Overview
Lake Van, the largest lake in Turkey and the Armenian Highlands, lies in the far east of Turkey in the provinces of Van and Bitlis. It is a saline soda lake, receiving water from numerous small streams that descend from the surrounding mountains.
Description
After the rigours of central Anatolia, this vast expanse of water surrounded by snowcapped mountains sounds deceptively promising for beaches and water sports. Lake Van (Van Gölü) has great potential for such activities, but nothing has been really developed yet. On the positive side, it's very scenic and virtually untouched.