Olympus-Beydaglari National Park

Olympus-Beydaglari National Park is situated in Western Anatolia, in the calcareous Western Taurus Mountains on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, 12km south of the town of Antalya. The park starts from Yardimci Burnu in the south, continues to Kumluca town in the south-west and passes through the Tahtali Dag (Olimpus) massif. The park is bordered by the sea to the east and south with a coastline of narrow sandy beaches below the Bogaz plateau.

Most of the rocks in Olympus-Beydaglari National Park are predominantly made up of limestone and serpentine which is a typical characteristic of the Mediterranean. Also, extrusive and intrusive magma material is spread throughout the area. The natural gas that escapes from rock faults near Cirali and is being emitted from the cracks of limestone and serpentine has been burning for thousands of years and has been included in multiple myths and legends. Springs and streams can be seen on the higher slopes of the park. Olympus-Beydaglari National Park has a vast variety of plant life, with about 1000 representative species. The plant cover consists of peanut pines at the shore, cluster pines and black pines at higher altitudes, and cedars at a height bigger than 1000m. The fauna is represented by wild goats, wild boars, foxes, bears, jackals, wolves, as well as various fish and birds. Places of interest in the area are the ancient city of Lydia that has been inhabited since pre-historic times, as well as the 7th century BC Rhodes colony of Phaselis (Tekirova). Other places of interest are: Idyros, Adrasan Harbour and Gagai.