Köprülü Kanyon Milli Parkı

About Köprülü Kanyon Milli Parkı

Köprülü Kanyon National Park lies in Manavgat district, 63 km north-west of Manavgat town according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's Culture Portal. Declared a national park in 1973, it covers 366,140 decares (about 366 km2) around the Köprüçay (Köprü) River and the ancient city of Selge. The gorge the river has cut between Bolasan village and Beşkonak is 14 km long with walls more than 100 m high, making it one of the longest canyons in Turkey. Fed by countless springs inside its steep-walled canyons, the Köprüçay keeps a high flow in summer and winter, which makes it one of Turkey's main rafting routes. The park's heritage includes ancient Selge, founded in the 5th century BC, with its theatre, agora, temples of Zeus and Artemis, cisterns and aqueducts; the Oluk and Büğrüm bridges over the Köprüçay and Kocaçay; and the stone-paved road that linked Selge to the coastal cities of Pamphylia. About 45 km of the St Paul Trail runs inside the park. Natural highlights include a 400 ha natural cypress forest, described as the largest in the Mediterranean region, and the unusual Adam (Şeytan) Kayaları rock formations. Wildlife includes wild goats and the endangered griffon vulture. Activities include rafting, canoeing and canyoning on the river, as well as swimming, walking, rock climbing, cycling, fishing, camping, jeep safaris and wildlife watching. Restaurants line both banks of the river, and there are day-use and tent camping areas and guesthouses with bungalows inside the park. Entry to the national park is free; rafting and other commercial activities are run by travel agencies and operators with their own prices. The park is reached from the Antalya to Manavgat highway: about 5 km past Serik, turn left at the Taşağıl-Beşkonak-Köprülü Kanyon sign and continue north for about 37 km.