Damlataş Cave in southern Turkey

Discovered by accident in 1948 while building a harbor and located in the southern city of
Antalya, Damlataş Cave is one of the most touristic caves in the country with its amazing
architecture of mystical structures. Here, you can discover how cool blue water combines with
the natural beauty of the underground, and according to officials, stalactite and stalagmites in
the cave were formed over 15,000 years ago. Moreover, legend says that the air within the cave
is beneficial to asthmatic patients, which caused scientists to analyze a sample of the air to verify
whether it is beneficial. It has been found that the air is beneficial to patients suffering from
non-allergy asthma.

İnsuyu Cave in southern Turkey

İnsuyu Cave, in the southern city of Burdur, hosts millions of stalactites and stalagmites as well
as nine pools where you can wander in little boats. In these nine lakes water flows in small
streams to other regions of the cave, and cool and clean air constantly circulate through the
caves. It is believed that the cave has curing features for diabetes, and diabetics often visit the
cave to drink the water. Burdur is not usually considered as a touristic spot in Turkey, but you
should never miss this cave if it is on your route.

Gilindire Cave in southern Turkey

This fossilized Gilindire Cave, whose entrance is situated on a slope 45 meters above the shore,
has stalactites, stalagmites and column formations as well as rare features such as cave pearls, a
travertine and showerhead stalactites. A shepherd accidentally found Gilindire cave in 1999, and
scientists now regard it as unique. Gilindire Cave is situated over 265 acres and is 555 meters
wide and 46 meters deep. The main gallery, which extends 450 meters horizontally, leads to a
lake at the bottom of the cave. Due to hydrological changes, the stalactites and stalagmites in the
cave were submerged under water and have survived without being affected by atmospheric
changes. It was determined that the underwater geological formations were formed before a
global climate change event; hence, they contain geological and atmospheric data from the
previous ice age. The cave is the only ice age data source in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, the
Balkans and eastern Mediterranean.

Caves restricted to professionals

The Altınbeşik Cave in Antalya has the world's third and Turkey's largest underwater lake. The
length of the cave spans more than 2,200 meters, while its lake is 125 meters long with a depth
of over 15 meters in some places. There is a natural bridge formation of rocks in the center of the
lake, and at the end of the lake, there is a 44-meter-high travertine. Due to the heavy inflow of
water in winter and spring, this cave is best visited in summer and autumn.

Gürlevik Cave in Karaman contains a large stream that flows within, and according to research
conducted on the 2,500-meter cave, there are areas that consist of two levels connected to one
another by geologic formations.

Susuz Güvercinlik Cave in Konya is a horizontal cave containing large amounts of water.
With a height of 1,160 meters and a total length of 1,351 meters, the deepest portion is 33
meters. The large-scale cave contains a number of interesting travertines, including stalactites,
stalagmites and columns as well as water and lakes, making it an extremely appealing and
beautiful site. With further efforts, this cave may eventually be opened up to tourists.

Pınarbaşı Cave in Konya is a horizontal cave that developed on a fault line of cretaceous
limestone. There is a large caustic source in the cave as well as very difficult culverts and lakes. It
also is very rich in dripstone. Undoubtedly, it is a very difficult cave to access.

Kızılelma Cave in Zonguldak is 6,630 meters long and 114 meters deep. This cave has side
entries and a main gallery that consists of a wide variety of stalactites and stalagmites. There are
also bats located in the fossil section near the entrance of the cave.

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