Tortum Waterfall: Türkiye’s Great Falls in the Uzundere Valley

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

What is Tortum Waterfall?

Tortum Waterfall (Tortum Şelalesi) is the outflow of Tortum Lake dropping over a limestone step into the valley below. At about 48 m high and 21 m wide, it is often described as the largest waterfall in Türkiye, and in late spring the spray rises well above the viewing terraces.

It lies in the Uzundere district of Erzurum, in the deep valley of the Tortum stream between Erzurum and the Black Sea mountains of Artvin. The lake above, the waterfall and the medieval Georgian churches and castles of the valley make a full day out from the city.

How do you get to Tortum Waterfall?

The waterfall is right beside the main Erzurum–Artvin road, around kilometre 110, roughly 100 km north of Erzurum city. There is no regular public transport to the falls themselves, so most visitors drive, hire a taxi for the day, or join a tour from Erzurum.

Coming from the Black Sea side, the same road links the waterfall with Yusufeli and Artvin.

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When is the best time to visit Tortum Waterfall?

Go in May or June. Snowmelt fills Tortum Lake and the waterfall carries its greatest volume of water; from July the flow may fall noticeably. Autumn brings fewer visitors and the poplars of the valley turn yellow.

The flow is not only a matter of season. A hydroelectric plant built between 1952 and 1960 uses the lake’s water, and in 2010 the Council of State set a minimum flow of 3.5 m³ per second for the falls. In early 2022, during repair work on the plant’s intakes and tunnels, the waterfall ran completely dry for a time. If you are travelling a long way, check recent photographs or local news before you go.

What is the history of Tortum Waterfall?

The waterfall is young in geological terms. According to the KÜRE encyclopedia, a huge landslide from Kemerli Dağ in the 1700s blocked the valley of the Tortum stream. The water backed up behind the debris to form Tortum Lake, and its outflow, finding a way across the north side of the valley, began falling over the limestone layers as the waterfall.

The Tortum valley was a borderland between Georgian and Armenian kingdoms and later the Seljuks, Karakoyunlu and Ottomans. The church of Öşk Vank (Oshki), on the far side of Tortum Lake, was built in the 10th century, and the castle of Engüzekkapı, on a rock above the valley, changed hands between Georgian rulers, the Karakoyunlu and the Ottomans, who took it in the 16th century. Until 1987 the waterfall was in Tortum district; it now belongs to Uzundere.

What is Tortum Waterfall famous for?

• Size. A drop of about 48 m and a width of about 21 m.
• Spray and rainbows. On sunny days in late spring a rainbow hangs over the lower pool.
• The setting. Bare, steep valley sides above the water, with Tortum Lake and its green shores just upstream.
• Night lighting. The falls are lit after dark.

What can you do at Tortum Waterfall?

Walk the terraces. Paths and viewing terraces among the trees look across and down onto the falls. The rock and steps are wet and slippery near the spray.

Visit Tortum Lake. The lake above the falls is a long, narrow reservoir among mountains, with picnic spots on its shore.

See Öşk Vank. The 10th-century Georgian church at Çamlıyamaç is a short drive away. In June 2026 it was still awaiting restoration, with parts of the roof collapsed, and visitors could no longer safely go inside, but its exterior carving is worth the detour.

Look up at Engüzekkapı Castle. On a rocky outcrop above the valley in Dikyar, with walls up to about 30 m high; a visitor centre and lighting were being planned in 2026.

Continue to the Black Sea. The road carries on north to Yusufeli and Artvin, through some of the deepest valleys in Türkiye.

Common misconceptions about Tortum Waterfall

Is Tortum the third-highest waterfall in the world?

What people often assume: Some local sources claim that Tortum ranks third in the world, after Victoria Falls and Niagara.

What the record says: At about 48 m, Tortum is a large waterfall by Turkish standards, but the claim of a world ranking is not supported in the scientific literature (KÜRE encyclopedia).

Frequently asked questions about Tortum Waterfall

What do the official records say about Tortum Waterfall?

The 2002 provincial inventory has no separate entry for the waterfall, but it does describe the oldest monument on the shores of Tortum Lake, the church at Öşk Vank (which it calls Ovşank):

According to the inscription on it, its construction was begun in 961, in the period of the Bagratid dynasty, by Adarnase III and completed in 966 by the magistros Bagrat. Its architecture is important for its two-coloured stone decoration and its figural ornament. A mixed plan was used. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Erzurum Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)