Köprülü Canyon National Park

What makes it special

The canyon takes its name from the Oluk Bridge, a single 2nd-century Roman arch that still carries the old road over the Köprüçay. The bridge is 22 metres high and only 2.7 metres wide. Stand on it to watch the rafts gathering on the water below.

The Köprüçay keeps a strong flow even through the dry summer, which is what makes it so good for rafting. The park around it holds the largest natural cypress forest in the Mediterranean region, a 400 hectare stand among red pine and scrub.

Selge sits higher up the mountain road. Its theatre, built for around 10,000 spectators, keeps most of its seating rows on the bedrock, though the stage building has fallen. Walk on afterwards and you will see Roman columns and capitals built into stables and farmhouse walls.

Visiting

Start at Beşkonak, the village at the canyon entrance, where several rafting companies run trips from their own bases. Before you get in the water there is a safety briefing, then the guides hand out helmets, life jackets and paddles.

On the river the run takes two and a half to three and a half hours, depending on the water level and how often the group stops. You will be soaked in the rapids, and rafts on the same stretch often start water fights.

Before or after the river, go up to the Oluk Bridge, where the rafts and boats set off, and walk across it. A picnic area with shelters sits beside it. With the rest of the day, carry on up the mountain road to the theatre at Selge.

Guided or on your own

Rafting runs with a licensed guide and a safety-certified raft from the companies at Beşkonak. With a car, you can go straight to one of their bases.

At Selge, a local guide can meet you at the theatre and walk you through the agora, the acropolis and the city walls. Some walks go on for about 10 km down through the canyon to the Roman bridge.

Tips

Flip-flops are not allowed on the rafts and slip off in the rapids anyway, so wear water shoes or sandals with a back strap. Glass bottles are banned too. The limestone along the bank is polished smooth and very slippery when wet.

The water runs cold near its source, around 9 degrees, and warms downstream in summer, so consider hiring a wetsuit at the base. Carry cash for extras like that, since operators at the canyon rarely take cards. In peak season hundreds of rafts share the water, so take the earliest start you can.