Turkey has plenty of mountains and riversperfect for river rafting.
The top two choices are the beautiful, exciting but safe and easy Köprüçay near Antalya, and the wild and dangerous Çoruh near Erzurum, for experienced rafters only.
Köprüçay & Köprülü Kanyon
Near Side and Manavgat (map), this river follows a 120-km (75-mile) course through the 2500-meter-high (8200-foot-high) Bozburun even higher Dipoyraz mountains. The 14-km (9 mile)-long Köprülü Kanyon has 100-meter (328-foot)-high rock walls. Despite its natural drama, the rafting route is rated Class 1 and 2, good for beginners.
Çoruh River (Kaçkar Mountains)
In northeastern Turkey near Yusufeli and Erzurum, the Çoruh River springs in Bayburtprovince and flows 250 km (155 miles) to the Black Sea at Batumi in the Republic of Georgia. A tributary, the 85-km (53 mile)-long Barhal River, springs in the 3937-meter (13,000-foot)-high Kaçkar range and joins the Çoruh at the pretty mountain town of Yusufeli. 20 km (12.5 miles) of the Barhal and 150 km (93 miles) of the Çoruh are good for rafting from May through September, with May and June being the best months.
Along the 23-km (14 mile) course from Çevreli to Yusufeli there are more than 20 rapids of Class 3, 4 and 5. A very fast 20-km (12.5 mile) Class 4 and 5 course starts near Sarıgül in the Kackars ending at Yusufeli. In July and August a 22-km (14 mile) Class 2 through 5 course begins at the Yusufeli-Demirkent bridge and ends in Class 6 rapids at the Artvin Canyon.
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