19 - 25 april 2008" the new expidition" .

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here a example from a trip in short .

10.00 Kaisery airport  23-06-2006  ( Turkey)
After a short one hour flight from Istanbul  we are  picked up by Ori, he is one of the crew members who will take care of us during the 5 days expedition trip on the Zamantı river
I’m here on a invitation from my friend Mehmet , he convinced  me to take part of this first commercial expedition after showing me some amazing pictures shot during the first research expeditions 4 years ago . It was hard to say now, the pictures and story he told me about where to tempting.
We drive torwards the river taking a lunch and do our last phone calls before we drive in to the   “Aladaglar Massif “.,where there is no reach for or mobile phones, the only way to contact with the home frond will be don by satellite phone.
The Aladaglar is a huge limestone massif located in the Eastern Taurus Range within Adana-Kayseri-Niğde provinces of Turkey. The massif covers an area of 800 km2 and the local relief extends between 400m and 3750m elevations. The associated aquifer covers an area of about 1900 km 2. Forming part of the Central Toros range, the Aladaglar range runs from the southwest to the northeast for approximately 50 kilometers It is between 25 and 30 kilometers wide and boasts the region's highest peak, Demirkazìk which stretches to 3756 meters.
Other high summits include Kìzìlkaya in the center (3725 m), a peak that reaches 3688 meters in the south and Mount Vayvay in the East (3565m). The long range is situated in the provinces of Nigde and Adana and rises between Lake Ecemis and the Zamanti River.
The Taurus Mountains range  are the western branch of the Himalayan mountain belt, the great mountain chain that stretches across all of Asia. The Turkey section of this massive mountain range follows the southern border of Anatolia and it is made up of four major sections, the Western, Central, And Southern and Southeastern Toros ranges. Glacial trough valleys and separating ridges dominate the relief of the Aladag central part. Common glacial valleys extend from source areas at 3100-3300m to altitudes of about 1900-2300m, although some large valleys cut as deep as up to 1100m elevation.
The highest peaks rise out of the Central and Southeastern branches, a stretch of mountains which are rugged, magnificent and arduous to Climb, Trekking , and Caveving or to do the 5 days whitewater rafting expedition trip I’ve been ready to start now.

