Güver Kanyonu Tabiat Parkı

Northwest of Antalya, only 20 kilometres from the city, the ground splits in the middle of a flat plateau and a 115-metre chasm opens. Güver Canyon, or Güver Cliff as it is known locally, is a canyon valley formed in karstic rock in the Döşemealtı district. According to Wikipedia it is 2 kilometres long, 20 to 30 metres wide and 115 metres deep, and lies on the Döşemealtı plateau at 280 to 300 metres above sea level. The travertines covering the plateau were deeply eroded by waters coming down from the Taurus, and the canyon is estimated to have formed over a million years. The Güver, Karaman and Gürkavak streams run through it. The area was declared a nature park in 2007, and Wikipedia gives its size as 4,044 hectares. It appears as "Antalya Güver Kanyonu Tabiat Parkı" in the list of nature parks of the 6th Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, where the park's geology, wildlife and facilities are described in detail. Geologically the Antalya travertines occupy a large part of the area; the Regional Directorate notes that travertines formed in the Quaternary, together with slope debris and alluvium, cover the northern, southern and western parts of the park. The park's real value is its wildlife. Güver Canyon lies within the Düzlerçamı Wildlife Development Area, the only place in the world where the fallow deer lives naturally. According to the Ministry's fallow deer species conservation action plan, the protected area lies 25 kilometres northwest of Antalya, with Güver Cliff Canyon and the settlement of Yukarı Karaman to its east and Termessos National Park to its north. According to the same plan the fallow deer, which lived naturally in the Marmara, Aegean and Mediterranean regions in the 19th century, survived only in the Düzlerçamı area because of illegal hunting and habitat loss; in 1966 the forest engineer Nihat Turan recorded seven fallow deer in the area and 1,750 hectares were declared a protection zone. The first breeding station began operating in 1974, and in 2003 the animals were moved to a larger new station in their natural habitat. The plan also records that the area contains Güver Canyon, frequently visited by both domestic and foreign visitors. The fallow deer is a shy animal; seeing one is a matter of luck, but visitors walking quietly in the early morning and late afternoon have a chance of a distant sighting. According to the Regional Directorate's inventory, 188 vertebrate species have been recorded in the park and its immediate surroundings, namely 7 fish, 5 amphibians, 20 reptiles, 114 birds and 42 mammals; this corresponds to roughly a quarter of Turkey's vertebrate species. In the flora, 571 taxa from 93 families have been identified, 45 of them endemic. The species Wikipedia lists are the familiar faces of the Mediterranean; maquis of Turkish pine, juniper, kermes oak, carob, mastic and heather, and among the animals fallow deer, roe deer, wild goat, wild boar, fox, badger, hare, turtle dove, eagle and falcon. The canyon carries other layers too. According to the Regional Directorate, the ancient city of Neapolis on Keldağı within the park boundaries was declared a first-degree archaeological site in 2002; Termessos lies to the north of the area, and also to the north is Karain Cave, one of Turkey's oldest settlements. Spring and Yörük festivals are also held in the park. The centre of a visit is the viewing terrace on the edge of the cliff; the Regional Directorate lists the park's facilities as an entrance control unit, two toilets and a scenic viewing terrace, and names the terrace, the canyon, the walking routes and the day-use area among the things not to miss. According to Wikipedia there is no accommodation in the area, there are viewing terraces, and the last section of the canyon opens onto a panoramic view of Antalya. The activities available are nature walks, picnics, photography and observation of the vegetation and geology. Do not step beyond the terrace railing; the edge is travertine and the drop is 115 metres. For those who want to walk there is a measured example. According to a 2020 news item from Muratpaşa Municipality, a walking group completed the roughly 9-kilometre course from Düzlerçamı to Güver Canyon in 6 hours, and the walk ended on the canyon terrace. This course requires an experienced leader, plenty of water and sturdy shoes; do not set out at summer noon. The Düzlerçamı forest immediately south of the canyon is Antalya residents' weekend picnic and running ground. Access is easy; follow the highway from Antalya towards Korkuteli and turn off towards Yukarı Karaman and Düzlerçamı, about 20 to 30 minutes by car from the city. See the Metropolitan Municipality's transport page for public bus lines towards Döşemealtı and Düzlerçamı. Check the Regional Directorate's page for current information on entry arrangements, opening hours and any fee. Combined with Termessos and Karain, Güver is the stop that completes a day of nature and history in Döşemealtı.