Akseki ve İbradı
Interlocking-timber villages in the Taurus
A mountain area 1,000 metres above the sea, known for cedar forests and the traditional 'buttoned house' architecture. Altınbeşik Cave, explored by rowing boat, is here too.
About the region
Akseki and İbradı are the opposite of Antalya's coastal image: cool even in high summer, covered in cedar and juniper forest, with villages that still keep their own architecture. Being outside beach tourism, visitors are few; those who come are here for hill walking, village architecture and caves.
The area's signature is the 'buttoned house'. Horizontal timber ties threaded between courses of stone let the building flex and stay standing in an earthquake; some examples have lasted more than 200 years. In villages like Sarıhacılar and Belenalan these houses are still in use, and the stone cisterns and courtyards survive too.
On the İbradı side is Altınbeşik Cave, where you tour an interior lake by rowing boat — something few caves in Turkey offer. The area is about 2.5 hours from Antalya on winding mountain roads via Manavgat or Akseki. Accommodation is limited to village guesthouses and boutique stone houses, so weekends need booking ahead.
Highlights
- The buttoned houses of Sarıhacılar and Belenalan
- Altınbeşik Cave and its boat tour
- Cedar and juniper forests, highland roads
- A plateau climate that stays cool in high summer
Good to know
- Good for
- Nature, village architecture and cool air
- Distance from Antalya
- About 150 km
- How long
- 1–2 days
- Tip
- Accommodation is limited; book ahead for weekends