Kızılırmak Delta Bird Reserve (Kızılırmak Deltası Kuş Cenneti) is a wetland wildlife reserve in the Central Karadeniz region of Turkey, about 50 km west of Samsun. A rest and feeding stop for many birds migrating over the Black Sea it is a Ramsar site, an internationally important wetland.
Understand
[edit]The Kızılırmak is the longest river flowing entirely within Turkey. It rises in Eastern Anatolia and flows west before making a grand arc to trend northeast into the Black Sea, 1355 km in all (the Tigris and Euphrates are longer but cross into Syria and Iraq to drain into the Persian Gulf). The Kızılırmak brings down lots of silt - kızıl means red - that over the ages has formed a delta 30 km broad. This land is fertile and much of it is farmed, while other parts are woods and wetlands. Its eastern third is now protected as a wildlife park and Ramsar site. Inevitably there are tensions between habitat protection, leisure use such as hunting, and farming. The park is at twin risk from drying out and flooding: ditches for farm drainage are sucking away the wetland, while upstream river management means the Kızılırmak no longer dumps such a load of silt to offset coastal erosion.
The climate is dominated by the Black Sea. Winters are breezy and very chilly, summers are hot and there's little shade so use sun protection.
See below for typical animals - use a phone app such as iNaturalist, BirdNET or Merlin to identify obscure birds and plants. Bring your own binoculars, or you can buy them in hunting shops in Samsun.
Get in
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You really need a vehicle to get here, though it's within cycling range. Most visitors simply day-trip from Samsun.
1 South gate is much nearer to Samsun. From the coastal highway D-010 turn off at the town of 19 Mayıs (say "On-dokuz-mayis") and follow İsmet İnönü Cd north through Yörükler. It's 15 km along a good sealed road with cattle ambling along it. There is a daytime cafe on the way (traditional tent just past Geleriç serving gözleme) and one at the south gate. Bicycles may continue but vehicles must stop here. You can transfer to the shuttle bus, which runs 12 km to the north gate.
2 North gate is approached from the town of Bafra, again by a good though narrow road, Turgut Özal Blv. In stork nesting season it’s worth pausing at the viewing tower on the way. The main visitor centre is here, parking for cars only - motor homes and caravans will be turned back to circle the park and approach via the south gate.
Buses to the park are rare and need booking at Samsun council tours (G2 from various stops in the city to the south gate). But there are frequent buses and dolmuş to Bafra. That's 20 km from the park but over a dozen taxi operators make their living from the park. They'll take you to the north gate. Alternatively if you don’t have your own transport you could alight at 19 Mayıs and get a taxi to the south gate, and indeed might be able to depart from the north gate if you don’t leave it too late in the day.
Fees and permits
[edit]Free entry and parking. There is a small fee to take the shuttle bus or tour buggy. No fishing by visitors, a few locals have permits to fish from small boats.
Get around
[edit]The road between the two gates is closed to private vehicles. So you either limit yourself to what's in view within walking distance of the gate, rent a bike / trike (they're in poor repair), take the shuttle bus, or join the hourly tour by electric buggy. Rentals must stay on the tarmac road, but if you have your own bicycle there are also some fairly flat tracks outside the gates, just be wary of the occasional dog if approaching a farm or flock of sheep.
See
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- Bird-watching towers stand at and near the north gate. They're unsuitable for anyone with restricted mobility.
- Storks' nests are the big brown things perched atop electricity pylons. The storks arrive in spring and mostly return south in autumn.
- Water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) were domesticated to till rice fields and for milk, and they play an important role in churning up the wetland and keeping it wet. It's rare for them to be aggressive, they should back off from a firm hosht - "shoo!".
- Great white egrets or heron (Ardea alba) are a metre tall and easily spotted. A small one may be a juvenile or more likely the little egret (Egretta garzetta) with shorter necks. Those waiting patiently near the backsides of buffalo might be cattle egrets (Ardea ibis).
- Camels are not what you expect in a wetland, but as well as herds of feral horses there are a few one-humped camels, dromedaries (Camelus dromedarius). Large numbers were imported from Arabia to tote freight, then abandoned once Turkey mechanised.
Do
[edit]- Birdwatching is what the delta is best known for, but there are plenty of four-legged animals and plants of interest.
- Walk along the big empty beaches. They can be accessed at several points: by a road east from Yörükler, by a short sandy track from South gate and along the park road 3 km from North gate - the shuttle bus stops here.
- Watch the sunset: the beaches are east-facing, but a dirt track from South gate (opposite the track to the beach) brings you to the jetty on Balık Gölü ("Fish Lake"), a tranquil lagoon.
Buy
[edit]The gift shop in the visitor centre sells buffalo cheese.
Eat
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- Tent Cafe at North Gate is open daily 08:00-18:00.
Drink
[edit]Bring your own water, supplies here are overpriced.
Sleep
[edit]- Samsun has lots of accommodation, most visitors day-trip from there. Bafra is a large town but lacks tourist facilities.
- Caravans and motorhomes may park overnight at South gate.
- Kızılırmak Deltası-Bungalow (at South gate), ☏ +90 544 562 33 95. 2026 price and opening date has not yet been decided. In summer open every day except Mondays. In autumn only open Saturday nights. Open air restaurant closes at dusk, no outside lighting is allowed as it would disturb birds. Kids playground.
- No camping within the park.
Connect
[edit]Don’t drop your phone in the water when snapping a snake eating a fish! If your GPS puts you in the wrong place blame the war across the sea.
Stay safe
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The jandarma are at both gates: or use the national emergency number 112.
Don’t swim. There are no lifeguards and very few people by the sea, so it would be much safer to swim from Atakum beach in Samsun city.
Go next
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| Routes through Kızılırmak Delta Bird Reserve |
| Akçakoca ← Sinop ← | W  E
|
→ Samsun → Trabzon |