Turkey can offer vacationers not only its pristine beaches, but also a lot of attractions, and some of them were created by Mother Nature herself in ancient times. Antalya is especially rich in such beauties, it is here that our compatriots most often come to rest. And almost every one of them takes time to visit the Duden Falls, the photo of which is included in all the country's advertising booklets. And the tourists themselves consider this incredible place the most beautiful in Antalya. Let's find out what the Duden Falls is and why it is of such value to tourists and locals.
Düden River: waterfall formation
Antalya is one of the rare resorts where, in addition to the beautiful sea, there are also rivers with a cascade of waterfalls. This allows tourists to enjoy not only a lazy beach holiday, but also sightseeing. Antalya itself is located onhigh cliff above the Mediterranean itself, and on the other side it is surrounded by Mount Taurus. All views of the resort are very picturesque, and the Duden waterfall can safely be called a Turkish pearl.
The cascade of waterfalls is formed by the Duden River, which originates from karst mountain springs. The river begins thirty kilometers from the city, where several sources merge into one stream, called Kyrkgozler.
Surprisingly, the Duden River flows almost through the center of Antalya. Partly it passes underground, sometimes the underwater channel stretches for thirteen kilometers. In the 60s of the last century, a hydroelectric power station was built in the resort area, and the river began to pass through specially laid underground channels. If you look at the river at its source, you can hardly imagine that this lazy current can form a whole cascade of rapids and waterfalls, two of which are considered the most beautiful in the country. Literally a few tens of meters from the source, Duden accelerates and forms the first rapids. In the northeast of the center of Antalya, the river turns into a roaring stream, and tourists can see the first of the famous waterfalls - the Upper Duden Falls. Tourists never refuse to visit it, especially since this picturesque place is surrounded by a coniferous forest, in which a national park with all the infrastructure is built.
On a fifty-meter cliff, where the river flows into the Mediterranean Sea, the Lower Duden Falls are formed. It is considered one of the largest in Europe, and you can admire it both from land and from water.
Upper Duden Waterfall, Antalya: description
It is difficult to say which of the creations of nature on the Duden River is the most beautiful, but tourists always speak of the Upper Duden Falls with great enthusiasm. You can literally look at it all day long, because the creation of mother nature is represented not by one water stream, but by a whole group of rapids, waterfalls and waterfalls. It is almost impossible to talk in the center of this beauty - everything is blocked by the sound of falling water. This incredibly beautiful spectacle can be viewed from different angles, because a large number of bridges have been laid across the river, and the most beautiful view opens from the observation deck, which is quite often filled with splashes of water so that tourists have to enter it barefoot.
If you are not afraid of caves and grottoes, you can explore the surrounding beauty by descending into the natural rocky halls that abound in the Duden Falls.
Duden National Park: characteristics
The local authorities have done everything to make it comfortable for tourists to come to the famous Duden waterfall (Turkey). The national park built along the river allows vacationers not only to see the natural landmark, but also to dine in the shade of forest alleys. There are quite a few cafes and cozy pavilions in the park. Families with children love to buy ice cream from special ice cream kiosks, where vendors can put on a real show for the little ones with cold treat balls.
Keep in mind that the entrance to the national park is paid,but you can buy a ticket only for Turkish liras. Dollars and other currencies are not accepted at the box office. By purchasing an entrance ticket, you can stay near the waterfall until the park closes, no one limits your time in this beautiful nature reserve.
The Duden River is visible directly from the entrance to the park, so after walking just a few tens of meters along comfortable asph alt paths, you will hear a growing rumble, and in a couple of minutes an amazing sight will open in front of you - the Upper Duden Waterfall (Antalya). Photos of this creation of nature amaze the imagination with the angles from which they were taken by tourists. This is easy to achieve due to the large number of bridges and viewing platforms. They allow you to get very close to the sights and capture it on camera. If you wish, you can rent a boat in the park and swim up to the water stream, enjoying the sea of spray and a magnificent rainbow. Almost everywhere in the park you can hear the sound of a waterfall, and light mist settles on clothes and hair, giving coolness even on the hottest day.
