Hidden Gem of Pamukkale ― Kaklik Cave

Kaklik Cave near Pamukkale Turkey is an extremely unusual underworld.

Presumably, you are browsing the interwebs planning a trip to Pamukkale renowned for its travertines. If you’ve read my realist guide to Pamukkale, you must, latest by now, be aware that the experience with a high probability won’t live up to the hype. Thankfully though, there is a miniature version of the unspoiled Pamukkale hidden in a cave that will sweeten your day: Kaklik Cave.

How to get there

Kaklik Cave, discovered after the collapse of its roof, has been open to the public since 2002. About 30 km from Denizli and 45 km from Pamukkale, located on a flat plain covered with cotton fields and vineyards, the cave is a bit out of the way.

To get there, a private car would be your best bet, however, you can also take a minibus from Denizli’s bus terminal, platform number #17. The driver will drop you off at a junction, from where you’ll need to walk 4 km on a flat and narrow road. Other than walking, you can try hitchhiking the truck drivers zipping their load of cement and marble back and forth. The cave lies literally in the middle of nowhere, but it’s SO worth the effort.

Unique Features of Kaklik Cave

The cave is unusual in many aspects, with features found rarely in other caves.

The first thing you’ll notice as you approach the cave is a pronounced smell of hydrogen sulfide. Beneath the surface, cascades of geothermal waters rich in lime and sulfur form a series of pools, streaming from one level to the next.

Undeniably Kaklik Cave boasts the same travertine structures as Pamukkale, but much water flows through here, even spilling onto the walking platforms. Be prepared to walk barefoot or in flip-flops.

The cave, measuring 14 meters in depth, receives enough sunlight, and together with continuously dripping water from the ceiling, a dense growth of moss, ivy, and algae covers the walls. Depending on the daylight, these plants take on different shades of green.

Oh, and the jaw-droppingly beautiful blue hue of that little spring water pool will remain imprinted on my memory!

How long do you need to visit Kaklik Cave

Kaklik Cave is really small that you’ll need no more than 15-30 minutes to circle through the 190-meter wooden pathway that goes into the cave on one end, leads around the travertines, and comes out the other end.

Did someone say 15 minutes? Liar! By the time the battery of my camera and phone drained, I already had spent 2.5 hours circling the cave over and over and over and over again!

Virtual Tour of Kaklik Cave

It’s hard to capture the extraordinary beauty of Kaklik Cave with hot spring water running all across the place, forming myriads of pools, white as well as colorful travertine formations, rays of light, and all hues of green. One simply can’t get enough of all that.

Let me take another look at this hidden gem of a kind. You may wish to tour along on YouTube.