Köprülü Canyon: where the rafting actually happens

Köprülü Canyon National Park sits inland and north-east of the Antalya coast, in the Taurus Mountains. The river through it is the Köprü, also written Köprüçay, and it is the water our rafts run — around fourteen kilometres of it, under pine-clad cliffs and beneath the Roman-era Oluk Bridge. Belek, where you are collected, is an hour of mountain road away and has no white water of its own.

Last updated: August 30, 2026

Belek is the pickup, not the place

It is worth saying plainly, because the search phrase hides it. "Rafting in Belek" is not a thing: Belek is a flat, irrigated resort strip of golf courses and beach hotels on the Mediterranean. The rafting is inland, in the mountains, in a national park.

That is not a disappointment — it is the appeal. You leave a coastline at sea level and end the morning in cold green water under cliffs, and you are back at your hotel the same evening.

What you see from the boat

  • Pine-clad canyon walls, close on both sides in the narrow sections.
  • The Oluk Bridge, a Roman-era arch that the river still runs beneath.
  • Long, clear turquoise pools between the lively runs of white water.
  • Swim stops at spots the guides choose, where the water is deep and slow.

The water

The Köprü is cold, and it stays cold through high summer. That is why a wetsuit is part of the supplied kit rather than an extra, and it is a large part of why people come inland in August at all.

We do not publish a water temperature, because nobody in this operation has measured one, and we do not publish a difficulty grade for our stretch for the same reason.

Getting there, and what the drive is like

The transfer from Belek is included in both tours, in an air-conditioned vehicle. The road climbs steadily out of the resort strip into pine forest and mountain switchbacks, and the canyon appears below it before you reach the base.

We do not publish a drive time. It has never been measured from every hotel we collect from, and a figure that is right for one hotel is wrong for the next.

Questions

Frequently asked

Is Köprülü Canyon in Belek?
No. It is inland in the Taurus Mountains, north-east of the coast. Belek is where the transfer collects you; the canyon is where the day happens.
What river is it?
The Köprü river, also written Köprüçay. Our run covers around fourteen kilometres of it inside the national park.
Is the Oluk Bridge part of the tour?
You pass beneath it on the water. It is a Roman-era arch still standing over the river, and it is the landmark of the run.
Can I visit the canyon without rafting?
The tours on this site are rafting days — the river is what we run. If you want the canyon without the water, the Tazı Canyon viewpoint on the combo tour is the version of the day that looks down on it instead.
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