Kemer → Göynük Canyon Transfer

Kemer to Göynük Canyon private transfer

Plenty of Kemer's day trips head out to sea, on a gulet or a pirate boat touring the coves. Göynük Canyon goes the other way, into the mountain wall behind the resort. The Göynük stream has worn a narrow cleft through the limestone of the Beydağları foothills, and in the warm months people walk up through the pines to where the rock walls close in, then carry on in the water itself: wading, scrambling over polished boulders and swimming the deep pools, with a helmet on and a life vest strapped tight. The stream stays cold even in high summer, which is half the appeal after a week on a sunbed. A stretch of the Lycian Way runs through the valley too, so walkers come up here as well as swimmers.

The drive itself is short: 16 km and about 20 minutes. From Kemer the car heads north on the D400 towards Antalya, mountains on the left and sea on the right, and at Göynük it leaves the highway and turns inland. A signposted side road follows the valley up towards the mountains and ends at the car park beside the entrance gate, which is as far as private cars go. From there a forest track of a couple of kilometres, mostly uphill and shaded only in patches, leads on to where the gorge narrows. So the ride takes twenty minutes while the outing itself runs to several hours, and the return pickup is best planned with that in mind.

• Wear shoes with a firm grip that can get soaked, such as old trainers or proper water shoes, because flip-flops slide on wet rock; helmets, life vests and canyoning shoes can also be rented on site.
• Pack a towel, a full set of dry clothes and a plastic bag for the wet ones, so you can change before the ride back to Kemer instead of sitting in the car in a dripping swimsuit.
• Keep your phone in a waterproof pouch or leave it in your bag, and fix the return pickup time when you book rather than counting on making a call from the water.
• Ask to be dropped off in the morning, since the uphill track from the gate is far easier before the midday sun, and a return pickup or a waiting driver can be arranged when booking.