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In the Cıvril district of Denizli province, about 120 kilometers southeast of the provincial capital, boat tours across Isikli Lake's water lily fields continue into autumn.
Originally set to end in July, the tours have been extended to October 24 after the lake's water level reached around 98% capacity, the highest level in several years.
Isikli Lake is an artificial reservoir covering close to 7,300 hectares, built primarily for agricultural irrigation.
Beyond its irrigation role, the lake supports a wide range of bird, fish and plant species, forming a habitat that draws increasing attention from visitors each year.
Each May, wide areas of the lake's surface become covered with water lilies. The blooms continue through the summer months, drawing large numbers of visitors who come to see the flowers spread across the water alongside the surrounding reed beds.
In previous years, prolonged drought caused the boat tours to end by late June or early July. This year, higher rainfall has raised the lake's occupancy rate to about 98%, compared with 40 to 45% over the past four years, allowing tours to run through Oct. 24.
Boat captain and guide Ozel Cetinkaya leads tours lasting about one hour and ten minutes across the lake.
During the route, visitors pass through reed beds, view bird nesting areas and reach the water lilies concentrated near the center of the lake.
After crossing roughly 500 meters of reed beds, boats reach Kuslu Ada, known locally as Bird Island. Hundreds of cormorants nest on the island, and their nests and chicks remain visible to visitors as the boats pass nearby.
Near the center of the lake, boats slow among dense clusters of water lilies, giving visitors time to take photographs. The return route retraces roughly 500 meters of reed beds before reaching the departure point.
Nineteen-year-old Arzuman Arat took over as boat captain this year from his father. Departing from Seraserli village, his tours cover about seven to seven and a half kilometers into the lake and the same distance on the return trip.
Arat says visitors often board the boat nervously but disembark smiling after the roughly 15-kilometer route, which passes bird habitats, reed beds and water lily fields. He also assists passengers with photographs during the trip.
Photographer Serap Ozdemir joins a tour from Seraserli village to observe and photograph birds.
She notes that while this year's water lilies appear smaller than last year's, the surrounding scenery remains a frequent destination for photographers.
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