Küre Mountains National Park

The Küre range runs parallel to the Black Sea behind Kastamonu and Bartın, and the national park protects one of the largest and least disturbed karst landscapes in Turkey: deep canyons, sinkholes, an extensive cave system including some of the country's longest, waterfalls, and forest of beech, fir, oak and box that has escaped logging in places long enough to count as old growth. It was designated a PAN Parks wilderness area, the first in Turkey, and much of the core is left deliberately undeveloped - no roads, no facilities, and access on foot. The visitable edges are at Pınarbaşı, where the Valla and Horma canyons have walkways and viewpoints, and around Azdavay and Cide. Bears, wolves, lynx and deer are present. Weather here is Black Sea weather: wet, misty and unpredictable, with rain possible in any month, which is exactly why the forest is what it is.

History

WWF named the Küre Mountains a priority area for protection in 1988, and after a conservation project of 1998 to 2000 the national park was established on 7 July 2000, covering about 37,000 hectares with a buffer zone around it (Wikipedia, Küre Mountains National Park).

What you'll find

• The karst canyons - Valla, Horma and the deep gorges.
• The old-growth forest - beech, fir and box in the core.
• The cave systems - among the longest in the country.
• The wilderness core - deliberately roadless and unbuilt.

When to go

May to June and September to October. Rain is possible any month and the canyons flood - never enter a gorge in unsettled weather.

Things to know

The core is genuine wilderness with no facilities, no signal and no rescue nearby - go with a guide or stay on the developed edges. Canyon routes flood dangerously. Roads are rough and a car is essential.

Nearby

Valla and Horma canyons are at Pınarbaşı; Kastamonu is two hours south and Amasra on the coast north-west.

Key facts