The story of Munzur Valley National Park

Of the 1518 plants recorded in this valley, 43 grow nowhere on Earth except the Munzur Mountains. Munzur Valley National Park covers 42,000 hectares between Tunceli and Ovacık and was declared a national park in 1971. It begins 8 km from the centre of Tunceli and follows the valley up to the Munzur Mountains, which rise to 3300 metres in the north.

High above, crater lakes hide among peaks of 2000-3000 metres, springs bubble up on the Ovacık plain, and waterfalls tumble along the valley. Look for oak forests on the slopes and plane trees, walnuts and willows along the streams, with tulips, narcissus and snowdrops among the wildflowers.

Rare local trout thrive in the Munzur and Mercan streams, while brown bears, lynx, wolves and otters roam the woods and wild goats and chamois climb the crags. Yet 8 dams begun on the Munzur River pose a serious threat to the park.