Kanispi, a name meaning white waterfall, comes from the milky white colour of the water as it pours down beside the Van–Çatak road, 75 kilometres from Van and 5 kilometres from the centre of Çatak. The falls are seasonal: the flow becomes very strong towards the end of April, starts to weaken in mid-August and dries up completely by early September.
The site doubles as a picnic ground and draws many visitors in summer. There is a trout farm right beside it where live trout can be bought on the spot.
When to go
- Climate
- Across Van as a whole, monthly mean temperatures run from -3 °C in January to 22.4 °C in July; the mean stays between 15 and 25 °C in June, July, August and September; rainfall is heaviest in April (55 mm) and lightest in August (6 mm). Long-term means for 1939-2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
