For those of an active bent, the big-ticket day trip from Antalya (53km) will have to be to the glorious Köprülü Kanyon national park, Turkey’s premier white-water rafting venue in the foothills of the Taurus Mountains. So popular is it that in high summer the rafts are launched hot on each other’s tail – this is an adventure you may prefer to postpone until after the end of the school holidays.
The Köprülü Kanyon is 14km long and takes its name from the Köprü river (the old Eurymedon river) that flows along its bottom. This in turn takes its name (köprü means bridge in Turkish) from the 14-metre-wide, high-arched Oluk (Eurymedon) Bridge, a 2nd-century Roman edifice presumably erected by the people of nearby Selge.
The ruins of ancient Psidian Selge are scattered around the village of Altınkaya and include a fine theatre and a sizeable stretch of wall.
If neither white-water rafting nor ruins is your thing, the canyon also makes a great place for trekking with the waymarked St Paul’s Trail passing through it.
Sleeping
If you arrive under your own steam there are a few small pensions with camping space near the water. Information is available at the Köprülü Kanyon Restaurant in Altınkaya.
Transport info
To visit Selge and the canyon without a car you will probably have to sign up for a tour in Antalya.
Driving, head east from Antalya on the Side road and look out for a signpost to Beşkonak on the left past Perge and Aspendos.
