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On a day trip from Safranbolu, my first stop was the Bulak Mencilis Cave (Bulak Mencilis Mağarası) near the village of Bulak. It’s the fourth longest cave in Turkey.
Entrance
After climbing up a long staircase, I paid the attendant to enter and enjoyed the walk through the cave. Admission is 25₺ (as of January 2024) and it’s open daily.
The cave goes 6 kilometers into the hillside but only 500 meters are accessible to tourists doing a self-guided visit. If you would like to travel further into the cave, it’s necessary to hire a professional guide and arrange for some special equipment. Deep inside the cave, there are lakes, a waterfall, and rivers. For a virtual tour, click here.
Flash photography is not allowed inside the cave because it will disturb the bats, but the lighting is good enough to see most of the formations.
Getting There
There’s no public transportation to the caves. For my excursion, I hired a taxi from Safranbolu to take me to Bulak Mencilis Cave, İncekaya Aqueduct, and the village of Yörükköyü. The driver offered to do all three sites for a discount. There wasn’t a schedule and I was able to take my time at each site.
