
One sweltering hot day last summer I was looking for an excuse to escape my apartment and head for the mountains. Looking over my list of places to visit from the local tourism office I stumbled across the perfect adventure, Karaoluk (Çiseli) Waterfall. Not only was the waterfall not far, located in the County of Ordu, but it promised the refreshment that I needed. A cool mountain stream would be just what I needed to escape from the humidity of the city.
Typically, I don’t like using maps or GPS on these types of short excursions. I have found that it adds to the feeling of adventure when I feel a little lost. When, or if, I find where I want to go it only adds to the sense of accomplishment. However, before leave I will usually look up the location on Google Maps to set my bearings. To find the waterfall, I had only the name of the village and where to exit the highway. As what typically happens it didn’t take very long for me to get lost. The problem is that the mountain roads on google maps are not entirely accurate. After about 20 minutes of wondering around searching for a sign pointing towards the village, I very nearly gave up and cheated by using the GPS on my phone. Yes, I do bring my GPS even if I don’t intend to use it. At that moment, I found the sign and started my journey up the mountain on the one lane road.

One lane mountain roads can be worrisome while traveling by car. There is always the risk of a car coming from the other direction with nowhere to pass. On a motorcycle these encounters are less unnerving, other than hoping the other driver is paying attention so as to not run you over. The road continued on for much longer than I expected. Sometimes I forget that 10 km on a curvy mountain road, takes longer than 10 km on the highway. At last, I find a sign for the falls. Note I was looking for Karaoluk Waterfall, the sign was labelled as Çiseli Şelalesi (şelalesi = waterfall). Luckily I noticed that the falls had two different names. The falls are located just past the small village of a country mosque and a few family dwellings.

The falls were not disappointing. The mountain stream carves itself through a series of little rapids and deep pools. The water is clear and very inviting. The main falls are located about 200 meters downstream of the parking lot (which is also the end of the road). The waterfall is not particularly high, but the pool at the bottom of the falls is spectacular and beautiful. A perfect natural swimming hole, and deep enough for those brave enough to jump off the falls into the water. Even standing near the water, I could feel its coolness. Unfortunately I forgot to bring a swim suit. However, there was a perfect place for me to sit and dangle my feet in the pool. I sat enjoying the roar of the water over the rocks, and the beautiful green valley around me. Karaoluk Waterfall was the perfect adventure on a hot summer day.
Directions: Exit from the Fatsa / Ordu highway directly located at the mouth of the Nefise Akçelik Tunnel (Ordu side) and follow the signs to the Village of Kirli. From the Village of Kirli you will turn up hill towards the road that runs above the entrance to the tunnel. Turning left, follow the signs to the Village of Karaoluk. There are signs to the falls in the village.