the viewing deck: Pamukkale 1st part; Walking to Travertine Terraces

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Pamukkale 1st part; Walking to Travertine Terraces

4-days Turkey Summer Solo Escapade
June 27 to July 03, 2014

Selcuk last part; Temple of Artemis & train to Pamukkale

How to go to Pamukkale Petrified Waterfall / Travertine Terraces;
From Denizli train station, I walked towards west for Denizli minibus terminal which has around 400m distance. Travel to Pamukkale is 30mins on 3.5TRY($1.67) fare. Minibus last stop is the Pamukkale bus station which is 500m walked to Traveltine Terraces. Admission fee is 25TRY($11.9) that includes entrance to Heirapolis Archeological Site, just right above the Travertine mountain. Only barefoot walking, any kind of footwear is not allowed. Photography and video taking is permitted. Monopod and tripod is also allowed.

Pamukkale literally means "cotton castle" in Turkish. The Travertines of Pamukkale, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a set of bizarre calcium cliff bathing pools overlooking the town. You are required to remove your shoes in order to walk on them, so the travertines stay white as ever. This job is made tougher in winters when the water flowing down the chalky cascades is freezing cold. You can avoid the climb and take a taxi to the top of the hill and enter from the side of Hierapolis. But the real charm of the place lies in experiencing these travertines. Lower parts of the travertine cascades are reported to have better views than the top.
http://wikitravel.org/en/Pamukkale

It can get quite hot in summer, a hat and especially sunglasses will certainly be very helpful against the sun and the reflecting sun rays from the chalky cascades. On the other hand, the cold winter climate could make the experience slightly uncomfortable because of barefoot walking.