Michelle's Travels: Pamukkale!

Pamukkale thermal pools from a distance

On Friday Oct. 25^th I had a day tour to Pamukkale – about 3 hours away from Kusadasi. Pamukkale literally translated means Cotton (Pamuk) Castle (Kale). The area where it is located – is surrounded by cotton farms, and so the look of the white cliffs from way back – was described as a cotton castle. On tour with me was: Scott from Washington D.C., Pond from Thailand, a couple from Malaysia, and 3 friends from Pakistan – Zahra, Sharmeen and Muffadal. We left at 7:45 am and returned by 7:15 pm.

Hieropolis was the city built behind the thermal pools, which was named after Hera (The greek goddess – wife of Zeus) – with polis meaning city. There were quite a few ruins located there – including a gymnasium, roman bath, amphitheatre, and necropolis – similarly looking to the Ephesus ruins. Our tour guide gave us the history of the area as we walked along. Because there wasn’t enough time to see all the ruins and explore the pools – we were given about 3 hours of free time – so that each person could tailor their visit according to their interests. Some people in the group definitely wanted to swim in the pools and some were more interested in exploring the ruins.

There were two areas to the thermal pools. The travertine pools were picturesque pools that slowly winded down the valley and made for some magnificent photos. There were also Ancient pools at the top which were loaded with minerals – very soothing to the skin and relaxing. The Ancient pools cost a little extra, but it was definitely worth it for me. Like other hotspring or spa experiences this is one I won’t forget. If you ever go to Turkey – be sure to stop in Pamukkale. After floating around the pools, I went to the Travertine pools and walked around. Soaking my feet while talking to Zahra and Sharmeen, taking photos and walking along the limestone was a great way to spend the afternoon.