Mavi Göl, Giresun

Overview

Mavi Göl means Blue Lake, and for once the name is modest. In summer, its water turns a turquoise you would expect on the Aegean coast, not in a Black Sea forest.

About the Blue Lake

The lake was formed by three small lakes joined together. Locals also call it Sodalı Göl, the soda lake, or Göğ Göl, the sky lake. It lies near Pınarlar village, inside Kuzalan Nature Park, the same park as the Kuzalan Waterfall.

The Göksu Travertines Next to Mavi Göl

The lake lies in Pınarlar village, and so do the Göksu travertines. Here, springs of soda water rich in minerals have built small and large pools in terraces, in turquoise and white. Locals call travertine beyaz taş, the white stone. At each spring, moss covers the ground first. Then, a few meters on, the water starts to lay down stone, and the moss quickly gives way.

Inside Kuzalan Nature Park

The lake belongs to Kuzalan Nature Park, declared on May 9, 2013. The park covers 482 hectares (about 1,190 acres) around Alancık village, next to the Giresun–Şebinkarahisar–Sivas highway. Apart from the lake, it holds the 20 m (66 feet) Kuzalan Waterfall with a viewing terrace in front of it, wide travertines and springs of soda and sulphur water. So one stop can fill half a day.

A Highland Day From the Lake

From the lake, the road climbs on to Kümbet Plateau, a summer pasture in the fir forest that became a tourism center in 1991. Then, in the third week of July, the International Kümbet Culture and Arts Festival fills the meadows at Aymaç, so a July trip can join the lake, the waterfall and the festival in one day. Two Giresun dishes suit the cool air: ayranlı çorba, a soup of wheat, chickpeas and beans with thick ayran and dill, and acı mantar yahnisi, a stew of wild mushrooms fried in butter and hazelnut oil. Later in July, the Bektaş plateau, about 56 km (35 miles) from Giresun, holds a festival of its own.

How to Visit Mavi Göl

Plan the lake and the waterfall as one stop, then continue up to Kümbet Plateau. No fee or opening hours are published, so ask us to confirm before you go. We plan the walk up to Mavi Göl on your Giresun route.

Would you like to see the Giresun highlands with someone who knows them? Our founder’s family lives in Giresun, so we plan the plateaus, the waterfalls and the castles with a local driver, and add a hazelnut harvest day in August. A highland day from the lake can join our Black Sea tour or a tailor-made trip, and our Giresun guide covers the province.