This post will tell you how to make a day trip to Duden Waterfalls just outside Antalya, Turkey. We took a local dolmus bus to the famous waterfall that is one of the top sights of Antalya and enjoyed the lush Turkish nature, the waterfall and the caves behind it.
Upper Duden Waterfalls, Antalya, Turkey
Two Different Duden Waterfalls
Duden Waterfalls in fact exist in two separate places in Antalya and they both are cascades of the same underground river.
- The Upper Duden Waterfalls are 15 km outside the city and that is what this post is about. The Upper Duden Waterfalls have been formed in a place where the river has carved out a deep gorge. You can see the falls from above, you can walk in the gorge and you can even walk in a hidden cave located behind the water cascade.
- The Lower Duden Waterfalls are in the suburb of Lara east of the Old Town and they can best be seen from a goulet cruise from the Port of Kaleici. You can read about taking a goulet cruise in my other blog post.
The Upper Duden Waterfalls Trip on the Map
The map shows roughly our route to and from the Upper Duden Waterfalls. Different dolmuses have different routes and the journey is about 15 km one way or more depending on which route the bus takes.
We left from the bus station near the old town (Dogu Karaji Taksi) and the dolmus we took back came to Otogar Bus Station and continued to the shopping district where we jumped off.
Finding the Right Dolmus to Duden Waterfalls
We asked our hotel how to get to the Upper Duden Waterfalls and they advised us to walk to Dogu Karaji Taksi station where lots of buses and dolmuses leave. There we should find a dolmus to Duden Waterfalls.
That was a noisy place with lots of traffic and people and we had no idea which dolmus to choose. So we kept asking people until the dolmus bus CV17 came where they pushed us in.
The journey took quite a long time since the traffic was slow, but it really was an interesting journey among locals and we saw many newly-built suburbs on the way to the waterfalls.
The Waterfall Park
The upper waterfalls of Antalya, Turkey
The bus left us at the gate of a park where we paid a small fee to get in. The park was pretty and shady and it seemed to be popular with the locals.
Surprisingly there weren’t hardly any international tourists, at least when we visited.
Lots of people had come here for a picnic and lots of selfies were being taken. We also found a small mosque in a hidden corner of the park.
To get to the waterfalls just follow the river down from the park.
Walking to the Duden Waterfalls
Upper Duden Waterfalls, Antalya, Turkey
The Duden river runs from the Taurus mountains to the Mediterranean. Following it we soon came to the waterfall.
This is a lovely place! And it’s quiet and cool after all the heat in the city. You don’t hear any traffic noise, just the sound of the water, and the birds! Some more pictures of the river:
Cascading water of the Duden Waterfalls
Upper Duden Waterfalls, Antalya
The Duden Waterfalls of Antalya
The beautiful waterfalls
The Upper Duden Waterfall is amazing when you see it from the gorge. It’s 15 meters high and 20 meters wide.
The waterfall is set in a pretty valley where you can walk along boardwalks. So you can admire the falls from different sides and angles.
The Duden Waterfall Caves
A Duden Waterfall cave
Behind the fall there is a natural cave where you can go in and watch the cascades. Amazing! From the cave you get great photo opportunities.
So I think these waterfalls are well worth a visit and a nice day (a half day trip) out from the city. The area is quite small so you don’t have to walk much to see the falls, so you could well do this with children. Of course there are stairs.
Perhaps you could combine your trip to the waterfalls with another sight nearby. Maybe you could take a taxi from the park gate to the well-preserved ancient Termessos ruins that are 30 km north-west of Antalya. Termessos is at a height of 1050 meters in the Taurus Mountains.
In fact we had planned to go and see Termessos too, but there were thick afternoon clouds around the mountains so maybe you wouldn’t see anything in Termessos that day. So after some coffee and ice-cream we took the first dolmus back to Antalya.
I hope you liked joining my trip to the Upper Duden Waterfalls in Antalya, and hope you liked the water views as much as these young girls:
Girls visiting the Turkish waterfalls
More about Antalya Public Transport
You can find information on bus connections around Antalya including an Antalya public transport map on on the Turkish Culture Routes Society website.
Read My Other Posts on Turkey:
If you’re planning a trip to Turkey you might also be interested in these posts:
Hi, thanks for this! I’ve been looking for a public transpo way of getting to the waterfalls without joining tours. This is great! THanks for sharing