My friend Mehmet , and  four of his business associates-friends , one  Russian kayaker ,my self and two American ladies forming the customers group, we are in good hands on this expedition, the first explores on this river (research expeditions started back in 2001-2002 by Ofir Cochavı (Israel) and Tom Holleman ( Dutch) who worked together in  numerous rivers all over the world ,  putted together a team of rafting professionals witch include a Turkish cook and  Technician in a following car  ,a female medic-rafting professional Vera (Israel former Ussr ), and Ori ( Israel)who  worked on several rivers in Mexico and Israel.
Day one
We got introduced to the team and started our first warm up day witch was the daily commercial section a short 3 hour class 4-3 run down the bleu canyon.
Both Ori and Tom took a raft while Ofir did safety kayaking  for us from a ducky (inflatable kayak). The class 4 was a great trill and just a warm up for the next days witch we where told, that the river graduates every day a class higher ending with a class 6 technical portage.
The elephant cave where we took a short hold was one of the hundredths of typical caves we would see during the trip,  between 2001-2004 extensive field investigations of karst and caves have been carried out in Aladaglar under the joint Turkish-Ukrainian "Aladaglar Karst and Cave Research Project" , a part of the "Call of the Abyss Project". The expeditions in 2001, 2002 and 2003 resulted in exploration of almost 150 caves with the total depth of 5240m, not counting the deepest Kuzgun Cave. Of them 32 caves are deeper than 50m and 12 caves are deeper than 100m. Fifty-seven explored caves are located above 3000m altitude, the highest entrance being located at 3410m. including the remarkable 1400m-deep Kuzgun Cave the first super-deep cave in the Aladaglar Massif. The day ended in a nice Mongalon reed ( bungalow)  the owner printed it Mongalon 100% shore this means bungalow, on hour way we saw more spelling mistakes  like Velkam (welcome) and vc  (Wc ) a result of poor education in the mountain regions of Turkey .
The bungalows are located next to the Suarası Deresi (creek) witch are formed by  4 waterfalls called the Kapuzbaşı waterfalls forming a wonder of nature hidden at this corner of Aladağlar,they are among the major falls in the country, a set of falls side by side in a narrow and deep valley, to the east and south of the hill called Ensenin Tepe near Kapuzbaşı village. and  runs down to the  Zamanti  providing a constant flow of ice cold water witch we would raft down tomorrow morning after a  view at the  falls and the old water mill where the villagers since ages grain the corn in to flower  and possible cold water shower under the waterfalls.
Day two
The Suarası Deresi creek provides us a great adrenalin kick it’s a technical class3-4 descent witch takes less then 45 minutes till we reach the Zamanti , here we find several class 3 rapids are on hour path and the guides tell us that the end will be even more spectacular then the scenery we rafting trough now ,first the portage around a log witch is jammed between the rocks before we reach the lunch spot on a  sandbank where we have the choice out of  tuna sandwich ,beans in tomato sauce , rice, snacks and watermelon all spread out on the upside down raft witch serves as dinner table.
When you call a section on the river “Alice in Wonderland” then you now it most be something special and so it was ,a amazing scenery witch lets your mind dazzle: Crystal clean 1000 drops mother milk waterfalls, Cathedral  cave, strange  rock  formations ,and big trees standing in the water what makes you believe your playing a roll in a“Lord of the rings ”film.
We raft under waterfalls and climb in the white “Cathedral cave” where thousand  small untouched stalactites hang down the ceiling and walk trough the “mouse trap “ a small cave system next t the river, there is no more paddling on this part we just floated down trough breathtaking scenery before we enter to the shore where hour first real camping camp is build up by Recep the technician while Farouk the cook puts his hands on a great dinner.
We have a  luxury campsite on the high plateau next to the “liquid highway a un passable class 6 rapid , I can not think about a missing part, we sleep in two person tents on nice but hard mattresses while a generator for electric makes the night time pleasant, story’s are told about the first expedition back in 2002 ,black gammon and card  games are played till late in the night .
Day three
A short walk brings us after a good breakfast to the end of the flat plateau where we have to descent hour self and the rafts down on ropes, during the 45 minutes witch it takes the crew to finish the job we take the time to have a warm shower under a waterfall and help to put the rafts down over the last hill slope to the river.
A look at the river site makes us dream again ,after the first 50 meters  flat water a natural formed 100 meter long tunnel  is in front of hour eyes ,we get the strict orders not to fall in the water dew to the current witch can drag hour body’s under the tunnel wall.
The tunnel is around 8 meter high and 7 meter wide at the entrance and finish, in a 2 meter wide slot where the rafts barley past trough, a great start of the day, it’s a amazing idée to raft in such a tunnel ,on there way through the mountains the Zamanti formed two natural bridges on the river where the first one is located 4 km to the west of Yeşilköy Falls exists at the mouth of the first ground bridge and  the last on is the one we pass under now .
The guides speak about  a class 4-5 rapid named  the “ Angle grainer “ and some other more funny named rapids we will find on hour way. Half way the afternoon we reach the first one and the team goes out of the raft to scout and to see Tom in his kayak ,he takes a slightly different line then the rafts will do later but gets a big wave over him covering him for a moment then rising out the white water and disappearing in the next wave.
