Palovit Waterfall

Palovit drops around fifteen metres into a pool in the forest above Çamlıhemşin, and although the height is unremarkable the volume is not - this is the wettest region in Turkey, the catchment above is Kaçkar snowmelt and rain, and the fall runs hard enough to throw spray across the whole clearing and drown conversation. It sits within the Kaçkar Mountains national park in dense wet forest of spruce, beech and rhododendron, with moss on everything. Getting there means continuing up the Fırtına valley road past Zilkale on a narrowing, roughening track toward the Elevit and Palovit yaylas - slow, and unpleasant in a low car. There is a viewing platform and a path down toward the pool. The area was the subject of a long campaign against small hydroelectric schemes proposed on these streams, which is a live regional subject and directly relevant to how much water comes over the fall.

What you actually see

• The fall - heavy water into a forest pool.
• The spray - the clearing constantly wet from it.
• The Kaçkar forest - spruce, beech and rhododendron around.
• The valley road - the rough climb past Zilkale.

When to go

June to September; snowmelt in early summer gives the strongest flow. The road is impassable in winter and rough after heavy rain.

Honest expectations

The road is poor and slow - a high-clearance vehicle is advisable. Everything is wet and slippery. There are no facilities. Mist and rain are constant in this valley.

Nearby

Zilkale is back down the valley; Pokut plateau and Elevit yayla are above.