Saklıkent Canyon: The "Hidden City" River Oasis
I love being outside. I’m sure this developed through many days of childhood spent with my family in the Great Smokey Mountains of East Tennessee. Castles, grand homes, and museums are intriguing but nothing compares to the great outdoors. So when I was planning a trip to Turkey’s Turquoise Coast and saw a place labeled “Hidden City Canyon,” (Saklıkent Kanyon in Turkish) I thought to myself, “I have to see this!”
Saklıkent (sa-kluh-kent) Canyon is located about 50km from Fethiye. The canyon was our last stop after a full-day of touring at Patara Beach, Patara Ancient City, and Xanthos Ancient City. We arrived in late afternoon and I was surprised by the number of people visiting the canyon. When visiting some of the biggest attractions in Turkey like Istanbul or Ephesus a crowd is to be expected; however, I was taken aback at the throngs of people this late in the afternoon in summer.
We paid the entrance fee (9 Turkish lira per person) and began walking into the canyon. The path leading into the canyon is a wooden walkway bolted to the rock wall. After several minutes of walking we came to a wider, shaded area that contained a small cafe with tables and benches. If my family had been with me, they would have put their hands on their hips, surveyed the masses, and declared with a Tennessee accent, “You can’t stir ‘em with a stick!” I’ll translate. It means this little area was very crowded.
This is an area of natural springs bubbling up from beneath the canyon walls. At this point, to continue hiking in the canyon you have to cross the river. Many people were content with sitting in the shade on a rock with their feet dangling in the frigid waters. When I looked at the crowds of people clutching the rope strung between the two sides of the canyon and struggling to cross from one side to the other and when I considered how tired I was from being in the sun all day after visiting a beach and two ancient cities, I decided I wasn’t willing to wade into the crowd. Wading in the water would have been nice. Wading in the middle of a crowd of people, not so much. The moral of the story is if you are planning on visiting Saklıkent Canyon you should go early in the morning like I read on every other travel blog. I recommend heeding the advice that I did not.
I did enjoy sitting next to the muted green river and indulging in a little people watching. While observing folks rub mud all of their bodies was amusing, seeing people try to walk in the water in every kind of footwear imaginable was more entertaining. Flip-flops, tennis shoes, loafers, Birkenstocks, and my favorite, just plain ‘ol socks were attempted, some with more success than others. My dad was a hiker and placed great importance on good hiking equipment: backpacks, tents, sleeping pads, multi-tools, hiking stoves, boots, hiking poles, water-wicking clothing, Gore-tex, maps and more. I think that’s why I noticed everyone’s footwear. When my dad took people to the Smokies and they weren’t outfitted with his idea of proper equipment, he would affectionately refer to them as “green.” So, if you visit Saklıkent Canyon, don’t be “green” but rather bring some water shoes with you.
The mud bathers
A solid choice of shoe for the water.
These shoes may or may not look the same afterwards.
If I attempted in flip flops more than my feet would be wet.
Those are going to be drying out for awhile.
This little girl’s approach was probably the best of the day.
Fancy feet.
My favorite from the day. Just socks. Shoes in hand and just wet socks.
To our friends in the West, keep looking East!
Leslie Connors
Leslie is a co-founder of West2East. Originally from Tennessee, Leslie has called Turkey home for the past eight years. To read more about her, click here.