Pamukkale Terraces

In the Denizli Province of southwestern Turkey, a magical landscape has been attracting visitors for thousands of years. This is Pamukkale, meaning ‘Cotton Castle’, which is an apt name for the series of snow-white terraced basins, mineral-rich waterfalls, and soothing hot springs that reside here. The terraced pools begin at the top of a 525 foot hill, where 17 hot springs cascade their warm, calcium-rich waters into the pools, forming a pure white, sedimentary rock known as travertine.

Atop the hill, the ancient city of Hierapolis was built as a spa town at the end of the 2nd century, B.C. The incredible ruins that still stand include a Roman amphitheater, baths, a crumbling temple, and the remains of elaborate arches. A natural swimming pool at the top of the travertines also allows you to swim in relative solitude among the ruins of a time long forgotten.

Traveling to Pamukkale

Denizli is the nearest major city, so most travelers arrive there and then continue on to Pamukkale, which is about an hour’s drive. There is an airport in Denizli with flights to and from Istanbul three times a day, and there are also busses traveling from all major cities in Turkey to Denizli. From here, you can choose to rent a car, board a minibus, or take a dolmus, which is a cheap, communal taxi that seats about 10 people. Once you arrive in the village of Pamukkale, you can travel to the pools, the ruins, and throughout the entire village easily on foot.

You can conveniently visit the town, travertine pools, and ruins in a single day, but spending just one night will allow you to really make the most of your visit. Lodging and restaurants are plentiful in the nearby town, and most are family-run, with excellent food and service.

Start your tour of the pools at the bottom of the hill. You will have to pay a small fee and take off your shoes to help prevent erosion. You will immediately begin traversing the pools, which are milky-blue and warm. If you are not in a hurry, take time to relax in the water before continuing your climb.

At the top of the hill, you will have a chance to visit the 12,000 seat Roman amphitheater of Hierapolis and the other incredible ruins. A small museum is also located on the site. Before you head back down, be sure to bathe in the mineral hot springs that fill a large, natural pool full of sunken artifacts.

Although Pamukkale is a popular tourist attraction, it brings to mind a land that has been frozen in time, a surreal landscape where human relics and the beautiful natural world collide.