Kuyucak Lavender

Kuyucak is a small village that grows most of Turkey's lavender, and for a few weeks in July the terraced fields around it come into flower and the hillsides turn a solid, improbable purple. The crop was introduced in the 1970s and expanded as growers found the dry limestone slopes suited it; the harvest is cut in late July and August and distilled for oil, with dried bundles, soap, oil and honey sold from stalls in the village. What has happened alongside is a tourism season of its own: the village has become a fixture of Turkish Instagram, with buses arriving from Isparta and Antalya, photo props set out in some fields, drone flights overhead and charges levied for access to the best plots. Growers have mixed feelings about it - trampled rows are a real cost - and visitors are asked to keep to the paths between them. Come early in the morning, both for the light and to see it before the coaches.

What you actually see

• The purple terraces - lavender rows across the hillsides.
• The harvest - cutting and bundling from late July.
• The village stalls - oil, soap, dried bundles and honey.
• The photo trade - props, drones and paid field access.

When to go

Late June to early August, peaking in mid-July - the window is short and shifts with the season. Early morning for light and before the tour buses.

Honest expectations

The fields are private crops - keep to the paths, do not trample rows, and expect to pay for access to some. It is far more crowded than the photographs suggest. Bloom timing varies year to year.

Nearby

Isparta's rose fields flower earlier in the same region; Lake Eğirdir is north-east.