Eastern Turkey offers 'unique and surprising' adventure holidays

Many Brits do not know much about the east of Turkey, says writer

According to a travel writer, people looking for adventure holidays should contemplate visiting the east side of Turkey, as it is relatively unknown.

Diana Darke, an author for Bradt Travel Guides and an expert on Turkey, said eastern Turkey is like a "big black hole beyond Europe" and many travellers still assume it is dangerous and out of bounds, which is wrong.

The author, who has recently written a new guide to eastern Turkey, said that people travelling to the region will find that the "unique and surprising thing is what a contrast it offers to Istanbul and the cosmopolitan western half of Turkey with its sophisticated coastal resorts".

"It really is Turkey's other face, the unknown face," she added

Ms Darke recommended that people explore the hidden gems around the Tigris, the walled black basalt Kurdish city of Diyarbakir and the remote ruined monasteries of the Georgian valleys.

Another major site in Turkey is Cappadocia, which is popular for hiking holidays which take in its astounding fairy chimneys.