Köprülü Canyon itinerary: 2 days of rafting, the Oluk Bridge and Selge

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism says Köprülü Canyon National Park is reached via the coast road from Antalya to Manavgat, then through Taşağıl and Beşkonak. Beşkonak is the village at one end of the valley cut by the Köprüçay: according to the ministry, the canyon runs for 14 km between the villages of Bolasan and Beşkonak, with walls up to 100 metres high. If you arrive early, there is time to meet your guide, try on the equipment and talk through the plan for the day before rafting. Bear in mind that the entry fee in the 2026 tariff may be asked for when you enter the national park.

Location: 37.14433, 31.19932

The ministry presents the Köprüçay as an important area for water sports and a river suited to rafting, and GoTürkiye mentions rafting, angling and swimming on the river. Rafting guiding depends on a certificate from the Turkish Canoe Federation: the federation issues the River Rafting Guide certificate, the certificate needs a visa every year, the visa is valid until 31 December of that year, and the federation says guiding cannot be provided without a valid visa. Before you get in the boat, ask the guide for a certificate with this year’s visa. The length and duration of the route and the state of the water are not given in official sources, so ask the operator; the operator and guide decide whether rafting goes ahead depending on the water.

Location: 37.14433, 31.19932

After rafting, head up the canyon to the Selge road. According to the ministry, the Oluk and Büğrüm bridges link the remains of the ancient stone road that connected Selge to Pamphylia. The Antalya Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism also says the road to Selge crosses the Oluk Bridge and reaches the city 13 km after the bridge. Look down at the Köprüçay flowing through the canyon from the bridge; you will take this road up to Selge the next morning. The bridge is in the open; official sources give no opening hours or fee.

Location: 37.19207, 31.18089

Selge lies on the southern slopes of the Taurus Mountains, 950 metres above sea level, in what is today the Altınkaya (Zerk) neighbourhood of Manavgat, and it falls within Köprülü Canyon National Park. According to the Antalya Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, the city goes back to the end of the 2nd millennium BC; Strabo writes that it was founded through the Dorian migrations after the Trojan War, and Selge enters the historical record in the 5th century BC. Growing rich on olive oil, wine, medicinal and aromatic plants and timber, it was the first place in Pisidia to mint coins; it later became part of Pamphylia and was ruled in turn by Lydia, Persia, Alexander the Great and Rome. The remains are interwoven with today’s village: the walls and the theatre stand out first, and the Temple of Zeus, agoras, a colonnaded street, a bath, cisterns and basilicas are among the other ruins.

Location: 37.22939, 31.12721

Head down from Selge to the Oluk Bridge and back to the coast road via Beşkonak and Taşağıl. According to the State Airports Authority, Antalya Airport is 65 km from Manavgat and 13 km from Antalya city centre. If your flight is in the evening, you can stop in Manavgat or Antalya for something to eat before heading home; Antalya piyaz is registered with an indication of source on behalf of the Antalya Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and you can ask for it in restaurants.

Location: 36.89961, 30.79614