Helmut Johann, Martin Georpe and Lars Holper Reime, accompanied by a German security delegation, boarded a flight to Munich, Germany, from Turkey's capital Ankara at 3:40 pm (1240 GMT), the agency said.

They made no press statements.

The three were kidnapped by rebels from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) on July 8 during a climbing expedition to Mount Ararat in the eastern province of Agri.

They were freed on Sunday unharmed. Turkish officials said tightening army operations in the region had forced the rebels to free the hostages.

The PKK had originally said they would hold the hostages until Berlin ended its crackdown on PKK supporters in Germany, which is home to about 2.4 million immigrants from Turkey, including about 600,000 Kurds.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organisation by Ankara, the European Union and the United States, has been fighting for self-rule in Turkey's Kurdish-majority east and southeast since 1984. The conflict has claimed more than 37,000 lives.

The group has in the past kidnapped soldiers, policemen, tourists and journalists, among others, but it is a rare tactic.