Located about two hours inland from Fethiye, Turkey, is Saklikent Gorge. The canyon itself is 300 meters (984 ft) deep, making it one of the deepest in the world. Visitors can only enter during the summer months as the water levels are too high at other times of year. It was one of the final stops on my overland tour of Turkey with BusAbout and it ended up being one of my favorite activities of that tour.
We arrived late at night after a scary drive into the park when everything was closed and dark. Thankfully, the staff at Saklikent Gorge Club were waiting for us. We ate a quick dinner at their restaurant before climbing into our tree houses (yes, your eyes read that correctly) to go to sleep.
The next morning as we packed up our belongings, a few of us made plans to go “rafting.” It wasn’t quite warm enough to get into the water, but it looked like fun, so we went for it anyways. Apparently rafting in Turkey is really what I would call tubing with a lifejacket and paddle. But we spun around in the rushing waters through the gorge.
The trip down the river ended in a “mud bath,” which was more like a walk into muddy water. The day reminded me of one you might spend in Southeast Asia, wondering if this is really safe, but having a great time doing it. I can honestly say that my trip to Saklikent Gorge was my first night sleeping in a treehouse, but I hope it won’t be the last?
Have you ever been to Saklikent Gorge?
My visit to Saklikent Gorge was an optional excursion on my Turkey Aegean Adventure tour, sponsored in part by BusAbout.
I’ve never been there. But, love the idea of staying in a tree house :)
Happy New Year full of great adventures and wonderful memories, Caroline!