SALDA LAKE AND PAMUKKALE TOUR FROM SIDE

• Join us for an exciting excursion to the unique paradise of southwestern Turkey - Pamukkale, known as the "Cotton Castle." Discover the white travertine terraces, crafted by nature and time, and enjoy breathtaking panoramic views. Immerse yourself in thermal springs and journey through history by visiting the ancient city of Hierapolis, the city of the dead, the antique museum, and the church of St. Philip. Conclude your adventure at Lake Salda with its white sandy beach, often called the "Turkish Maldives." Don't miss the opportunity to explore the wonders of Pamukkale - book your tour today!
• Check out the latest prices and detailed program descriptions on our website. Book your excursion today and pay on the bus. We have ensured that traveling with us is not only interesting but also comfortable, so the price includes transfers from hotels in Gundogdu, Colakli, Evrenseki, Kumkoy, Side, Sorgun, Titreyengol, Kizilot, and Kizilagac. Enjoy your vacation with us.

Tour Program

• Collection of tourists from hotels by regions from 03:00 - 05:00 (Exact collection time will be added to your e-ticket after booking confirmation.)
• Breakfast stop at a restaurant for 20 minutes.
• Visit to Lake Salda.
• Lunch stop at a buffet restaurant.
• Arrival in Pamukkale.
• Guide's narration about Pamukkale and the ancient city of Hierapolis.
• Issuance of tickets to Cleopatra's pool and locker keys.
• Free time (3 hours) to visit the ancient city (theater, museum, necropolis), the travertine terraces of Pamukkale, and Cleopatra's pool.
• Return keys and get back on the bus.
• Group gathering on the bus.
• Optionally, visit a wine cellar or an onyx product factory. The wine cellar visit offers the chance to taste and buy fruit wines: pomegranate, cherry, blackberry. The region is famous for its pomegranate wine, with plantations visible on the way to Pamukkale. At the onyx factory, you can purchase items or jewelry made of natural stone as gifts or souvenirs.
• Dinner stop at a buffet restaurant.
• Return to hotels by 21:00 - 22:30.

Advantages of Visiting Pamukkale without Shopping

Lake Salda

• On the way to Pamukkale's travertines, you will also visit another remarkable Turkish landmark - Lake Salda, or the "Turkish Maldives," known for its white sandy beach and water in shades of pale blue, turquoise, and deep blue.
• Lake Salda lies in a crater of an extinct volcano at an altitude of 1165 meters above sea level, covering an area of 44 square meters with a maximum depth of 200 meters. It is one of the largest and deepest freshwater lakes in Turkey. Initially shallow, depth begins 50 meters from the shore. When water levels drop, seven white islands emerge on the lake surface.
• The lake has no rivers flowing out, only two mountain streams, precipitation, and underground springs feeding it, keeping water temperatures below +20°C even on the hottest days. Air temperature here is also about 10°C lower than at the Mediterranean coast.
• The lake's shore is not sandy but covered with hydromagnesite, a sedimentary mineral from volcanic magma.
• The coast is rich in therapeutic mud deposits, with magnesium as the primary component, also saturating the lake's water.
• Since 2011, the lake and 12 hectares around it have been a protected area and a UNESCO site. Surrounded by four forested mountain peaks, the area is home to wild animals and birds.

No Shopping

• During the Pamukkale tour, our tourists DO NOT visit sponsor shops, giving you more free time to explore natural and historical attractions (Lake Salda, travertines, ruins of the ancient city of Hierapolis, Cleopatra's pool). However, by group choice, you can visit a wine cellar or an onyx factory. The wine cellar visit offers the chance to taste and buy fruit wines: pomegranate, cherry, blackberry. The region is famous for its pomegranate wine, with plantations visible on the way to Pamukkale. The onyx factory near Pamukkale park offers insights into how this mineral is mined and used, with products available for viewing and purchase.

All-Inclusive

• Save money as the Pamukkale tour includes meals and entrance tickets. The tour price covers three meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) in restaurants, and entrance tickets to Pamukkale (terraces, ancient city ruins, archaeological museum) and Lake Salda. Entrance tickets cost 30€, but are included in our tour price.

