Termessos, Cirali, and Yanartas

On our way to Düden Şelalesi waterfalls, driving past apartments and commercial area, Greg questioned, "It says we are here?" Yes, the middle of an urban area seems like an odd place for a waterfall to be.

The park is quite small so you don't have to walk much to see the falls. Behind them there is a natural cave you can walk through to see different views of the cascades. During the summer, the falls are a nice refuge from the sun and heat.

Düden Waterfalls are a group of waterfalls formed by the recycle station water

The park has refreshing concrete pathways that run along the waterways.  Swimming here is not allowed.

Explore the cave behind the falls for different views

Entrance to the waterfall park

In the parking lot you can go on a camel ride

Logistics: 50 tl ($1.50) entrance fee (parking is 25 cents). We got there at 10am and it took 20 minutes to walk through at a leisurely pace. These are the upper falls; the better-known Lower Düden Waterfalls are next to Antalya and fall off a rocky cliff directly into the Mediterranean Sea. I would have chosen the other nearby waterfalls, Kurşunlu Şelalesi Waterfall, because it looked more natural with pathways but at some point in the season it turns into a trickle.

Also near the city of Antalya, concealed in Güllük-Termessos National Park, is the ancient city of Termessos. Its main attraction is its theater, still pretty intact except for the effects of a few earthquakes over the years. What's particularly fun about it is that you are allowed to wander, explore, climb and discover to your heart's content.  The first historical mention of Termessos dates back to 334 BC. During this time, Alexander the Great arrived to the area with a plan to capture Termessos. However, his attempts failed.

While there is a map in Turkish at the beginning that we were unable to decode, and a few signs, the paths splinter off. Finding your way to the different parts of the ruins is an adventure!

As you make the hike up to it, you realize the ancient city is so well-preserved due to its location and height

Peaceful and untouched throughout the centuries, Termessos is one of the best-preserved ancient cities in Turkey.

You can climb anywhere here. "I like how lawless this is," Rachel said.

How did they move all this stuff here?

There are many tombs around the ancient city but by far the most interesting of all the tombs in Termessos is the cliff-side Tomb of Alcetas, an important commander from the time of Alexander the Great.

While exploring the area, find the Tomb of Alcetas with a sculpture of a mounted Macedonian solder carved into the rock - and marvel at how old and intact it is

Logistics: the national park has a 110 tl entrance fee per person. We spent a casual 3 hours here exploring the theater and eating our picnic lunch. There isn't a lot of information on the internet and what I found had mixed reviews of how strenuous the hiking is. Since you are able to park so close to the ruins, it was only 2 miles with a 557-ft elevation gain. Tip: Perge is an alternative amphitheater that is super easy to visit from Antalya.

Tonight we are staying in Cirali, an off-the-beaten-path slow, rugged and rustic beach town. Together with its Eternal Flames of Chimera, it offered a unique opportunity.

The road to the beach and our "hotel". Village-like Cirali is one of the last unspoiled areas on the Antalya coastline.  Set to avoid unpaved roads, our GPS struggled here.

At the end of Cirali beach are the ancient ruins of Olympos

The Eternal Flames of Chimera (Yanartas) in the mountains of Cirali are a rare and naturally occurring phenomenon where gases escaping from deep within the earth through fissures in the rocks produce an ever-burning flame. The flames of Chimera have been burning for literally thousands of years. A fire-breathing mountain, it is considered to be the origin of the mythical creature called the Chimera, the fiery monster in Homer's Iliad. According to the myth, a beast with the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a snake lived on a mountain. Bellerophon, son of Poseidon, was sent by the King of Lycia to slay the monster. It is quite possibly an example of euhemerism, where ancient mythology corresponds to historical fact.

Don't miss hiking up to the Eternal Flames of Chimera to see the rare phenomenon. (45tl entrance fee and 1,000 meter hike up.)

The experience is best at dusk/night - and with a smore kit from home :)

The flames are hot and surge from the crevices

Cirali Beach is home to the "caretta caretta" <loggerhead sea> turtles, which come here to lay their eggs on the beach. Since they don't start for another week or so, we didn't see any protective cage-like markers indicating where eggs have been laid. The little hatchings will continue waddling to the sea through September. Last summer 120 nests were marked and 9,800 eggs were recorded, but only 5,332 babies successfully reached the sea.

For dinner we had the best dinner yet! At casual Emine Bacının Yeri, we felt like guests being cooked up a traditional home-cooked meal in momma's home.

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