Waterfalls in Turkey

Duden is really two waterfalls on the same river east of Antalya. The Upper Duden, about 12 km northeast of the centre, drops into a gorge you can walk behind, with a nature park around it. The Lower Duden falls roughly 40 metres straight off the cliff into the Mediterranean at Lara, which is the one on the postcards and is best seen from a boat.

Manavgat is wide rather than tall, spread across the river near Side, and it is one of the most visited waterfalls in the country largely because it is so easy: a promenade of restaurants, cafes and tea gardens runs along the bank beside it. It suits an afternoon and a meal rather than a hike. Rafting trips run on the same river, but upstream of the falls.

Kursunlu is about 19 km northeast of Antalya off the Alanya road, a single drop of roughly 18 metres on a tributary of the Aksu, falling into a pool at the head of a wooded gorge. Paths lead through pine and around several smaller cascades, with picnic areas and a cafe at the entrance. It is the quietest of the three Antalya falls.

Tortum Falls is in the Tortum district of Erzurum province in the far east, and at roughly 50 metres it is usually described as the largest waterfall in Turkey by volume. It drops off a landslide dam into the Tortum lake below. Come between April and June: the snowmelt is what makes it worth the long drive, and by late summer the flow is much reduced.

Tatlica is at Erfelek in Sinop province on the Black Sea coast, and it is not one waterfall but a chain of around 28 small cascades along a wooded stream. A boardwalk and steps follow the water up, so you see them in sequence rather than all at once. Best from May to November, with camping ground and trekking routes nearby.

Tarsus Waterfall is on the Berdan River right at the edge of Tarsus in Mersin province, which makes it unusually urban for a waterfall of its size: it is a short walk from the town rather than a trip out. It is low and wide, with terraces and tea gardens along the bank, and it is a local swimming and picnic spot rather than a wilderness one.

Kureklidere is above Hamamlikizik village in the Yildirim district on the Bursa side of Uludag, reached on a trekking route up through the city forest. It falls in stages through beech woodland, and there are picnic tables, a wooden viewing platform and camping ground near the top. It works as a half-day walk out of Bursa.