More about the Tour

• The tour program starts at 03:00 - 05:00 AM. We pick you up from your hotel and head to Pamukkale. En route, you'll pass towns like Acipayam with its almond groves, Korkuteli known for mushroom cultivation, and Denizli, the most developed city in the region. Our guide's interesting stories will make the journey enjoyable.
• The first stop is at a roadside restaurant for breakfast, included in the tour cost. We then proceed to Lake Salda, where you have free time to swim, take photos, or enjoy SPA treatments with the lake's therapeutic mud.
• After enjoying one natural wonder, you will head to another. The distance from Lake Salda to Pamukkale is 100 km, with a lunch stop at a restaurant to recharge.
• Upon arrival at Pamukkale park, the guide will share the area's history and provide rules for visiting the travertines. You then have free time to explore the ruins of the ancient city of Hierapolis, including a well-preserved Roman theater, the world's largest necropolis, city walls, and St. Philip's Church. The tour also includes entrance to the Archaeological Museum, displaying excavation artifacts. Walk along the white travertines, take memorable photos, and optionally swim in Cleopatra's pool, filled with mineral spring water.
• At the designated time, return to the bus for the journey back. Optionally visit a wine cellar or onyx factory, where you can taste wines or admire and purchase beautiful natural stone products.
• On the return trip, you will stop for dinner, also included in the tour cost.
• The transfer will bring you back to your hotel around 21:00 - 22:30 PM.

What's Included

• Hotel pick-up and drop-off
• Air-conditioned bus
• Insurance
• Guide services
• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• Entrance ticket to Pamukkale: white travertines, ancient city, archaeological museum
• Entrance ticket to Lake Salda

What's Not Included

• Personal expenses (photos, souvenirs, etc.)
• Any drinks during the tour
• Cleopatra's Pool (optional) (10€)

What to Bring

• Camera, water
• Towel, swimsuit
• Sunscreen, sunglasses
• Money for personal expenses

Distance

• Distance from Pamukkale to Lake Salda: 1 hour 20 minutes - 100 km
• Distance from Kizilot to Pamukkale: 4 hours 10 minutes - 324 km
• Distance from Kizilagac to Pamukkale: 4 hours 10 minutes - 321 km
• Distance from Titreyengol to Pamukkale: 4 hours 5 minutes - 313 km
• Distance from Sorgun to Pamukkale: 4 hours 5 minutes - 309 km
• Distance from Side to Pamukkale: 4 hours 5 minutes - 307 km
• Distance from Kumkoy to Pamukkale: 4 hours - 302 km
• Distance from Evrenseki to Pamukkale: 4 hours - 300 km
• Distance from Çolakli to Pamukkale: 3 hours 255 minutes - 297 km
• Distance from Gundogdu to Pamukkale: 3 hours 25 minutes - 293 km

Watch the Tour Video

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Additional Information

Early Booking Discounts

• Book in advance!
• Book the tour at least 7 days before the start and get a 4% discount.
• Book the tour at least 30 days before the start and get a 5% discount.

Additional Information

• The guide reserves the right to change the order of the tour without altering the overall program.
• Tour start and end times are approximate and may vary depending on circumstances.
• Children traveling for free do not get separate seats on the bus and must sit with adults. To reserve a separate seat for your child, book and pay for them as a child during the reservation.

About the Attractions

Translation of Pamukkale

• Pamukkale can be translated as cotton castle.

Location of Pamukkale

• Pamukkale covers an area of 1077 hectares and is located in the Denizli province of southwestern Turkey.

Legend of Pamukkale

• An old legend tells of titans who once lived in this area. The titans gathered cotton and dried it in the sun. One day, they forgot to collect it, and over time, the cotton hardened, turning into white mountains.

Formation of Pamukkale

• 400,000 years ago, an earthquake and a fault in the earth's crust occurred in this area. Hot mineral waters enriched with various minerals and chemicals, predominantly calcium, emerged from this fault.
• The water evaporates under the hot sun, and calcium deposits form unique structures resembling snowdrifts, fortress walls, or terraces, known as travertines.
• This natural wonder has no equivalent in the world. Previously, people didn't realize the value and uniqueness of travertines, walked on them in shoes, and gradually destroyed them. Since 1988, UNESCO has taken over, opening only a 5000 m² area for visitors, while the rest is regularly irrigated with water from the ancient spring that emerged 400,000 years ago.
• Visitors can enjoy the views of Pamukkale's white mountain, walk on the travertines, and take beautiful photos. The experience feels like standing in summer clothes or swimsuits against a snowy backdrop. Those who haven't been to Pamukkale may find it hard to believe your stories that it's not snow and that the water is warm. It's said that those who haven't been to Pamukkale haven't truly been to Turkey.

