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Mountaineers from Igdir and Kars set out into Ardahan, a province in Türkiye's northeastern corner near the Georgian border, to trace two of the region's most striking landmarks on foot.
Their route leads through Karacay Canyon toward Seytan Kalesi, a fortress whose defensive design and hidden entrance have drawn visitors for generations.
The group gathers at the edge of Ardahan province, organized by the Igdir Dag Safari Mountaineering and Nature Sports Club.
Members from Igdir and Kars join the outing, part of a wider effort by regional clubs to document and promote the area's lesser-known natural and historical sites throughout the year.
The trail opens onto Karacay Canyon, one of two stops drawing domestic and international visitors to Ardahan across every season.
Steep rock walls frame the route as the mountaineers move deeper into the canyon, pausing to photograph the terrain before continuing toward the fortress ahead.
Hikers navigate the canyon's uneven ground, where narrow paths and shifting elevation slow the pace.
The club's president, Yunus Guldogdu, later tells Anadolu Agency that Seytan Kalesi ranks among the trip's key stops, describing the terrain leading to it as demanding from the outset.
Seytan Kalesi comes into view for the first time, its stone walls rising from a landscape shaped by cliffs on three sides.
Guldogdu notes that reaching and entering the fortress is far from straightforward, calling its construction difficult to comprehend given the surrounding terrain.
The group closes in on the fortress, walking a path bordered by the deep valleys that have long shielded the site.
Sergul Keskin, a participant from the Kagizman district of Kars, says the drops on three sides made the location nearly impossible to occupy or conquer in its time.
At the fortress wall, the mountaineers locate the concealed entrance that has long distinguished Seytan Kalesi among the region's defensive structures.
Originally built for protection, the gate's placement reflects a design meant to keep the interior hidden from approaching outsiders.
Inside the fortress, the group examines stonework that has endured through centuries of exposure to the surrounding valleys.
Keskin describes the site as one of the region's historical and cultural heritages still standing today, adding that it merits a visit from those unfamiliar with it.
As the outing winds down, participant Elanur Sagsoz reflects on finally visiting a site she had previously only seen shared on social media.
Keskin closes the trip with an open invitation, urging residents of the wider region to see Seytan Kalesi and Karacay Canyon for themselves.
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