The main fall
A drop of about 65 m into a wooded gorge, at its most powerful in spring and after rain.
Sixty-five metres of falling water in a forest almost nobody outside Samsun has heard of. That is Kabaceviz: a green gorge folded into the hills of Çarşamba district, roughly 32 km south-east of the city as the crow flies, though the drive is a good deal longer, where the water drops about 65 m in one main fall flanked by smaller cascades and pools. It is not an attraction in the packaged sense; there is no gate, no fee, no coach park, and that is precisely why it rewards the morning you give it. The site is laid out as three visitor zones reached by two separate access roads, and the facilities vary from a simple village café and a few picnic tables to nothing at all beyond the path and the water. The tarmac ends before the falls; from there a narrow earth track winds between trees and wet rock. Trainers with a proper grip are not optional here, and the ground is slippery in every season. Pushchairs will not cope, but children who can walk on their own enjoy it, and the stretch to the main fall is fairly short. Getting there from Samsun means driving: about half an hour on the highway towards Çarşamba, then close to an hour of winding rural roads climbing to Kabaceviz village; from Çarşamba town itself locals reckon about an hour. The last kilometres are tight; an ordinary car manages in summer, but go slowly after rain. No public transport reaches the falls, so the alternatives are a taxi on an agreed return fare with waiting time, or asking a Samsun travel agency whether a day tour is running, as it is not a fixed offering. Timing makes all the difference. In spring and after wet spells the fall roars and fills the gorge with spray; by late August it can shrink to a thread, so do not expect the postcard if you come at the height of summer. Autumn colour in the forest is lovely; winter is wet and muddy. Bring water and food, because what the village offers is very basic, and allow a full half day for the trip.
A drop of about 65 m into a wooded gorge, at its most powerful in spring and after rain.
Two access roads lead to three areas of varying comfort, from a village café to pure forest.
The final kilometres twist narrowly through Çarşamba's villages and are part of the pleasure if you are not in a hurry.
Kabaceviz neighbourhood, Çarşamba district, Samsun
Honestly, not always. By late summer the flow can drop to a trickle, and the path is slippery and no good for pushchairs. If your family enjoys a short forest walk it is fun; if you want a roaring waterfall, spring or autumn is far better, and otherwise a beach day in Samsun may serve you better.