Dim Stream

It rises in the Taurus mountains, runs down the Dim valley and empties into the Mediterranean. At its coldest the water is around four degrees, and the valley air sits ten to fifteen degrees below the town. In midsummer, when Alanya is heavy with heat, driving up here feels like changing climate. Platforms are built out over the water along the bank, and you sit with your feet hanging in.

The river rises in the Taurus Mountains and winds down through the Dim valley that bears its name. Dim Dam sits along its course, and below it the water runs on through the valley until it reaches the Mediterranean.

Türkiye's Anadolu Agency describes the Dim as the place Alanya goes to escape the summer heat, and it is easy to see why: when the air in the town centre turns heavy and still, the valley has moving water, the sound of it, and a coolness you notice with your first step.

Getting in is a matter of nerve. You wade in to the ankles, step back out a few seconds later, then try again. Sitting on one of the platforms with your feet in the water is the part anyone can manage.

The name does not belong to the river alone: Dim Cave, eleven kilometres from the centre, has its own page in this guide. And if you want to see the cool side of the Taurus in a single day, the jeep safari below takes you along mountain village roads and through the valleys.

• Water ~4°C
• Valley 10-15°C cooler
• Taurus to the sea