The mirror lake
A 140-metre underground lake up to 47 metres deep, its surface so still the ceiling reflects in it like glass.
MehmetNasuh1949 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · MehmetNasuh1949 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · MehmetNasuh1949 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · MehmetNasuh1949 — CC BY-SA 4.0
In 1999 a shepherd near Aydıncık followed a hedgehog into a crack in a sea cliff and came out with what geologists now call the only preserved record of the last ice age in the eastern Mediterranean. Gilindire, or Aynalıgöl, the 'mirror lake', is a horizontal passage of roughly 555 metres crowded with stalactites, stalagmites and curtain formations, ending at an underground lake 140 metres long and up to 47 metres deep, so still that the ceiling reflects in it like glass. The upper water is brackish, the lower layer saltier, and the stalagmites drowned beneath it date from a time when the sea stood tens of metres lower than today. Protected as a natural monument since 2013, the cave is visited only in groups led by a site guide; there is no wandering off on your own. The real price of admission is not the ticket but the staircase: about 560 steep metal steps drop down the cliff from the car park to the cave mouth, and the same 560 come back up. Going down is a pleasure, with the Mediterranean spread out below you; coming up takes a hard half hour, worst in August when the stairs sit in full sun. Inside, by contrast, the temperature is cool and constant with heavy humidity all year, so a light layer is welcome even in summer. There is no place here for pushchairs or for anyone with heart or knee trouble, but school-age children who are used to walking genuinely enjoy it. Wear trainers; the steps and walkways stay damp and slippery. The cave lies about 170 km west of Mersin on the coastal D400, close to three hours' drive via Silifke, then some ten kilometres of narrow, twisting road beyond Aydıncık. No public transport reaches it, so it is either a full day out in a hire car or a natural stop on the way to Anamur and Antalya; excursion boats from Aydıncık harbour also reach the cove below. Entry is a token 65 TL under the 2026 nature-reserve tariff, paid at the gate; bring cash, as card payment is not guaranteed, and the Museum Card is not accepted. Facilities at the top are basic: a small car park that fills at weekends and toilets, but nothing to eat, so carry water. Is it worth six hours on the road there and back? If you are driving west anyway, without question: the lake at the end of the passage is among the finest underground sights in Turkey, and outside summer weekends it stays hushed. As a standalone trip from Mersin it is one for nature lovers and patient photographers, because the lighting inside is dim and uneven, and what the eye sees down there far outstrips what the camera brings home.
A 140-metre underground lake up to 47 metres deep, its surface so still the ceiling reflects in it like glass.
Drowned stalagmites under the water record a time when the sea stood tens of metres lower.
About 560 metal steps down the sea cliff with the Mediterranean below; the climb back is the real test.
Yeniyürük Mahallesi, Aydıncık, Mersin
If you have one day for caves, Heaven and Hell is far closer to Mersin (about an hour and a quarter) and much easier with a family. Gilindire is undeniably the more beautiful inside thanks to the lake, but it is three hours each way and demands 560 steps back up; make it a stop on the way to Anamur or Antalya rather than a standalone trip.
Not for children under about six, and not for anyone with heart or knee problems: the metal staircase is long, steep and damp, with no lift or alternative route. Older children who are used to walking love it, and the inside stays cool and humid all year, so bring a light layer.