Green Canyon Safari and Boat Tour

Geen Canyon tour is an awesome boat tour to the beauties of nature on one of the worldwide numbered dam lakes in a canyon, the only one in Turkey that allows boat trips. Enjoy a quiet and relaxing cruise on the green lake reservoir located in the Taurus mountains, near Manavgat town. Oymapınar Dam is constructed to produce electricity. It attracts many local and foreign visitors with its breathtaking scenery and boat trips for years .

There are over 300 dams in Turkey. Oymapınar Dam called Green Canyon is the fourth highest dam in Turkey. During the 17 km long cruise you can enjoy the beautiful landscape and admire the color of the emerald clear lake. Lunch will be served at our restaurant next to Green Lake. There will also be breaks for sunbathing, swimming, and fishing. We invite nature lovers to our Green Canyon boat tour.

General İnformation About Green Canyon Alanya

Green Canyon is in Manavgat district of Antalya. It is around the Oymapınar dam on the Manavgat river. It is 23 km north of Manavgat city center.

An emerald green lake and the endless pine forests surrounding the lake get full marks from nature lovers. A relaxing nature tour where you can get to know the Mediterranean climate and vegetation.

The Oymapnar Dam, Turkey’s third largest dam, is in perfect harmony with nature. During the boat tour through Green Canyon you will feel like you are in another universe when you see the small islands, waterfalls and trees that have bored through the canyon walls hundreds of meters long.

We cannot say that it is very close. Green Canyon is 76 km west of Alanya. Our tour vehicles go from Alanya to the green canyon in one and a half hours. But what you will see when you go will be worth the journey.

Although the distance between Alanya and Green Canyon seems too long for a day trip, it will not tire you because most of the road is clean and traffic is light. The other part of the road is in the nature. Since the tour starts early in the morning, the weather will be cool and the roads will be secluded.

The part of the road from Alanya to Manavgat is provided by the divided highway named D-400. This road is a road without bends. The 23 km road between Manavgat and Green Canyon passes through the Taurus Mountains. In other words, your journey after Manavgat will be quite enjoyable. On this part of the road you observe the Mediterranean nature and local life. You can enjoy the scenery along the way.

What will you see on the Green Canyon Tour from Alanya?

An emerald green lake that gets full marks with nature lovers and the endless pine forests that surround the lake. A relaxing nature tour where you can observe the Mediterranean climate and vegetation.

With the refreshing waters of the lake, the small islands in the lake, the surrounding waterfalls, the majestic canyons, the rich flora and fauna, much awaits you in the green canyon.

Flora: The vegetation consists of the typical Mediterranean scrub. It is noteworthy that the trees in the forest are very dense. The most common tree species in the forest are red pine, spruce, cedar, oak and willow, respectively.

Thanks to the action of the lake waters and the geological characteristics of the land, the forest is very suitable for the life of mortars.

Fauna: You can easily see hundreds of kinds of birds and our animal friends living in the forest in the green canyon. It is possible to see many animals such as wild goats, pigs, squirrels and foxes.

Among the species that live in the green canyon, the fish owl is the most famous. It is a globally endangered species. Only Southeast Asia, the Far East and the Taurus Mountains are home to this species. It is a bird that prefers a warm climate. It can survive in valleys that are warm all year round.

There are many nature photographers who come to the green canyon just to view this bird. If you look carefully at the trees during your canyon tour, you can also see fish owls.

Canyons: There are two canyons in the green canyon, the grand canyon and the small canyon.

The small canyon is located 5 kilometers from the pier where we started the boat tour. Its height is on average 200 meters. Fish owls are most commonly seen here.

The Grand Canyon is 7 kilometers from the restaurant where we will have lunch. It begins after the big island. The Grand Canyon is hundreds of meters long.

It is impossible not to be impressed when traveling by boat through the canyon. The steep cliffs hundreds of meters high and the pines that have grown parallel to the ground and pierce these rocks look extraordinary. The water particles coming from the waterfalls formed by the natural springs in the canyon refract the sunlight and scatter colorful lights.

Smoky(Dumanlı) Spring: One of the natural beauties that will impress you the most during the green canyon boat tour will be the Smoky(Dumanlı) Spring. This spring under the lake produces 50,000 cubic meters of water every hour. It is one of the largest springs in the world. So much so that the boats near the source have trouble standing still even at full power.

Here you will definitely feel the overwhelming power of nature.

Activities on the Green Canyon Tour from Alanya

The following activities have been included in our tour itinerary to maximize your time and make the most of your Green Canyon activities during your Alanya Green Canyon tour.

Except for canoeing, all activities listed below are free. Canoes can be rented on site by the hour for a reasonable fee. The Green Canyon Jeep Safari is a different tour program.

• Boat tour (17 km)
• Hiking
• Fishing
• Canoeing on the lake
• Green Canyon Jeep Safari
• Swimming breaks in the lake
• Photography

If you are a nature lover, you can be sure that at the end of the Green Canyon tour and when you return to Alanya, you will say that you are glad you were there.

Ecological impact of the ‘Oymapınar’ Dam

As is well known, there is a general judgment in the world that dams harm nature. Indeed, dams change the ecological balance of the place where they are located in a negative way. However, there are also some dams that benefit the ecological environment in which they are located, even if they are rare. The Oymapınar Dam is one such dam.

Environmental non-governmental organizations opposed the construction of the Oymapnar Dam when it began. The dam, the third largest dam in Turkey, was completed in 1988 after a seven-year construction period.

It has been shown that the habitat of Oymapnar Dam was enriched in a short time (3-5 years) after the opening of the dam. Due to the enrichment of the surrounding vegetation and the presence of fresh water, it has become a popular stopover for migratory birds. Therefore, the dam and its surroundings were placed under protection by the Ministry of Forestry in November 2002. In 2005, the region was opened to tourism. In this context, facilities that do not disturb the ecological balance and roads were built so that tourists can travel comfortably.

Every year the number of tourists visiting the Oymapnar Dam is growing.