Uludağ — Local services in Osmangazi

Uludag, 36km south of Bursa, is one of the country’s favourite winter sports centres and as well as skiing, its richness of flora and fauna has made it into a National Park and summer activities like trekking and camping are also popular. Uludag was previously known as Olympos Misios in ancient times, and is known in mythology as the place where the gods watched the Trojan war. Plans have been confirmed for a development project, which will offer a huge increase in accommodation and skiing facilities. Its geographical conditions mean that Uludag Ski Resort can also offer heli-skiing, snow boarding, ice-skating and snow biking.

Arrival: Uludag National Park can be reached both by highway and cable car. The Ski resort is 40 minutes away from Bursa by road and 60 minutes from the airport. Travelling by private vehicle, the Cekirge road is the easiest. Drivers must keep wheel chains, wedges and heavy ropes during winter, which are available for hire or sale along the roadside. There are also minibuses going to the top of Uludag which leave every hour during the winter, and takes around 90 minutes from Bursa.

There are four sections of the cable-car route to reach Uludag, two between Bursa and Kadi plateau (1235m) and two between Kadi and Sari Alan (1621m). Each line has a cabin that can fit 30 people, although it is prohibited to carry ski equipment, and depart the district of Teleferik every 20 minutes. The journey, which stops at Kadi and then changes car, takes around 25 minutes. From the Sari Alan, there is a minibus service travelling the last 7km to the hotel area. In the summer season, there is a chairlift from Sari Alan to Coban Kaya (1750m)

Geography: Uludag is the highest mountain in Western Anatolia, with its peak at Kara Tepe (2543m). It is covered in forests, and the region has a partially temperate climate with a dominant wind direction of south-west/south. The altitude of the skiing area is between 1750 – 2543m, and the best season is from late December to late March. The snow at the beginning of the season is powdery, getting increasingly slushy towards the end.

Facilities: There are 27 hotels, 15 of which are privately owned, with a total of over 3000 beds. The area also has shopping halls, restaurants, cafes and bars, entertainment and health centres.

Ski equipment, rental and instructors are all available here. There are eight chair-lifts, seven T-bars and 13...

Amazing In Turkish, Uludağ means "great mountain". In ancient times the range of which it is a part, extending along the southern edge of Bithynia, was known as Olympos in Greek and Olympus in Latin, the western extremity being known as the Mysian Olympus and the eastern as the Bithynian Olympus,[2] and the city of Bursa was known as Prusa ad Olympum from its position near the mountain.[3] Throughout the Middle Ages, it contained hermitages and monasteries: "The rise of this monastic centre in the 8th c. and its prestige up to the 11th are linked to the resistance of numerous monks to the policy of the iconoclast emperors and then to a latent opposition to the urban, Constantinopolitan monasticism of the Studites."[4] One of the greatest monks of the Christian East, the wonder-working Byzantine monk Saint Joannicius the Great, lived as a hermit on this mountain.

Mt. Uludağ is the highest mountain of the Marmara region. Its highest peak is Kartaltepe at 2,543 m (8,343 ft). To the north are high plateaus: Sarıalan, Kirazlıyayla, Kadıyayla, and Sobra.

There is an abandoned wolfram mine near the summit. The mine and the integrated plant, which were built in 1974 for US$60 million, were closed in 1989 due to high production costs. The area is a popular center for winter sports such as skiing, and a national park of rich flora and fauna. Summer activities, such as trekking and camping, also...

This is a gorgeous mountain, only accessible by teleferik. There are great services in the stations on the way up. There are toilets, food and drink options, and weather appropriate accessories.

We visited the mountain on our trip to Istanbul in the January of 2018. The weather was very cold, and was snowing the day we were there.

The stores in one of the stations sold hats, gloves, and snow gear. This was very helpful as some of us hadn’t prepared for the weather. We also enjoyed the selection of food and drinks on offer. There were many winter options, which warmed us up and helped us stay cozy despite the weather.

When we arrived at the mountain, it was gorgeous coated with bright glistening snow. The station there also had a selection of shops and services which was very convenient.

There were snow cars which you can rent, and follow a tour guide to explore the area. The groups are accompanied by a professional photographer, that can be hired to take the amount of pictures that you choose.

My siblings rented the snow car, and had some beautiful photographs taken during the tour. Me and one of my sisters stayed back, and enjoyed exploring the area on foot and building a snowman. Both groups had such a fun action packed day.

The mountain is green and luscious in the spring and summer. So it would be lovely to visit then as well. A must see...