Uludag National Park
Uludag is a Turkish national park formed back in 1961 in the midst of the mountain range, which was formerly called the Olympus Mission. According to legend, the gods of Olympus looked at the battle of Troy from this mountain. In the interval of early Christianity, hermits lived here - monks, with the advent of the Turks, this area was taken under the control of dervishes.
Nowadays, Mount Uludag ( 2543 m ) was chosen for outdoor activities. Most travelers come here in May - June, when the slopes of the mountains are covered with colorful flower carpets. Due to the huge influx of vacationers, they organized the Otteler ski resort. Almost any hotel has its own lift, and the length of the ski slopes is more than 16 km. For skiing, the period from December to March is best suited.
On a summer time in Uludag, hiking and cycling routes are presented for travelers, and at night many night clubs open. Not far from the park is the ancient city of Bursa, once the capital of the Ottoman Empire. The city has many historical areas and places to go. 80 km from Bursa is the thermal spring of Yalov, a botanical garden, surrounded by Turkish baths.
The Uludag Mountains consist of granite plates and crystalline shales, and the crown is made of marble. From the trees of the slope occupied forest areas from beech, chestnut, linden, alder, needles. In addition to them, rare plants and shrubs come across here, as follows: laurel, filire, strawberry tree, makvis, Greek oaks, tarthenous trees, German musmules, sitnik melon, Nordman pychtas. In total, there are more than 100 endemic plants in the national park, 30 of which grow on the mountain. Among the lush vegetation, you can see 46 varieties of butterflies, among which the amazing Apollo, who is not found anywhere else.
The forests have a favorable environment for many mammals and birds. In Uludag Park, you can meet a bear, jackal, roe deer, wolf. Here they found shelter for themselves more than 90 varieties of birds, of which almost 20 are predatory. The most rare are: snake eagles, teterevat hawks, black katarts, small thugs, sapsans, lambs, short-fingered foods.
Every year, at least 700 thousand people visit Uludag Park, who are attracted by mountain tourism, ski resorts, as well as 9 lakes formed by glaciers.
