Tour of Pamukkale and Hierapolis with a local guide

One of Mother Nature's more unusual masterpieces, UNESCO-listed Pamukkale is a spectacle of white, water-filled terraced basins that has evolved over thousands of years. This full day excursion to Pamukkale from Fethiye includes breakfast and lunch as well as a visit to an onyx workshop. Muzaffer, one of our expert local guides, says, ‘Pamukkale is like something out of a fairytale – a spectacle of terraces formed over thousands of years that look like a cascading snowy waterfall. The mineral content in the hot thermal spring water is said to have healing properties.'

It all begins with a journey through the ever-changing Turkish countryside. Stop for breakfast en-route and you'll be fuelled up to explore Pamukkale. Translating as ‘Cotton Castle', it offers an otherworldly landscape of cascading terraced pools. Wallow in these inviting geothermal salt pools, whose waters are said to be beneficial for everything from your eyesight to rheumatism and asthma. Geologists have calculated that less than 50 grams of minerals are deposited daily, so you can imagine how many millennia it has taken to create the billowing formations you see today.

Then, make the short climb up the hill to the remains of the ancient city of Hierapolis – which was a hugely famous spa city in classical Phrygia, and which remains very well-preserved today. Enjoy a traditional lunch before rounding off the day visiting a local workshop dedicated to onyx gemstones, where you can watch artisans demonstrating their craft.