Taurus Mountains Tour with Karatas Cave and Lake Karacaören

Beat the heat with a day out in Turkey's Taurus Mountains. Step inside a cool cave system at Karatas and them raise the tempo with an off-roading safari tour. After a lakeside lunch, there's a boat trip on Lake Karacaören rounded off with a swim.

First up, you'll venture into Karatas Cave. Explore its maze of underground passages, see a subterranean lake, and enjoy the cool atmosphere. You'll learn the legend of Elif and Kerim – Turkey's own Romeo and Juliet – who hid from their families in this very cave. Next, we'll rumble through the Taurus Mountains in an offroad safari bus, great for getting a close-up view of the natural splendour of the region.

We'll then head to one of Turkey's inland beauty spots – Lake Karacaören, which is hemmed in by verdant peaks. Sit down to a lakeside lunch of freshly prepared, typical local dishes, then glide across the water in an eco-friendly solar-powered boat. Drop anchor and you can cool off with time to swim and soak up the tranquillity before heading back to base. The lake is an important habitat for birds – look out for pelicans, flamingos, herons, and cormorants as you glide across the lake.