Kaklik Cave (Kaklık Mağarası)

Aegean, Turkey 1 tours visit here

Kaklık Cave lies near the village of Kaklık in the Honaz district, east of Denizli in Turkey's Aegean region. It is often described as a miniature Pamukkale: the same calcium-rich thermal water that built the famous white terraces above ground has built them here underground, in shallow terraced basins rimmed with pale travertine and fed by warm mineral springs that seep steadily through the rock. Part of the cave roof has collapsed, so daylight falls straight into the main chamber and picks out the formations. Walkways lead past stalactites, stalagmites and flowstone beside the pools, which are for looking at rather than entering. The air is humid and carries a strong sulphur smell that comes from the springs themselves; the water has a long local reputation as therapeutic, and outside the cave it is channelled into open pools set in a small park with picnic areas. The cave is compact and a walk through it takes only a short time, so it is usually seen as a stop on the way to or from Pamukkale and Hierapolis rather than a destination on its own. Light through the roof opening around midday shows the terraces at their clearest, and the interior stays cool and damp in any season.