After spending the morning at Ephesus we had a late lunch and started to head to Pamukkale. We planned a stop on route which was about 2 hours away at a football ground near Yagdere.
It was nothing special but also a perfect stop. It was very peaceful and we were able to clean and sort out the van. A few people passed though including a shepherd and his sheep, and we were able to fill up with water.
In the morning we were back on the road heading to Pamukkale and we also discovered that our friends The Jones’s were already there.
Pamukkale
Pamukkale is situated in Denizli in South Western Turkey and it is next to Hierapolis, an ancient Roman Spa city founded around 190BC
We arrived and met Steve and Elisa Jones at a local bar. If I’m honest I didn’t know too much about Pamukkale, what it was or how it was formed .
This was our first view of it . It was the view from the bar we were sat in. Soon the other British couple, Sarah and Paul who we’d met in Foca arrived and we were all together again!
Looking at the the photo above you may think that its a snowy mountain or hill?
Pamukkale means cotton castle in Turkish. The area is famous for carbonate mineral left by flowing water and it is calcium that makes it look so white.
Pamukkale is the most visited place in Turkey!
There are 17 hot springs in the area that make up Pamukkale’s travertine terraces.
Pamukkale sits over a fault line and there are frequent earthquakes, the cracks from these earthquakes allow thermal waters to reach the surface and create hot springs
Over time the water dries and the calcium petrifies, it leaves the amazing white colour that you see which is formed by all the calcium deposits layering on top of each other.
In the morning weather permitting there are many hot air balloons that take off so it’s good to be up early, around 5am to see them .
There is an entrance fee to Pamukkale. In April 2023 it was 400tl ( Approx £13.50 or €15). This includes entrance to Heirapolis which sadly we didn’t realise until we were back down .
The gates open at 8am and we decided it would be best to go early.
At the bottom of the travertine’s you have to remove your shoes and walk up bare foot, it’s all about preservation. It was very cold at first, painfully cold but as we got higher up it warmed up!
It was very strange to walk on and sometimes hurt a little but I loved it, it was all part of the experience . Here’s a couple of photos from the way up.
As you got higher there were pools, these are travertine pools. They started off being very cold but as you got higher up they got warmer.
Cleopatra’s Pool
Once you have climbed up the white travertines, you will see “Cleopatra’s Pool, also known as ‘The Antique Pool’ at Pamukkale hot springs.
The pool is heated by geothermal activity and the area is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The water temperature is about 36-38 degrees celsius.
In April 2023 the cost of going into the pool was 150TL (about £5 or €6)
According to legend the pool was a gift from Marc Anthony to Cleopatra. It is not actually known if she ever swam there!
The ancient Roman city of Hierapolis was a healing spa. The healing hot springs of Hierapolis have attracted people since ancient times.
In the 7th century AD there was an earthquake. The ornate roof and massive marble columns tumbled into the pool. They still rest at the bottom and are visible when you swim there today! This is where the name of Antique pool comes from.
Dee did come in as well as it was warm but they do not allow any phones inside the pool. I stayed in longer and Dee did the photos.
After the pool we had a wander round, it is quite vast, then we went back down stopping at the pools on the way down. We visited in April and it was warm and sunny by the time we went down. It is definitely possible to immerse fully in the pools and also cover yourself with the chalky type mud found at the bottom. I think this is more common once the weather gets hotter!
We went back to join our friends at the park up, they’d been having a relaxing day as the’d been up the travertine’s the day before.
The following morning we decided to move on. We were going in different directions . The Jones’s were going straight down to the coast, we were going back across to the coast and then down.
We were heading to a beach park up near Söke and Davutlar. I really wanted to experience the Turkish Hammam and there was one near there that had been recommended at Davutlar
Davutlar
We weren’t really expecting too much from this park up. It sounded ok on our park4night app but there was all talk of barking dogs at night and the reviews were mediocre.
We arrived on a Thursday and there was lots of room. It was mainly Turkish people there in vans and caravans. They were all very friendly and we were given a big bag of fruit and vegetables. Throughout Turkey we found that quite often we were being given things. The Turkish people are so friendly and kind.
We loved the park up, it was very chilled and the weather was great. It was a great place to recharge. It got busier over the weekend but not too much. Here’s a few photos from our time at the park up.
On Saturday we rode our bikes into Davutlar to find the hamam. It took about half an hour. I booked for Monday evening to have a sauna, full body scrub, full body wash, hair wash and massage, total cost was around £23 or €26!! It was going to take about 2 hours. The owner said it was fine to park outside for the night.
Monday was a lovely sunny day and we didn’t leave the beach til around 5pm . We liked this place so much that we didn’t actually want to leave. This was in the middle of April.
It’s worth mentioning that we actually came back to this park up in the middle of June when we were slowly making our way to the Bulgarian border. We were so shocked , it was like a different place, unrecognisable! It was so crowded, vans, caravans and tents all very close together, not just the front line of the beach where we’d parked in April but the next 2 rows as well! If you look at the very first photo above, the whole area where I’m standing was completely full of vans and tents !
As it was late when we arrived we stayed for just 1 night in what I can only describe as an overflow car park, set back a bit!
In the morning we had a walk round and decide to leave. It was also the start of the school summer holidays so this may have been why it was so crowded.
The Hamam Experience
I was really looking forward to this whole experience . The owners Aladdin and his wife Fatimah were very welcoming and also very professional.
The whole experience took about 2 hours. I went away feeling very clean and very pampered. I would definitely recommend this place if you are in the area and want to experience a real Turkish hamam.
After a great night’s sleep, we left the hamam and were heading South, our first stop was going to be at Akyaka then we were planning to carry on to Datca peninsula. Sadly this did not go according to plan!
Our next post will start with us leaving Davutlar and you will find out why. The title of the next post includes the name Hotel California.
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Our Life on the Road 
What an interesting place, but then everywhere you have been is the same, so good that you once again caught up with fellow travellers.
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We have definitely been to some amazing places . So grateful to have this opportunity 😍
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