Yuvarlakçay

Natural Wonder / Scenery

In Köyceğiz, an ice-clear stream flowing beneath centuries-old plane trees — a nature haven saved by local resistance, famed for trout and canoeing.

Rising from underground springs north of Köyceğiz and flowing into Lake Köyceğiz, the Yuvarlakçay runs in the shade of centuries-old plane trees, so clear you could count the pebbles on its bed. Eating trout on the wooden platforms at its edge, listening to the water and cooling off — the stream stays icy even in summer heat — is the region’s classic ritual, while gliding silently along it by canoe is one of its finest experiences.

Yuvarlakçay should be remembered not only for its beauty but for its story: in 2009, villagers, environmentalists and academics kept watch for months against a hydroelectric plant planned on the stream; that resistance stopped the project and left the stream in the natural state it holds today. For this reason Yuvarlakçay is regarded as one of the symbolic places in Turkey where local people protected their own nature. The sweetgum forests around it, birdsong and shaded paths offer a serene day that combines with Lake Köyceğiz and the Sultaniye hot springs.