Güzeldere Waterfall: Düzce’s 120-Metre Forest Falls

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1. What is Güzeldere Waterfall?
2. How do you get to Güzeldere Waterfall?
3. When is the best time to visit Güzeldere Waterfall?
4. What is the history of Güzeldere Waterfall?
5. What is Güzeldere Waterfall famous for?
6. What can you do at Güzeldere Waterfall?
7. Frequently asked questions about Güzeldere Waterfall
8. What do the official records say about Güzeldere Waterfall?

What is Güzeldere Waterfall?

Güzeldere Waterfall (Güzeldere Şelalesi) is the tallest and best-known waterfall in Düzce province. The Bıçkı stream drops about 120 m down a forested slope near the village of Güzeldere, in Gölyaka district (Düzce Culture and Tourism Directorate). The 2002 inventory gave a height of 135 m and noted that the falls hold a special place in the region for their beauty.

The area around the falls, 22.76 ha of forest at about 630 m, is protected as Güzeldere Waterfall Nature Park, with picnic areas, rest spots and walking trails.

How do you get to Güzeldere Waterfall?

The nature park is 18 km from Düzce and 11 km from Gölyaka, in Gölyaka district (Düzce Culture and Tourism Directorate); the 2002 inventory gave 28 km and 16 km, measured on the older roads. Drive or take a taxi from Düzce; the last stretch climbs into the hills.

Düzce itself is on the D-100 and the TEM motorway between Istanbul and Ankara. The nearest major airport is Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen.

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When is the best time to visit Güzeldere Waterfall?

The provincial directorate puts it plainly: Güzeldere is at its most splendid in spring and autumn. In spring the falls are fed by rain and snowmelt; in autumn the forest changes colour around them. In high summer the flow drops, but the shade and cool air still make it a good escape from the heat of the plain.

Weekends and holidays bring picnicking families from Düzce, so come on a weekday morning if you want the falls to yourself. After heavy rain, paths are muddy and slippery.

What is the history of Güzeldere Waterfall?

The falls have long been a local picnic place. The area was registered as a picnic site on 28 December 1993 and as a nature park on 11 July 2011 (Düzce Culture and Tourism Directorate).

Güzeldere is also tied to plateau life above it. The 2002 inventory describes the Odayeri Plateau Festival, held every year on 8 August, as beginning with a walk at Güzeldere Waterfall, after which the participants climb to the Odayeri plateau and picnic to folk-dance performances. The inventory also recommends the Güzeldere plateau for trekking.

What is Güzeldere Waterfall famous for?

• Height. At about 120 m it is the tallest waterfall in Düzce province.
• Forest setting. The falls drop through forest, with walking trails around them.
• Picnics. It has been a registered picnic site since 1993.

What can you do at Güzeldere Waterfall?

See the falls. Follow the park’s paths to the waterfall.

Walk the trails. The nature park has marked walking paths through the forest. The directorate lists trekking, camping, cycling and photography among the activities that suit the area.

Picnic. Picnic areas and forest rest spots are laid out in the park.

Continue to the plateaus. The road beyond climbs towards the Güzeldere and Odayeri plateaus, summer pastures that the inventory recommends for walking and camping.

Combine with other sights. Efteni Lake and its hot springs are 18 km west of Düzce on the Gölyaka road, close to the route to the falls, and the inventory describes the lake as a bird paradise with about 150 species of water birds. Samandere Waterfall, southeast of Düzce, is another forest waterfall, and Prusias ad Hypium, at Konuralp north of Düzce, has the Roman theatre and museum.

Soak at Efteni. The Efteni hot springs, on the Düzce–Gölyaka west road beside the lake, had three pools at different temperatures in 2002, with water at about 42°C that the inventory recommends above all for rheumatic complaints.

Plan the day. A good loop from Düzce takes in Efteni Lake in the morning, when birds are most active, Güzeldere for a picnic lunch and a walk, and the hot springs on the way back.

Frequently asked questions about Güzeldere Waterfall

What do the official records say about Güzeldere Waterfall?

Güzeldere Waterfall, within the boundaries of Gölyaka district of Düzce, 28 km from Düzce and 16 km from Gölyaka, is 135 m high. Aesthetically, it holds a privileged position in the region.

The Odayeri Plateau Festival, held every year on 8 August, begins with a walk organised at Güzeldere Waterfall. The festival then continues with the climb to the Odayeri Plateau. Those taking part picnic to the accompaniment of folk-dance performances. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Düzce Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)