Region

Cilician Mountains

Base in Silifke (or Anamur) for 2–3 nights; use dolmuş or rental car to reach Göksu Delta, Heaven & Hell, Kızkalesi and nearby ruins.

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Key facts · Türkiye (Turkey)

Visa: Depends on your passport
Currency: Turkish lira (TRY, ₺)
Language: Turkish (Latin script)
Plugs: C · F · 230 V
Time zone: UTC+3 all year

Month by month hereIn detail ↓

Rules in force · 5

Türkiye (Turkey) ↗Check whether your passport is visa-exempt; if it is not, apply only at evisa.gov.tr — lookalike sites charge extra and some sell nothing.
Türkiye (Turkey) ↗At mosques cover shoulders and knees, take shoes off at the door, and women carry a headscarf; stay out during prayer times.
Türkiye (Turkey) ↗Taxis must run the taximeter; refuse flat quotes, or book through BiTaksi or Uber so the ride is logged.
Türkiye (Turkey) ↗Carry lira in small notes for tea, markets, tips and toilets; prices move with inflation, so treat every printed price as dated.
Türkiye (Turkey) ↗Do not take stones, coins or tiles from ancient sites, and export no antiques without a museum certificate; travellers have been detained at airport customs.

The Cilician Mountains are limestone peaks that plunge straight into the Mediterranean, dotted with ancient ruins, medieval castles and the Göksu Delta bird reserve.

Where to sleep

2 places in this region

SilifkeCity guide
Central base, good bus links, near Göksu Delta.
Best Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Silifke →
AnamurCity guide
Western side, closer to Çukurova Airport.
Best Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Anamur →

Plan the nights

How to split the nights, day-trips and what to do with your bags

Open Plan the nightsClose Plan the nights3 partsNights · Day-trips · Bags

Night sequences

2 nights: Silifke 2 nights, day‑trip Göksu Delta and Heaven & Hell
3 nights: Silifke 2 nights + Anamur 1 night, add Kızkalesi and Elaiussa Sebaste

Summer fire risk is high; carry water, use sun protection and avoid open flames in forested areas.
Roads can be winding; allow extra travel time.

Day-trips door to door

To	From	Door-to-door p50	Last return	Note
Göksu Delta	Silifke	30 min	unknown	Birdwatching, easy walk
Heaven & Hell (Cennet & Cehennem)	Narlıkuyu	15 min	unknown	Short walk to chasms
Maiden’s Castle (Kızkalesi)	Narlıkuyu	20 min	unknown	Boat or short hike

Bags between cities

Rental cars are the most flexible; check insurance and HGS road‑tax sticker requirements.

When to go

Months and weather

Open When to goClose When to go2 partsSeasons · Climate

Seasons at a glance

From each city's month table

Pick a month to see where to go.

Only good-now countries

Show all 12 months, country by countryHide the 12-month table

Country	JJan	FFeb	MMar	AApr	MMay	JJun	JJul	AAug	SSep	OOct	NNov	DDec
Silifke	ok	ok	ok	go	go	go	×	×	go	go	ok	ok
Anamur	ok	ok	ok	go	go	go	×	×	go	go	ok	ok
Türkiye (Turkey) (country-wide)	ok	ok	ok	go	go	go	ok	ok	go	go	ok	ok

Go: the good monthsFair: workable, mixedPoor: heat, rain or hazeAvoid: storms, floods, closuresno data yet

Computed from each country’s own data; hover a country name for the source. Advisory countries are left out.

Climate strip

Month by month

Zone	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Cilician MountainsTaurus range on Mediterranean coast	hot	hot	warm	warm	warm	dry	dry	dry	dry	warm	warm	warm

hot: short walking windows

Cilician Mountains: Hot dry summers 30‑35 °C (95 °F), mild wet winters 12‑15 °C (59 °F). September offers warm sea, fewer crowds.Hot dry summers 30‑95 °F (35 °C), mild wet winters 12‑59 °F (15 °C). September offers warm sea, fewer crowds.

Best months: September; April–June also good if you tolerate higher temperatures.

Getting in and passes

Arrival times and regional passes

Open Getting in and passesClose Getting in and passes1 partGet in

Get in

Door-to-door p50, 2026 estimate

From	To	How	p50	Note
Istanbul (IST/SAW)	Çukurova Airport (COV)	daily domestic flights	~1 h 15 min flight	Nearest airport to western side of the mountains.
Europe (Germany, Russia)	Antalya Airport (AYT)	seasonal charter flights (summer)	~2 h 30 min flight	Better for eastern coast (Silifke‑Anamur).
Kyrenia (Northern Cyprus)	Taşucu	year‑round ferry	~2 h crossing	Alternative entry point on the coast.
			~4 h drive from Konya	Main highway; good for rental cars.
			~5 h from Mersin	Frequent but multiple stops.

Eat and move on

Regional food and where to go next

Open Eat and move onClose Eat and move on1 partGo next

Go next

Cilician Plains

planned

Drive east from Silifke

Easier transport, larger towns.

Pamphylia (Antalya coast)

planned

Continue west along D400

Planned.

Central Anatolia

North via Karaman

First major plateau towns.

Planning aids

Built from this guide's own data

Open Planning aidsClose Planning aids2 partsIn numbers · Going in…

Region in numbers

Where to sleep: 2 bases
Day trips: 3, 15 min to 30 min
Nights suggested: 2–3 nights
Ways in: 5 listed
Best months: No month rated best

Going in…

Pick a month for the weather in each zone of the region, plus the country-wide rating and holidays.

Pick a month.

Explore Silifke Up to Türkiye (Turkey)

Deep dive

Photos, reading and every source

Open Deep diveClose Deep dive1 partSources

Sources

secondaryWikivoyage: Cilician Mountains, revision 5082762 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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