Belek: Rafting Adventure in Köprülü Canyon

Your morning begins the easy way, with a comfortable pickup right outside your Belek hotel as the air-conditioned coach winds inland toward the Taurus…

Your morning begins the easy way, with a comfortable pickup right outside your Belek hotel as the air-conditioned coach winds inland toward the Taurus Mountains. The resort skyline soon gives way to fragrant pine forest and roadside stalls selling fresh oranges, and the temperature drops a few welcome degrees as the road climbs into Koprulu Canyon National Park. By the time you reach the rafting base camp on the banks of the Kopru River, the city feels a world away.

After a friendly safety briefing and a fitting for your helmet and life jacket (a wetsuit is optional and can be hired at the base for an extra fee), you climb into the raft with your licensed guide and push off into water so clear you can count the pebbles below. The Kopru River carries you through roughly 14 kilometres of splashing Grade 2-3 rapids, calm enough for first-timers yet lively enough to soak everyone in the boat. You paddle hard through frothing chutes, drift under the ancient Roman Oluk Bridge arching high over the canyon, and pause in glassy emerald pools where the braver paddlers leap from the rocks into the cool current.

Back at base camp you trade your paddle for a plate, tucking into a hearty grilled lunch served at long tables beneath the pines beside the rushing river. There is time to swap stories, dry off in the mountain sun and grab a Turkish tea before the coach carries you back down to Belek, sun-kissed and pleasantly tired. It is the perfect contrast to a lazy beach holiday, so reserve your spot in the raft and bring home the adventure story everyone will envy.