Rafting the Köprüçay
Some 12-14 km of Grade II-III rapids between rock walls hundreds of metres high, with stops to swim in genuinely cold water.
Gökhannergiz at Turkish Wikipedia — Public domain · Kadı — CC BY 4.0 · Kadı — CC BY 4.0 · Kadı — CC BY 4.0
On a summer day as many as seven thousand people go down the Köprüçay river here, in yellow and blue rubber rafts that launch from the village of Beşkonak in waves. This is Köprülü Canyon: a national park of some 366 square kilometres declared in 1973, though what most visitors know of it is the 14-kilometre gorge with rock walls between a hundred and four hundred metres high, which happens to be the busiest rafting run in Turkey. The rapids are Grade II to III, enough to soak everyone and produce some screaming without any real danger, which is precisely why nearly every hotel in Belek sells the trip. The river is the star, but what sets Köprülü apart from any other rafting course is what stands at its head: Oluk Köprü, a Roman single-arch bridge from the second century AD whose seven-metre span crosses the narrowest point of the gorge, and which cars still use today, one at a time, since it is barely 3.5 metres wide. A little way downstream stands the second stone bridge, Büğrüm Köprü, also attributed to the Roman period, with a picnic area and a popular natural swimming spot beside it. From there a narrow road climbs some 11 kilometres to the village of Altınkaya at around 900 metres, where the ruins of Greco-Roman Selge lie scattered among the village houses: a theatre cut into the hillside with its seating still intact, the outlines of an agora and stoa, the remains of two temples. Few rafting tours come up this far; the bridge and Selge need your own car or a tour that names them explicitly. From Belek it is about 55-60 kilometres: east along the coastal D400, north at the Taşağıl junction between Serik and Manavgat, then a well-surfaced mountain road that narrows and twists towards the end. Allow an hour and a quarter by car. Most visitors do not drive; they book from the hotel for somewhere between 15 and 30 euros a head, which covers transfer, raft, kit and lunch, and is hard to beat on value. Entry to the park itself is free and there is no ticket gate in practice; what you pay for is the activity, not the place. Rafting runs roughly April to October, and the best months are May and early June, then September and October, when the river is calm and the heat is bearable. In July and August the canyon fills with hundreds of rafts setting off together and the scene is closer to a noisy festival than a wilderness adventure, though the cold water coming down from the Taurus is the best antidote to the coastal heat there is. For families: most operators take children from about five to seven, depending on the company, in slower family rafts with a guide aboard, and anyone nervous of the water can happily stay ashore. The fish restaurants at Beşkonak are built on wooden platforms directly over the river and serve trout and salads, reason enough on their own to come without getting wet. Do not expect many facilities up top, and the road to Selge is no place for a pushchair.
Some 12-14 km of Grade II-III rapids between rock walls hundreds of metres high, with stops to swim in genuinely cold water.
A second-century single arch over the narrowest point of the gorge, still crossed by cars one at a time.
A Greco-Roman theatre cut into the mountainside at around 900 metres, 11 km of narrow road above the canyon and reachable only by car.
Beşkonak village, Manavgat, Antalya
Largely yes: the rapids are Grade II-III, most operators take children from about five to seven depending on the company, in slower family rafts with a guide aboard, and they carry small life jackets and helmets. But the water is very cold even in August and you will be soaked through, so under-fives and babies stay at the restaurant with a parent. And avoid July and August if you want a quiet river.
Book the tour if rafting is the point: for 15-30 euros you get transfer, raft, kit and lunch, less than fuel plus a local operator would cost. Drive only if you want the Roman bridge, the ruins of Selge and the river restaurants at your own pace, since most tours skip them, and the road up to Altınkaya is narrow and single-track towards the end.
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