Lake Çıldır: Horse Sleighs on a Frozen Lake
Winter on the high plateau between Kars and Ardahan
In short: Lake Çıldır lies on the border of Ardahan and Kars provinces in north-eastern Türkiye, at about 1,960 m above sea level. It is the largest freshwater lake in Eastern Anatolia and the second-largest lake in eastern Türkiye after Lake Van. In winter it freezes over, and visitors come for horse-drawn sleigh rides on the ice and to watch fishing through holes in the ice.
Last checked: 11 November 2026. When the lake freezes and thaws changes from year to year; check locally before you go.
The lake
- Where: the north shore is in Çıldır district (Ardahan) and the south shore in Arpaçay district (Kars).
- Size: about 123 km², the largest freshwater lake in Eastern Anatolia.
- Altitude: about 1,960 m.
Winter on the ice
- When it is frozen: usually from about December to March, depending on the year. In the 2025–26 winter, sleigh rides ran from mid-December until late March, when the ice began to thaw.
- Horse-drawn sleighs (atlı kızak): the lake’s best-known winter attraction. Local operators take visitors across the frozen surface by sleigh.
- Ice fishing: local fishermen cut holes in the ice to fish, a long-standing tradition on the lake.
- Ice festival: a winter festival, the Altın At Kristal Buz Festivali, has been held on the frozen lake in February in past years. We found no announced date for the coming season.
- Stay safe: go out on the ice only with local operators, and never walk onto ice that is starting to thaw.
Map: Ankara to Kars and Lake Çıldır
Red: the two ends of the line. Orange: sightseeing stops of the Touristic Eastern Express. Blue: Lake Çıldır. The line is drawn straight between stations, so it only roughly follows the real track. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby: Devil’s Castle (Şeytan Kalesi)
Near Çıldır town, the ruins of Şeytan Kalesi stand on a cliff above the Karaçay canyon, close to Yıldırımtepe village. Its date is uncertain, so we don’t give one.
With the Touristic Eastern Express
Visitors who arrive in Kars on the Touristic Eastern Express often go on to Lake Çıldır for a sleigh ride. The winter train season and the frozen-lake season overlap.
Sources we checked (November 2026): Wikipedia: Lake Çıldır · Vikipedi: Çıldır Gölü (Turkish) · Go Türkiye: Ardahan · Hürriyet Daily News: sleigh season opens · Hürriyet Daily News: sleigh season ends · Daily Sabah: horse-drawn ice safaris · TRT Haber: Eastern Express guests (Turkish) · Habertürk: last stop (Turkish) · NTV: Çıldır ice festival (Turkish) · NTV: Şeytan Kalesi (Turkish) · Sabah: ice fishing on the frozen lake (Turkish)
Lake Çıldır: questions
When is Lake Çıldır frozen?
Usually from about December to March. In the 2025–26 season, sleigh rides ran from mid-December to late March, but the timing changes from year to year.
What can you do on the frozen lake?
Take a horse-drawn sleigh ride (atlı kızak) and watch local fishermen fishing through holes cut in the ice. Go onto the ice only with local operators.
Where is Lake Çıldır?
On the border of Ardahan and Kars provinces in north-eastern Türkiye: the north shore is in Çıldır district and the south shore in Arpaçay district.
Header photo: horse-drawn sleighs on frozen Lake Çıldır. Photo: Linda M Caldwell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized).