The Miracle Passage

This route is a point-to-point hike. That means you start walking at one point and finish at another. No going back, no quitting halfway, or saying "I'll rest here, pick me up on the way back" :)

After departing from Istanbul, we take the car ferry from Eskihisar to Yalova. Breakfast is served on the ferry. After a short shopping break at the entrance of Aktoprak Village to complete what we need, around 10:30 am we arrive at Aktoprak Village.

After saying goodbye to the vehicle we will meet again in Keramet Village, we walk a short distance on a dirt road and then enter the trail. On the first part of the walk to Mahmudiye Village, we mostly go uphill, but it’s not very steep. At the end of the slope, we arrive at a wide meadow area, and everyone thinks it would be lovely to camp here. We enter a dirt road here and with a short walk, we reach Mahmudiye Village. We stop for tea at the village coffeehouse and continue on our way. After re-entering the trail, we follow a route with ups and downs and cross the hill from where we will see Lake İznik. We take a lunch break beside the fountain just at the hillside.

While you admire Lake İznik, we prepare the food.
After lunch, our walk is all downhill. After walking about 40 minutes on the trail, we return to the dirt road. At the end of the walk passing through olive and quince orchards, we arrive at Keramet Village.
Our reward is the Keramet Village Thermal Pond. Those who want can swim in the hot spring natural pond. Those who forget their swimsuit usually jump in with pants or something (the coolness factor is nonsense), so bring yours along. After staying about 40 minutes here, the return to Istanbul begins. We are back in Istanbul around 8:00 pm.