Besides ruins which are dates back to the old centuries, picturesque beaches, and ancient cities, Antalya has numerous wonderful parks. Antalya national parks boast incredible waterfalls, wild rivers, steep canyons, and underground lakes and are impressive locations for the hot summers. The rich beauty of Antalya enchants and can attract many visitors to visit these national parks. Here, you can read on our list of the best national parks in Antalya.
The 5 perfect Antalya national parks:
- Köprülü Canyon National Park
- Olympos Beydağları National Park
- Saklıkent Canyon National Park
- Güllük Mountain Termessos National Park
- Altınbeşik Cave National Park
Köprülü Canyon National Park
This park is among the famous attractions in Antalya because of its canyon and exciting activities. Activities like river kayaking, 14-km rafting, swimming, trekking, and camping. Horse riding, jeep and bike safari, and enjoying from the view of the Taurus Mountains are other options that you can do in Köprülü Canyon National Park.
Moreover, the ruins of Oluk Bridge and ancient city of Selge which are date backs to the Roman period are situated in this nation park. The waterfalls of this national park which are in the pine jungle can mesmerize everyone. You can walk in this park and enjoy the pathways of the stream.
The animal life is rich here and there are kingfishers, frogs, and lizards in this national park. Spring is the best season for visiting this park and seeing the most kind of animals. In summer, the water level drops extremely and it is not recommended to visit this park in summer.
Olympos Beydağları National Park
This national park which is known as the Beydaglari Beach National Park is a bit more than 34 thousand hectares. It is located in Olympos Beydağları Milli Parki, Arslanbucak, 07980 Kemer in Antalya. Ancient cities like Phaselis and Olympos which are existence in this national park and hidden in the mountain, make this national park a spectacular place for visiting.
Phaselis was a verdurous city that was founded in 690 BC by Greek colonists and it is between Lycia and Pamphylia. Besides visiting the ancient city, you can have some fun activities such as camping, mountain climbing, paragliding, picnicking, and so on. Therefore, you can combine visiting the ancient city and its natural beauty with breathtaking activities.
Saklıkent Canyon National Park
This national park is situated between Antalya and Muğla and strictly speaking, its location is in Muğla. But due to its adjacency to Antalya and its natural beauty, it is listed here. The Saklıkent Canyon National Park was named after the Saklıkent Canyon with a deep of 300 m and is one of the main attractions in southwestern Turkey.
This hidden paradise is well-known for its pine trees, natural springs, and its ancient cities like Tlos and Letoon. Moreover, some activities like rafting, trekking, and mountain climbing are available in this national park.
Saklıkent Canyon is among the deepest canyons in the whole world and shows everyone its natural formations, rapids, mud ponds, ice-cold water, and sheer rock walls uprising up to 700 meters.
Güllük Mountain Termessos National Park
This national park is situated in a valley between mountains of province Antalya. Through the Antalya – Korkuteli highway, you can be easily reach to the Gulluk Mountain Termessos National Park. It is in 34 km northwest of Antalya, in the Korkuteli mountain.
The ancient city of Termessos which is raised 1050m above the sea level is in this natinal park too. This city was created by Solims, a group of people who lived in Psidia Region. One of the noticeable things about the remains of this place is Towers, walls, Hadrian’s Gate, Gymnasium, Odeon, Theatre, Richly, Decorated Tombs, drainage system, and cisterns.
There are more interesting things in this national park like wild animals that are endangered such as fallow deer and golden eagle, mountain goats, the step rocks of Gulluk Mountain or Güllük Dağı, and the Mecine Canyon with 600-meter in height and its typical Mediterranean vegetation sheltering.
Altınbeşik Cave National Park
This park is located in the western part of the steep Manavgat Hill, 5 km southeast of Urunlu village, and 7 km from Ibradi (Aydinkent) district of Antalya. Altınbeşik Cave National Park is 678 meters above sea level. Altınbeşik Cave National Park is 678 meters above sea level. The first spot to see in the national park is Altınbeşik Cave.
The natural beauty of this national park is the first feature of the Manavgat Valley that leave a great impression in everyone’s memory. The Manavgat Valley is covered with scrub and swamps. caves and Mountains are very common in the area all around Altınbeşik National Park. Everyone can have peaceful and memorable hours with the nature of the Altınbeşik Cave National Park. A nature walks in a unique view made this path memorable.
That sums up our detailed guide on Antalya national parks. We have described the best 5 national parks which have worth spending time on. It is advised to devote enough time and relax in these incredible natures.