The team members stand all ready for safety with there throw bags in case of a bat swim witch not happens.
When Tom takes his safety place after the rapid ,we walk back ,we are thrilled to go down and hope that everything goes well ,a brief checkup from Ofir about what can happen gets hour concentration back to 100 %.
The ride was perfect a big thrill the best whitewater since we left two days ago, Ofir raft made a big smash in to the wave witch made my friend Mehmet fly overboard ,luckily he new to hold the “ooh shit line “next to the raft and could be rescued by Ofir who putted him back in the boat in a split second. Vera’s raft hath a good run to putting the whole raft under a water curtain of splashes.
After the bend we found our  second camp  ,a cool drink and a lunch before everyone took a afternoon sleep in the shade from the pink flowered bushes, there was time for a Frisbee game and even a boomerang they brought to try out. Diana one of the lady’s hath sadly to leave us dew to the arrival from her mom at the airport and she was drove out the canyon witch is a good three hour car drive.
The crew members made the hot shower place ready on the luggage car and all off us could wash the Zamanti water out of hour hair and felt fresh and born again ,a hot shower in the middle of nowhere is just the thing we needed ,The evening  dinner was great and a evening of  jokes ,fun , drinks  snack brought us go to  bed earlier then we expected, the three rafting days taking more energy then sitting behind my office.
Day four
Today we will reach the confluence of the Zamanti and the Seyhan river the “Zamanti becomes a big volume river, according to the current water level we’ll get big wave trains of rapids with big nasty holes witch can turn over a raft easily when its taking wrong. Before that we hath to pass the “washing machine “ a class 4-5  with a big nasty surprise  hole hidden behind a big rock in where at the first expedition Tom flipped with the kayak and the raft lost a paddle back then  ,we passed this time safely on the left and had numerous more rapids to go through like the angell falls, and  came soon at the lunch point hundredth meter after the Seyhan came in to the river.
A good lunch from chicken ,kebab tuna ,bread, beans ,snacks and a quick nap in the shade of a three made hour energy level rise up big time ,ready to hit big water.
We smashed several nice waves splashing harder then the Zamanti, did surfing with our raft on unexpected places , Ivan the Russian kayaker loved his first big water experience he flipped over a few times but came back up before a new wave would come over him .
We past several old wooden bridges an saw a house now and then before the landscape changed in to a steeper canyon what brought us the “loralay “ a rock where you have to go left when you want to survive.
Direct after the “loralay “ we have “DP” a big waterhole where the rafts pass on the left portaged over the rocks, on the first expedition the raft has been almost capsized throwing out two man in to the hole who stayed there for a few seconds before coming up loosing  only one a sandal in the whitewater .
This days camp site was up in a village a natural cold shower we took  to fresh us up and Ofir started to make his china special a delicious dinner with rice, chicken, ananas, salads and fruits after.
Day five
The last day off the trip brought us a good class 5 rivers , rapids , big waves even bigger holes  and scouting of rapids was necessary  at several points. Tom and Ivan took good looks at the best lines avoiding the biggest hole in order to be able to gif us safety from the best possible position witch was easier said then done ,both of them hat to do a hard time on big waves, holes and hath to roll several time . one rapid called the “asshole “ took both of them down for a few second washing machine action before the rolled up again and went quickly to a safe place to do the safety work for us ,in case somebody fells out off the raft Tom has to safe him with the kayak and drag him on the back side of  his kayak to a safe place something what’s not easy to do in class 5 rapids .
Even we on a  higher position in the raft could not look over the waves we banged in to, the guides new exactly where they hath to be or what to avoid it was pure adrenalin rush what went through my body. ,
The rapids kept following up each other the canyon walls where steep and one point we past a old bridge  high above hour heads with a waterfall under it , we finally came to the last rapid of all the “labyrinth” a class5-6 long rapid in a curve where the crew took the rafts through on lines ,we walked up to the end point where we could jump in ,the last part of the Zamanti is a flat stretch where one of us could try out the kayak and relax in the sun.
The expedition ended at 16.00 in a restaurant where a good meal was served to the entire crew and customers ,email addresses where exchanged photo’s would be send over and the telephones started to ring again ,Holliday is over and work would be taking over hour life’s again .
For me the last chance to say goodbye and lots of thanks to the crew who took care of us so well ,professional ,safety first and a great atmosphere they created during the trip ,I felt in good hands and can only recommend this 5 day expedition trip whit these guys .
For me and the rest of the customers it’s an hour drive to Adana airport for them it would take till 23.30 before they could hit the sack only to sleep a couple of hours before unloading the gear and to drive back for a new  trip down this amazing river of time.

all photo’s and writing copy writhed by  Tom Holleman extracted from his book

Zamanti "river of time” ©