Three lakes lie inside this park — Gölbasi, Azaplı and İnekli — across 2,080 hectares in the Gölbasi district of Adıyaman. It was established in 2008.
What is built for visitors is set out plainly: on the eastern shore of Gölbasi a walking and running track, children's playgrounds, a bird observation house and arbours; at Azaplı Gölü and Bağlarbaşı village a viewing terrace and a bird observation tower. The park is reached by road, rail and air — Adıyaman airport is 75 kilometres away — and there are hotels in Adıyaman and in Gölbasi. It has capacity for 1,000 visitors, 300 vehicles and 35 tents.
The three lakes are of a piece but not alike. Gölbaşı Gölü lies in a north-east to south-west trench at 863 metres and is counted among the karstic-tectonic lakes; it is fed by rain, snow and small streams and drains west through a canal into Azaplı Gölü. Azaplı covers about three square kilometres at 840 metres, with a smooth, reed-lined shore. İnekli, also called Yeşilova, is the westernmost, about 1.1 square kilometres at 820 metres. All three are fresh but not fit to drink, and the state waterworks authority has linked them by canals. They stand highest in winter and in March and April, and lowest in summer and September.
Most of the park is reed bed, peat and shallow lagoon, and water lilies cover the shallows. The lakes are a breeding and seasonal ground for many resident and migrating birds; at Azaplı and İnekli there is nothing to do but watch, and the nature conservation directorate counts about fifteen bird species that can be seen there. Walking, cycling, picnics and the playgrounds are all around Gölbaşı Gölü itself. The park is 65 kilometres from the centre of Adıyaman, on the road towards Kahramanmaraş and Malatya.
- Designated
- 12.05.2008
Visiting hours
- Visiting hours
- 08:00 - 23:00
When to go
- Climate
- Across Adıyaman as a whole, monthly mean temperatures run from 4.7 °C in January to 31.1 °C in July; the mean stays between 15 and 25 °C in April, May and October; rainfall is heaviest in January (137 mm) and lightest in July (2 mm). Long-term means for 1963-2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
