Nature haven Turkish city attracts hot spring visitors

By Mehmet Emin Gurbuz

BOLU, Turkey

Northern province of Bolu -- a big tourist attraction with its Lake Abant, Yedigoller (Seven Lakes) and Golcuk Nature Park -- is also a leading thermal and health tourist magnet, according to the city's governor.

Black Sea province of Bolu is a famous destination for nature lovers -- with its lakes, and forests that cover 65 percent of the city -- and it has more to offer in thermal and health attractions.

There are 30 thermal springs in the Bolu province’s Seben, Goynuk, Mudurnu, Karacasu and Taskesti districts, and the heat of the spring water is between 20 centigrade (68 Fahrenheit) and 90 centigrade degree (194 F).

In the Karacasu district, thermal spring water is used both for healing hospital patients, and hotel tourists.

Also, in Mudurnu, Taskesti and Goynuk districts, which are ancient Ottoman towns and located on the Silk Road, recently built thermal facility and time-share properties contribute to Bolu’s thermal tourism. Ancient Ottoman bathhouses in Mudurnu and Goynuk districts also attract tourists.

The Silk Road or Silk Route is an ancient trade network through regions of Eurasia connecting the East and West, stretching from the Korean Peninsula and Japan to the Mediterranean Sea.

In the Kesenozu Village of the Seben district, Pavlu Hot Springs offer healing to those who suffer from various diseases, such as rheumatism, gynecological diseases and dermatological disorders. The hot water’s heat ranges between 60 centigrade (140 F) and 90 centigrade (194 F).

In 2016, facilities in Karacasu, Seben and Mudurnu districts hosted a total of 138,685 visitors, including 7,165 foreigners.

The city is rich in many areas including tourism, Bolu’s Governor Aydin Barus told Anadolu Agency.

“We have natural beauty sites in our province that are famous in country and international scale. In only [Lake] Abant, Yedigoller and Golcuk, we have more than one million same-day visitors,” he added.

Barus also stated that they are trying to make the sites available for accommodation, increasing visitors’ overnight stay.

“Bolu has important thermal springs… Bolu is showing a good progress in [building] facilities. There are currently two thermal springs operating. There are a total of 878 beds in these facilities. On the other hand, there are around 4,500 beds in three time share property facilities,” he said, adding their aim for 20,000 beds in a few years.

Izzet Baysal Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Education and Research Hospital's Head Physician Dr. Erdal Dilekci also said that Turkey is a very rich country in terms of hot spring waters.

“We have a serious richness in geographical location but we know that we don’t use it in a serious degree. Bolu is a region that uses this [richness] in a good level and has a promising future,” Dilekci told Anadolu Agency.