Koprulu Kanyon Hot Springs

Insider tip — The Koprulu Canyon hot springs emerge along the banks of the Kopruçay River in Turkey's premier whitewater canyon, a narrow limestone gorge spanning two millennia of Roman bridge-building history. The warm sulfate-bicarbonate water flows naturally into riverside pools where bathers soak while the turquoise river rushes past and canyon swallows nest in cliff overhangs above. Combining a morning rafting run through the canyon's Grade III-IV rapids with an afternoon thermal soak is the definitive experience here. Spring floods in March and April make the river most dramatic but limit safe access to the pools; May and October are ideal.