North of Konya the steppe opens onto Tuz Gölü, Turkey's second-largest lake and one of the saltiest bodies of water on earth. For much of the summer it dries into a blinding white crust you can walk out onto, the horizon dissolving into mirage, while shallow margins turn rosy pink and draw one of the country's biggest breeding colonies of flamingos. It is a surreal, photogenic stop on the road toward Ankara or Cappadocia. Closer to Konya, near Karapınar, the small volcanic crater lake of Meke was once a striking eye of water ringed by a cinder cone, though years of drought and groundwater extraction have left it largely dry, a sobering marker of the region's water stress. The area also hides collapsed sinkhole lakes, the obruks, worth seeking out. Neither site has much infrastructure, so bring water, sun protection, and sturdy shoes, and treat the fragile salt flat with care.
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