Grottoes and rocks of the national park
The main water stream, which is also called the waterfall of Alexander the Great, breaks down from a twenty-meter cliff. But you can view it not only from the side of the forest with which it is surrounded. The fact is that the waterfall has one secret that allows you to penetrate into its heart: the rock behind the roaring stream has several caves and grottoes. Almost all of them have small viewing platforms. Tourists go down narrow spiral staircasesinto the cool rocky halls and admire the incredible spectacle that opens before them in all its glory. One interesting legend is connected with the caves of the park. The fact is that the observation balcony has a very unusual stone covering. To many, it resembles a meteorite, because the stone seems to consist of thin needles. Park workers claim that if you tie a thread on one of these needles and make a wish, it will surely come true. But there is one secret - when making a wish, you need to look at the arch of the cave, where you can see a piece of the sky. And do not believe when they say that the waterfall does not grant wishes. It's just that not everyone gets to know this special secret.
After admiring the waterfall, you can take a walk around the park. There are quite a lot of interesting things here too. For example, an ancient plane tree grows to the left of the riverbed, which, according to some sources, is already seven hundred years old. And lovers of historical monuments will be interested in burials dating back to the third century AD. Ancient sarcophagi are decorated with beautiful carvings depicting lions.
Falling Watermelon Waterfall
The Lower Duden Falls flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The rock from which he falls down is fifty meters high. In Europe, you will not find such an incredible spectacle again. By the way, locals say that if you drink water from this waterfall, you can preserve beauty and he alth for a long time.
Often Lower Falls is called "Falling Watermelon". On this score, there are two stories that claim to bepure truth. According to one version, once the river overflowed its banks so much that it flooded melons with watermelons, which then fell from a great height into the Mediterranean Sea. Another story says that the locals quite often floated watermelons along the river, but did not always manage to catch them all in front of the waterfall. Therefore, many striped berries fell off the cliff to the delight of onlookers. No one remembers which of the stories gave the name to this beautiful waterfall, but the name is still preserved.
Description of the Lower Duden Waterfall
Tourists usually come to see this natural attraction on their own. They get great pleasure walking along the picturesque river along the equipped alleys, where you can drink Turkish coffee in a cozy restaurant.
The noise of the waterfall can be heard many kilometers before it, many tourists say that even on the approach to Antalya they admired it from the window of the plane. Indeed, this miracle is best seen from a height or from the sea. Therefore, quite often tourists rent small boats in order to take a closer look at the Lower Duden Waterfall. Surprisingly, the splashes of water form a bright rainbow that can be seen at almost any time of the day. Recently, the resort authorities have updated the illumination of the falls, and now at night it is a truly fantastic sight.
Where is the cascade of waterfalls?
The upper waterfall is located fifteen kilometers from the center of Antalya and belongs to the Varsak district. It's pretty easy to find, butjust in case, keep in mind that the locals are always happy to tell you the location of the national park.
Lower Duden Waterfall is located near the Old Town. In the utmost proximity to this natural wonder, Lara Beach stretches.
How to get to the waterfalls?
If you do not want to buy an excursion to the Duden Falls, you can get here on your own. From the Kaleichi area, a bus to the national park runs quite regularly. The stop is located near the famous clock tower. Tourists will be on the way for about an hour. During the high season, the park is open from 8 am to 7 pm.
The Kony alti - Lara bus will help you get to the Lower Duden Waterfall. As soon as you get off at the bus stop, you will hear the sound of a majestic waterfall.
Duden waterfall, Antalya: reviews of tourists
As we said, no tourist misses the opportunity to enjoy the views of the waterfall. Most often, vacationers go to the national park. But if you want to appreciate all the beauties of the Duden River, be sure to order a view of the Lower Falls from the water.
What do tourists say about this natural wonder? Their rave reviews are hard to put together in one article. But one thing is for sure: none of the travelers regretted that they went to the Duden Falls. So, this attraction is worth its unofficial title - the pearl of Turkey.
