The majority of Lake Limni, covered with pine and spruce trees, at the foothills of Zigana Mountain along the historical Silk Road route, has frozen over following a drop in temperature in the region.
Limni Lake Nature Park, located 65 kilometers from Trabzon and 45 kilometers from the city center of Gümüşhane, attracts visitors in every season.
Especially sought after by those looking to escape the summer heat, the nature park in Torul district of Gümüşhane becomes a preferred destination for nature lovers, mountaineers, and photographers after snowfall.
With the region covered in snow, wild animals such as bears, jackals, foxes, wild boars, wolves, squirrels, badgers, and martens, which struggle to find food and water, descend to the nature park.
Wildlife, including bears, jackals, foxes, wild boars, wolves, squirrels, badgers, and martens, facing challenges in finding food and water due to the snow-covered region, make their way down to the nature park.
These wild animals are captured on camera traps placed in the nature park during the winter season by the teams of the Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks.
The lake freezes over with ice during the winter
Oğuzhan Çolak, the facility manager of Limni Lake Nature Park, stated to AA reporter that they had a very busy tourism season.
Emphasizing that the interest shown to the region in the summer met their expectations, Çolak mentioned that Limni is particularly preferred by tourists from Gulf countries, in addition to local tourists.
Çolak stated that the nature park, which includes a crater lake at an altitude of 2,150 meters, covers an area of 81 hectares. He expressed that they provide services to visitors with facilities such as 24 bungalows, a restaurant, a mosque, pavilions, pergolas, a children's playground, and an observation tower.
Underlining that the nature park is particularly preferred by adventure enthusiasts in winter, Çolak said, "Due to heavy snowfall during the winter season, the facilities are closed. Camera traps are set up in the nature park. We activate our cameras as well. In winter, visitors come here to see the wildlife. Thanks to the camera traps, we also get to witness the beauty of the area."
Pointing out that the lake freezes over in winter, Çolak said, "There are people walking on the frozen lake. Apart from that, nature lovers, mountaineers, photographers, hikers, generally adventure and nature enthusiasts come. We witness wildlife, mostly foxes. Bears, wolves, wild boars also come, and we get to see them too."