we figured out the form and filled in what we needed. It all moved slowly.

Then came the toll road episode: we had already paid the fee online earlier (about
two zloty in total), but the officer at the last gate still wouldn’t let us through.
So back we went to another window, paid again (this time in cash), no arguments.
The whole border setup was far from intuitive — no explanations, just guesswork.
It took us about an hour, maybe a bit more, but eventually — stamp, exit, done.

On the Kurdish side, we didn’t turn on the Insta360 — no need to provoke anyone 
by filming at the border. We went in with our documents for passport control.

The day before, someone online had us second-guessing things — we’d read that two
visas were required: one for Kurdistan and another for Federal Iraq. But we’d double-
checked that earlier on Iraqi travel groups and with the embassy… and it turned 
out just as expected: one visa does the job — a Kurdish stamp in the passport plus
a printed sheet with the federal visa. Works perfectly.

Then came the vehicle inspection: customs officers asked for the notarized authorization
to use the motorcycle, checked the embassy stamps — all good. At that point, both
of us would’ve gladly gone straight to bed, but we still had three hours to Erbil,
and night was falling. Time to push on.

Finally, the last customs formality. Our Carnet de Passages got stamped, the license
plate noted down, and a $35 fee for the temporary vehicle import attached to the
document — and we were good to go. Luckily, we had a full tank, because hunting 
for a currency exchange at that hour was the last thing we wanted to do.

The road to Erbil is… let’s say, mixed 😂. Some stretches are perfect — smooth asphalt,
great surface — and then suddenly you’re detoured onto sand and rocks. The road 
crews set up a detour, but it’s more of a suggestion than an actual plan.

The ride gets rough, the bike jumps around, and inside my helmet I’m having a full-
on internal monologue about the meaning of life. Jadzia, meanwhile, gets a free 
ticket to “Energylandia” — Poland’s biggest amusement park, famous for its roller
coasters. But hey, despite all that, the traffic is actually pretty civil. Drivers
keep reasonable speeds, often honk in a friendly way, wave, and smile. We’re a bit
of an attraction — a motorcycle with Polish plates, midweek, after dark, on an Iraqi
road.

We reached the hotel completely exhausted. The driveway was covered with slippery
tiles, and my heart nearly jumped out of my chest 😳 — cars parked on both sides,
and it felt like I was about to slide down like on ice. Somehow managed to roll 
in and park without a scratch, though my hands were still shaking for a while. Inside,
we paid in cash — U.S. dollars — sorted out the essentials, and crashed. Details
about Erbil — the food, safety, prices, and a few surprises — will be in a separate
post. [If you feel like it, take a look, because it’s a different world from Turkish highways.](https://warsawtravelers.pl/en/asia/erbil-two-day-guide-of-iraqi-kurdistan/)

 * ⌚️ **Travel time:** 10 hours;
 * 🛣️ **Distance: **591 km;
 * 🏍️ **Average speed:** 69 km/h

 [ ⌊Motorcycle cockpit with Garmin navigation and route map on the Desert Horizons Motorcycle Expedition, Turkey road to Iraq⌉ ](https://warsawtravelers.pl/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/desert-horizons-2025-road-019-scaled.jpeg)

 [ ⌊Desert Horizons Motorcycle Expedition: two riders in helmets holding a green bottle at the Turkey road to Iraq stop⌉ ](https://warsawtravelers.pl/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/desert-horizons-2025-road-020.jpeg)

 [ ⌊Motorcycle navigation screen showing “Navigation isn’t available in your region” on the Turkey road to Iraq route⌉ ](https://warsawtravelers.pl/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/desert-horizons-2025-road-021-scaled.jpeg)

 [ ⌊Motorcycle parked in Iraq Kurdistan Border garage during Desert Horizons Motorcycle Expedition, with a vehicle ahead⌉ ](https://warsawtravelers.pl/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/desert-horizons-2025-road-023-scaled.jpeg)

 [ ⌊Desert Horizons Motorcycle Expedition at the Turkey Border customs checkpoint, with motorcycle dashboard and entry barriers⌉ ](https://warsawtravelers.pl/cdn-cgi/image/quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/desert-horizons-2025-road-022.jpeg)

## What next?

Still curious about our Desert Horizons expedition? We’re going deeper: the roads
and wilderness of Iraq, Baghdad, and all the “is this really a good idea?” moments
along the way. [If you feel like getting back in the saddle with us, hop on, cowboy, and join us for the next installment](https://warsawtravelers.pl/en/blog/desert-horizons-2025-part-3-iraq/).

Want to see where the money actually went on this whole ride? [We put everything into one finance summary](https://warsawtravelers.pl/en/blog/trip-cost-desert-horizons-2025-finances/)—
simple numbers, no flex 💸