Tokatlı Canyon

The Tokatlı canyon cuts through the limestone just outside Safranbolu, around a hundred metres deep in places, and two things sit on it. The İncekaya aqueduct, built in the 1790s by the local governor İzzet Mehmet Pasha to bring water into the town, spans the gorge on six arches - it is walkable along the top, which is a narrow channel with a drop on either side and no railing, and crossing it is a memorable experience for anyone who dislikes heights. Downstream is the Crystal Terrace, a glass-floored platform cantilevered out from the rim with the canyon beneath it, built in the 2010s and now the standard photo stop. Paths run down into the gorge and along the stream, and the Ottoman route from Safranbolu passes this way. The whole thing sits within the landscape context of the Safranbolu UNESCO listing and is a short taxi ride from the old town.

What you actually see

• The glass terrace - the platform over the canyon rim.
• The İncekaya aqueduct - six arches spanning the gorge.
• The canyon paths - routes down into the stream bed.
• The forest slopes - the wooded walls of the gorge.

When to go

April to June and September to November. Autumn colour is the best of it. Weekends bring Safranbolu's visitors up in numbers.

Honest expectations

Walking the aqueduct top means a narrow unrailed channel with a serious drop - not for everyone, and not in wet weather. The glass terrace charges and queues at weekends. Canyon paths are steep.

Nearby

Safranbolu's old town is 8 km away; Yörük Köyü and Bulak cave are close.