Altınbeşik Cave

Altınbeşik is the third longest cave in Turkey and among the more unusual to visit, because the way in is on the water: a lake fills the lower gallery, and visitors are rowed across it in small boats between rock walls, with the ceiling low overhead and the water clear and cold. Beyond the lake the cave rises through a series of travertine dam pools - calcite barriers built up over millennia, stepping back into the mountain - along with columns and flowstone. Only a portion of the system is open; the upper galleries are for cavers. The lake level rises and falls sharply with the season, and this matters: in spring the water is high and the boat trip works, while by late summer the lake can drop so far that the visitable route changes or closes, so checking before making the three-hour drive from Antalya is essential. The road up through the Taurus and the old timber-and-stone villages of İbradı and Ürünlü is part of the day.

What you actually see

• The underground lake - the boat crossing into the cave.
• The travertine dams - calcite pools stepping into the mountain.
• The formations - columns and flowstone in the galleries.
• The mountain villages - İbradı and Ürünlü on the way in.

When to go

April to June, when the lake is full and the boat trip runs properly. Water levels drop through summer and can close or curtail the visit - confirm before travelling.

Honest expectations

It is three hours from Antalya on mountain roads, and the path down to the entrance is steep. Access depends entirely on water level. It is cold inside and the boats are small.

Nearby

Akseki's old stone villages are on the road; Manavgat and Side are back on the coast.