The rafting is the headline act, but Köprülü Canyon National Park has a slow, sunlit second half that most people never plan for. Once you're dry and grinning, there's a whole valley waiting.
First things first: lunch by the river
Almost every rafting day ends the same happy way — at a riverside restaurant back at the Beskonak base camp. Long wooden tables sit right over the water on timber platforms, the Köprücay rushing cold and green underneath, and the shade of the pines keeps the summer heat off. Lunch is usually the classic Turkish grill spread: chicken or köfte, salads, bread, rice and seasonal veg, with trout a popular choice given the river running past your feet.
Take your time here. The water is genuinely cold snowmelt even in August, so a heavy lunch in the shade after a morning of paddling is exactly what your body wants. If your day includes a pickup, you'll usually have a comfortable stretch — often around an hour or more — to eat and dry out fully before the drive back to the coast.
The Roman bridge and ancient Selge
The canyon takes its name — Köprülü means "with a bridge" — from the graceful Roman-era Oluk bridge that arches high over the gorge. It's a genuine survivor, a single stone span from antiquity still standing above the same water you just rafted, and it's one of the most photographed spots in the whole valley. If your itinerary or a private transfer allows a short detour, it's well worth the stop.
Push a little higher into the hills and you reach Selge, an ancient mountain city scattered across a windswept plateau above the canyon. There's a remarkably well-preserved theatre, tumbled temple stones and views back down over the valley that make the climb worth it. It's quiet, atmospheric and blissfully uncommercial — a proper piece of Anatolian history most day-trippers miss entirely. To learn what else fills the valley, see our full guide to things to do in Köprülü Canyon.
Beskonak and the wider valley
The village of Beskonak is the gateway to the park, strung along the river with more restaurants, a scattering of shops and the odd stall selling honey, spices and local trinkets. It's an easy place to wander for half an hour. Beyond it, the national park is laced with walking trails, forest, and the deep turquoise pools of the Köprücay — some people combine rafting with a short nature walk, a canyoning add-on or a zipline over the gorge where it's offered.
Pair it with a second adventure
Because the base camp sits in the middle of an activity valley, rafting slots neatly alongside other trips. Popular add-ons include:
- Quad or buggy safari along the dusty forest tracks above the river
- A canyon or nature walk to the quieter upper pools
- A jeep tour up into the Taurus foothills toward Selge
If you'd rather line up a combo before you travel, browse our full range of tours to see what pairs well with a rafting morning.
Or simply head back and relax
There's no shame in making rafting the whole day and nothing more. The Köprülü valley sits around an hour inland from the Side–Manavgat coast, so a morning on the water gets you back to your resort by late afternoon or early evening — plenty of time for a shower, a swim in the calm warm sea and a lazy dinner. After the cold river, the adrenaline and the mountain air, a poolside sunbed feels like a reward you've properly earned.
However you shape it, the rafting is the spark and the valley is the rest of the story. Plan a little around it and you'll come home with far more than wet clothes and a good grin.
Ready to build your day around the river? Start with our guide to things to do in Köprülü Canyon and book the rafting that anchors it all.