Cleopatra's Pool

• Also known as the ancient pool, its bottom is covered with ancient columns from the main street of Hierapolis.
• The water temperature reaches 36 degrees Celsius, making it feel like you're bathing in warm champagne.
• The pool's water is said to have rejuvenating properties, making you feel 10 years younger after bathing. However, it's advisable to limit your time in the pool to a maximum of 2 hours for health reasons.
• The water is rich in minerals and beneficial for musculoskeletal disorders, skin diseases, obesity, and sunburn.
• Drinking the water helps with gastrointestinal disorders. A column near the pool dispenses water similar in taste to Borjomi, cleansing the intestines.

Ruins of the Ancient City of Hierapolis

• The name Hierapolis means "sacred city" in Greek.
• Founded in the 2nd century BC, it was part of the Roman Empire and built as a balneological resort. People came to benefit from the healing properties of the calcium-rich water, causing the city's population to grow rapidly, reaching around 100,000 residents.
• Several earthquakes struck the city, and each time it was rebuilt. The Seljuk Turks conquered it in the 12th century, and during the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century, earthquakes again caused its abandonment. Romans, Byzantines, Seljuk Turks, and Ottomans all lived here.
• Since the late 19th century, archaeological excavations have been ongoing, starting with German scientist Carl Humann and later by Italian professor Paolo Verzone in the 1950s. In 1988, Pamukkale and the ruins of Hierapolis were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Hierapolis Museum

• The museum displays coins, sarcophagi, and other items found during excavations in Hierapolis. The building was once a Roman bath.

City of the Dead (Necropolis in Hierapolis)

• The necropolis, or city of the dead, was placed outside the city for hygiene reasons and to avoid disturbing the dead's spirits.
• The Hierapolis necropolis is the largest in Asia Minor, with three types of burials: Phrygian tumuli, sarcophagi, and tombs.

Theater in Pamukkale

• Turkey has 206 Roman theaters. The Pamukkale theater, built in the 2nd century AD, could hold 15,000 spectators. It's the third-largest theater in Turkey after Ephesus and Aspendos.
• The theater is still used today, for example, during the Pamukkale Festival.

Church of St. Philip

• In the 1st century, St. Philip (one of Jesus Christ's disciples) arrived in Hierapolis to spread Christianity. However, he was not understood or accepted by the locals and suffered a martyr's death. In the 5th century, during the Byzantine Empire, a church was built in his honor at the site of his crucifixion. After 30 years of searching by Italian researchers, St. Philip's tomb was found 40 meters from the church.

Korkuteli

• With a population of 53,000, Korkuteli was named after Korkut, the brother of Ottoman Sultan Selim I. The name means "city of Korkut" in Turkish.
• Residents of Korkuteli grow mushrooms, with about 1,000 families involved in the business. Seventy percent of Turkey's mushroom harvest comes from Korkuteli, with six harvests annually.

Acipayam

• Acipayam, with a population of 55,000, is named after the almond trees in the area. The local name for almonds is "payam," and "aci" means bitter. Thus, Acipayam translates to "bitter almond." Residents mainly grow melons, watermelons, and tobacco.

Serinhisar

• Serinhisar, with a population of 15,000, is known for producing the famous Turkish delicacy, Leblebi (roasted chickpeas) in various flavors. The town also produces clay products.

Denizli

• Denizli, with over one million residents, is one of Turkey's most developed industrial cities, known as the textile capital of Turkey, home to over 200 textile factories producing home textiles like robes, towels, and bed linens made from cotton and bamboo.

Average Temperature in Pamukkale

• January: +10°C
• February: +12°C
• March: +15°C
• April: +20°C
• May: +26°C
• June: +31°C
• July: +35°C
• August: +35°C
• September: +29°C
• October: +23°C
• November: +17°C
• December: +12°C