Attractions: Termessos

This small-group hiking tour takes you away from the crowds to Termessos, often called the Turkish Machu Picchu. The ancient city sits between two peaks on Gulluk Mountain — nicknamed the Eagle’s Nest — high in the Taurus mountain range at an altitude of about 1,050 m. Termessos is currently on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List and is considered one of Turkey’s best preserved ancient cities and most notable archaeological sites. You will travel from Antalya to the national park and walk along a clear pathway through the mountainous landscape, so no climbing is required. As you move through the site, you’ll explore remains that reveal daily life in antiquity: the theatre, gymnasium, cisterns, a luxury street, the agora and bouleuterion, and temples including those dedicated to Artemis and Hadrian. You’ll also see the city’s fortifications and gates, and the necropolis with rock-cut tombs. The tour ends as you return to the city centre, leaving you with a strong sense of the site’s dramatic setting and its place in ancient history.

This experience combines ancient history with natural beauty as you visit Termessos and Karain Cave. You can explore the ruins of Termessos, an ancient city perched atop Mount Güllük (ancient Solymos). Along the way you’ll take in the surrounding landscapes and the atmosphere of a site set high on the mountain, where theatre walls, tombs and remnants of civic life sit amid rugged terrain. Karain Cave is a prehistoric wonder that complements the ancient city. The cave is home to striking rock formations and archaeological finds from the Paleolithic era, so you can expect to encounter evidence of very early human activity as you move through its chambers. Together, these two sites offer a journey through time, giving a clear glimpse into both the cultural history of an ancient Anatolian city and the geological and prehistoric heritage preserved in the cave.

On this private journey through Antalya, you will explore Termessos National Park and the nearby Duden Waterfall. You’ll begin at the ancient city of Termessos, set at over 1,000 metres on Gulluk Dagi in the Taurus mountain range. As you wander among its well-preserved ruins, you’ll feel the untouched atmosphere that distinguishes Termessos from other ancient sites. Along the way, you’ll notice the park’s mix of rare plants and protected animal species, where history and nature sit side by side. The tour will end with a relaxed lunch close to the Duden Waterfall, offering a pleasant pause amid the natural scenery. This experience combines archaeological remains and natural beauty, giving you time to take in both the ruins and the surrounding landscape.

Termessos (also written Thermessos) was a Pisidian city set high on the south‑west side of Mount Solymos (modern Güllük Dağı) in the Taurus mountain range. When you visit, you’ll see the site’s remains perched on a natural platform near the summit of Güllük Dağı, which rises to about 1,665 metres above sea level — a striking height compared with the surrounding travertine mountains of Antalya that average roughly 200 metres. The ruined city lies about 30 km north‑west of Antalya and is considered one of the best preserved and most untouched ancient cities in Turkey. As you move through the site you’ll notice the close relationship between the ruins and the surrounding landscape. Termessos sits within Termessos National Park and constitutes an unusual mix of many rare plant and animal species that are under protection. Concealed by a multitude of wild plants and bounded by dense pine forest, the site has a peaceful, untouched appearance. Along the way you’ll experience a distinct, impressive atmosphere that sets Termessos apart from other ancient cities.

At Termessos you will explore the remains of a Pisidian city built at an altitude of more than 1,000 metres on the south-west side of Mount Solymos in the Taurus mountain range. You will find the site about 30 km north-west of Antalya, founded on a natural platform on top of Gulluk Dagi, which soars to 1,665 metres above the surrounding travertine mountains that average only about 200 metres above sea level. As you move through the ruins, you will see why Termessos is regarded as one of the best preserved and most untouched ancient cities in Turkey. You will also experience its natural setting: the site is concealed by a multitude of wild plants and bounded by dense pine forest within Termessos National Park. You will encounter a landscape that contains a large number of rare plant and animal species under protection, and you will notice the peaceful, untouched atmosphere that gives the place a distinct and impressive character compared with other ancient sites.