Saklıkent National Park

Overview

Guide

Saklıkent National Park is built around the canyon on the Esen stream, and it lies across two provinces: the directorate says the park falls within the boundaries of both Antalya and Muğla, with 652 of its 1,643 hectares on the Muğla side, in Seydikemer. The Council of Ministers declared it a national park on 6 June 1996.

Canyon walking, trekking, rafting and day recreation are the activities the directorate lists. It does not describe the canyon itself — no depth, length or walking time appears on the page — so anyone planning the walk should ask before going. Capacity is 1,000 visitors and 70 vehicles, with hours of 08:30 to 19:00.

Most of the built facilities are not inside the park proper. The directorate explains that 5,305.7 square metres adjoining the park boundary were taken over from the Forest Regional Directorate under protocol, and it is there that the country restaurant, the car park and its entrance unit, toilets, eleven sales units and a kiosk stand. Inside the canyon itself there is one kiosk and nothing else. The concession is held by Seydikemer Municipality.

The woodland holds red, black and stone pine, cedar, chestnut, lime, eucalyptus and carob. Wild boar, wild goat, hare, squirrel, fox, badger, hedgehog, tortoise, snakes and lizards are recorded, along with buzzard, long-legged buzzard, pigeon, partridge, tit, duck, goldfinch, bee-eater, snipe, hoopoe, woodpecker, crested lark, sparrow, crow and jay. There are two approaches, each crossing a bridge: the main one comes from Fethiye to the northwest along the Fethiye-Korkuteli road, and the second is an unsurfaced road from the south at the Antalya boundary, following the Aklar village road past the Yaylapalamut locality and on through Çamlıköy and the Aklar quarter.