Antalya City: The Pearl of the Mediterranean

Antalya's unique beaches, historic sites, natural beauty is the perfect addition to colorful night life. Antalya is the pearl of the Mediterranean.

 
You can find beautiful national parks, mysterious caves, spectacular mountains, unspoiled beaches, waterfalls and streams.

Especially, you should visit Köprülü Canyon National Park, Altınbeşik Cave National Park, Termessos National Park, Karain Cave, Damlataş Cave, Manavgat Waterfall, Düden Waterfalls, Kurşunlu Waterfall National Park, Beydağları Mountains, Olympos National Park in Antalya.

Let's examine the beauties of Antalya in detail together.

Köprülü Canyon National Park is a canyon and a National Park in the Province of Antalya, Turkey. Covering an area of 366 km² (141 sq mi), it was established as a national park by the Ministry of Forest on December 12, 1973. The canyon is 400 m (1,300 ft) deep in some places and stretches for 14 km (8.7 mi) along the Köprü River. At the resting area, there are fish restaurants offering delicious food especially fresh trout. The Roman Oluklu Bridge (Olukluköprü) over the canyon and the Bugrum Bridge over the Kocadere stream were engineering feats of their time.

Köprülü Canyon National Park

Altınbeşik Cave National Park is a horizontal and partly active cave system, and its name comes from the Altinbesik Hill, on the upper side of the cave. This region of the Taurus Mountains has a very complex geological and geomorphologic structure with geological overlaps, large twists and deep valleys.

Altınbeşik Cave

Termessos National Park constitutes an unusual synthesis of a large number of rare plants and animal species, which are under protection in the Termessos National Park. Concealed by a multitude of wild plants and bounded by dense pine forests, the site, with its peaceful and untouched appearance, has a more distinct and impressive atmosphere than other ancient cities. Because of its natural and historical riches, the city has been included in a National Park bearing its name. Termesos is one of the best preserved of the ancient cities of Turkey. you can see very rare the Caracal and Anatolian Lynx only in this national park. 

The Caracal

Anatolian Lynx

Karain Cave is a cave and a Paleolithic archaeological site located at Yağca village 27 km northwest of Antalya city in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. Karain is a prehistoric cave, situated at a height of about 370 m from the sea and about 80 m up the slope, where the Western Taurus calcareous zone borders on the travertine plain. Evidence of human habitation dating back to the early Paleolithic age (150,000-200,000) years has been discovered in the caves.

Karain Cave

Damlataş Cave is located at the western foot of hold peninsula of Antalya. There is a 50 m passage at the entrance. After the passage there comes a cylinderical cavity. This leads to the basement of the cave. The stalactite and stalagmites inside the cave were formed in 15 thousand years. Besides its fascinating beauty the cave is famous with its air which is beneficial to asthmatic patients. Following the rumors that asthmatic benefited from breathing the air in the cave, scientists analyzed a sample of the air to verify the fact that the air was indeed beneficial to patients suffering from non-allergic asthme. They found that the air in the cave contains 10 to 12 times more carbon dioxide than normal air and has % 95 humidity. Temperature in the cave is 22 degrees centigrade. Both the radioactivity and ionization in the cave may contribute to the benefits derived from breathing the air in the cave. Entrance is due to payment. There is a small market around and in front of the cave is a beach.

Damlataş Cave

Manavgat Waterfall on the Manavgat River is near the city of Side, 3 km (2 mi) north of Manavgat, Antalya. Its high flow over a wide area as it falls from a low height is best viewed from a high altitude. The white, foaming water of the Manavgat Waterfalls flows powerfully over the rocks. Near the waterfalls are shady tea gardens providing a pleasant resting place.

Manavgat Waterfall

Düden Waterfalls are a group of waterfalls in the province of Antalya, Turkey. The waterfall, formed by the Düden River (one of the major rivers in southern Anatolia), is located 12 km north-east of Antalya; which ends, where the limpid waters of the Lower Düden Falls drop off a rocky cliff directly into the Mediterranean Sea in a dazzling show.

Düden Waterfalls

 Kurşunlu Waterfall National Park is located 19 km from Antalya, Turkey at the end of a 7 km road branching off to the north of the Antalya-Serik-Alanya highway at a point 12 km from Antalya. It is reduced to a mere trickle in the summer months. The waterfall is on one of the tributaries of the Aksu River and its situation in the midst of a pine forest is of quite exceptional beauty. The countryside around the water forms a lovely picnic and pleasure spot only twenty minutes from the centre of the city of Antalya.

Kurşunlu Waterfall National Park

Köprüçay River ancient Eurymedon is a river that is situated in Antalya Province, Turkey, and empties into the Mediterranean. At its mouth, in the 460s BC, the Athenian general Cimon defeated a large Persian force of ships and men moving westwards (Battle of the Eurymedon). The two land and sea battles lasted one day and included Cimon's capture or destruction of the entire Phoenician fleet of 200 triremes. In 190 BC, a Roman fleet led by Lucius Aemilius Regillus defeated the Seleucid fleet of Antiochus III the Great, led by Hannibal, near the river. Strabo records a lake he called Caprias near its mouth although the area is today a salt marsh. The Seljuk-era Eurymedon Bridge, which rests on Roman foundations, crosses the river at Aspendos. Further upstream, half-way on the road to ancient Selge, another Roman bridge spans the Eurymedon valley.

Köprüçay River

Beydağları Mountains Extensions in the province of Antalya is one of the western Taurus Mountains. Ranging from 600-3086 m between the heights of the mountain group of the Gulf of Antalya, in parallel with the bay stretches from north to south, and literally a mountain properly.

Beydağları Mountains

Olympos National Park:  Olympos is an ancient city which is located in a valley at the south coast of Turkey, 90 km southwest of Antalya city near the Town of Kumluca. The former city of Olympos was founded in the Hellenistic period, presumably taking its name from nearby Mount Olympos, one of over twenty mountains with the name Olympos in the Classical world. The Olympos village is located in the heart of the Olympos coastal national park. The surrounding area offers best conditions for Trekking, Mountain biking, Canyoning, Rock climbing, Sea kayaking. It is possible to rent equipment in the village or to join organized tours.

Olympos National Park