Koprulu Canyon National Park

The Koprucay cuts a canyon around fourteen kilometres long through the Taurus north of Manavgat, cold green water between limestone walls, with one of the largest natural stands of Mediterranean cypress growing on the slopes above it. The Roman bridge that gives the park its name still carries traffic across the gorge on a single arch, high over the river, and a second Roman bridge stands further up the valley. Rafting is why most people come: a commercial run of easy to moderate water, worked in large groups from riverside camps, cheap and thoroughly organised. Above the canyon a rough road climbs to Selge, a ruined mountain town with a theatre cut into the rock and goats in the streets.

History

The national park was established on 12 December 1973 and covers 366 km². Within it stand the ruins of the Greco-Roman city of Selge and the intact Eurymedon Bridge, known in Turkish as Oluk Köprü (Wikipedia, Köprülü Canyon).

What's there

• The Oluk bridge - a single Roman arch spanning the gorge.
• The rafting run - kilometres of cold, mostly easy water.
• The cypress forest - natural Mediterranean cypress on the canyon slopes.
• Selge - a ruined hill town above the canyon with a rock-cut theatre.

When to go

Rafting runs from about April to October; spring water is high and very cold, late summer lower and warmer. Weekends and school holidays fill the camps with coach groups, so a weekday morning slot is calmer. The drive up to Selge is rough and best done in daylight, and it takes longer than the distance suggests.

Practical notes

The rafting is a mass-produced product, not an expedition: crowded boats, photographers at every rapid, and a lunch you pay for at the end. The river is cold all year. Many day tours bundle it with zip lines and quad bikes and rush the whole thing. The road to Selge is narrow, potholed and slow.

Nearby

Manavgat and its waterfall, and the ruins at Aspendos and Side.

Key facts