If you are tired of Istanbul's chaos and crowds and want somewhere to breathe on a day trip without leaving the city, there is a place you may regret not having seen sooner: Saklı Göl, Şile
In fact, on my first visit I was annoyed with myself for not having come here earlier.
1. ABOUT SAKLI GÖL
Saklı Göl ("Hidden Lake") is a man-made reservoir within the boundaries of Karamandere village in Şile. With its nature and the café right next to it, this lovely spot is a weekend escape for many people in Istanbul and one of the favourite stops for nature lovers who enjoy a walk and a good breakfast. On the road in, villagers set up stalls with natural produce and small gözleme stands, a nice surprise if you want to spend the whole day here and do a bit of shopping.
Small footpaths lead to the verandas
2. BREAKFAST AT SAKLI GÖL
Even though we were very hungry, the breakfast filled us up nicely. In fact, two women could easily share a breakfast for one. Alongside breakfast you can try the clay-pot menemen that Saklı Göl is known for.If you come for lunch, you can choose from fish, grills and desserts. You can even have a barbecue if you like. We chose to skip the set breakfast and have our own, with food we had prepared, at the picnic tables on the verandas built over the lake. Renting the wooden verandas costs extra; the general prices are:
- Village breakfast and 1 pot of tea: 35₺
- Samovar: 30₺
- Lakeside verandas for 6/8 people: 45/55₺
- Picnic table under the trees for 6: 35₺
- Barbecue small/large: 25/35₺
- Cover charge per person: 5₺
Our breakfast
The place is open from 08:00 to 23:00.Note: If you rent a veranda table like we did, there is no food service apart from the barbecue and samovar. We did miss that menemen a little.
3. WHAT TO DO AT SAKLI GÖL
Leave the picnic area, cross the bridge on the other side and you can take a lovely walk through nature along the dirt road towards the reservoir.
@Saklı Göl walking trail
According to the information boards at the start of this road, there is also a 21 km cycling trail. You can rent a bike or bring your own. We walked for a while in the calm that autumn brings, and when we felt the tiredness creeping in, we turned back to the car.
The lakeside and the verandas
64 km
157 km
173 km