Kangal Balıklı Kaplıca (Kangal Fish Spring)

What to expect

Kangal Balıklı Kaplıca is the spring that made “doctor fish” famous. Warm water seeps up through sandstone along the Hamam Deresi (also called Topardıç Deresi) valley, 13 km (8 miles) north-east of the town of Kangal in Sivas Province, and collects in pools full of small fish. Locals have long called it Balıklı Çermik or Yılanlı Çermik, the fish spring or the snake spring, because a few water snakes live here too.

The water rises in five places along a north-south line at about 1,425 m (4,675 ft). The registration file puts it at 95°F35°C plus or minus half a degree (about 95°F35°C), slightly yellow and clear, with a pH of about 7.2 and a measurable selenium content. Other sources give 97-99°F36-37°C. Either way, it feels barely warm. That is the point: people traditionally sat in these pools for hours. A 2022 Anadolu Agency report described patients spending around eight hours a day in the water over a 21-day stay.

The fish are what you come for. Two warm-adapted members of the carp family, Garra rufa and Cyprinion macrostomum, live in the pools in large numbers and crowd around anyone who gets in, nibbling at soft or flaking skin. Expect a light, constant tingle. Most first-timers laugh, then get used to it within an hour.

Know what you are visiting in 2026. This is not the busy spa town of older travel articles. The facility that ran here for three decades was sealed in January 2025, the site became a nature park in July 2025, and the old hotel blocks are no longer in use. For summer 2026 the authorities repaired some of the old pools for day visitors only. It is a basic, transitional setup while a new complex is built.

History

The municipality says the spring was a reedy marsh in 1917. In 1966 it opened with four pools and a two-storey, 16-room motel. A private company took it over in 1994 under a build-operate-transfer deal, and by the 2020s it had six pools, 16 private baths, four hotel sections, a restaurant and a market. The Ministry of Health registered it as a health facility in 2003, the same year the Turkish Patent Institute registered “Kangal Balıklı Kaplıcası” as a protected designation of origin.

That era ended in 2025. On January 31, 2025, the Sivas Provincial Special Administration sealed the facility, saying the operator had no business licence and its 1994 lease had expired; the operator disputed this in court. On July 13, 2025 a presidential decision declared the area the Kangal Balıklıgöl Nature Park, covering 47.9 hectares, and moved planning to the Directorate General of Nature Conservation and National Parks. In June 2026 the old 1991 tourism-centre designation was lifted, and the Sivas Governorship said this did not end tourism at the site.

The 2026 day pools and the rebuild

Rebuilding work was announced in April 2026. The plan covers about 70,000 m² and moves cars to the edge so the spring area becomes pedestrian. It includes a 250-bed hotel and family cottages, a health and cure centre, 1,750 m² of open fish ponds, new indoor and outdoor pools, restaurants, a market for local products and a small mosque. Opening is planned for summer 2027.

In the meantime, some of the old pools were repaired so day visitors could use them in summer 2026. Sabah reported in June 2026 that the pools would be supervised by the dermatology department of Sivas Cumhuriyet University, with the governorship coordinating. In August 2026 the Kangal mayor said about 10,000 people had visited in 40 days, despite the lack of facilities, and that the construction tender was expected in late August or mid-September.

We could not find a published entry price, opening hours or a statement on how the 2026 pools are split between men and women. Ask on arrival, and expect the arrangement to change once construction starts.

Getting there

Kangal sits about 90 km (56 miles) south-east of Sivas city. From Sivas, the drive to the spring is roughly 100 km (62 miles) and about 1 hour 20 minutes on the main road to Kangal, then 13 km (8 miles) north-east on a signed side road into the valley. Intercity buses run from Sivas to Kangal; from the town you will need a taxi.

The nearest airport is Sivas Nuri Demirağ, about 1 hour 45 minutes away by car. Sivas also has rail links. If you are coming from Malatya, Kangal is on the way north.

When to go

Summer is the only season that makes sense in 2026, because the interim pools were opened for the summer season and nothing on the ground suggests winter use. The valley is high and continental: nights are cool even in July, and winters are long and cold.

If the rebuild goes to plan, the new complex will open in summer 2027 and should run for longer each year. Before you drive out, call the Kangal municipality (0346 457 10 98) or check Sivas Governorship announcements, since the timing of construction could close the old pools.

Rules and etiquette

There is no published rulebook for the 2026 pools, so follow the usual Turkish kaplıca customs: shower before you get in, wear a swimsuit, keep voices down and do not use soap in the fish pools. The fish feed on skin, so lotions, sunscreen and oils are unwelcome.

Do not try to catch, feed or move the fish. They are the reason the site is now a protected nature park, and the governorship has made their habitat the priority of the new plan. Similar fish live in the Kalkım spring about 25 km (16 miles) to the south, which has two natural pools and no facilities.

Bathing culture

Kangal was a cure destination, not a day spa. For decades patients came from across Turkey and from Germany, Russia and Azerbaijan, booked a room for about three weeks, and spent most of each day in the pools. Turkish public kaplıcas traditionally separate men and women, and older facilities here had private family baths as well. The site is marketed for psoriasis above all; the geographical indication file also lists rheumatic, neurological, skin and other conditions it has been used for. Treat those as the spring’s reputation, not a promise.

Where to stay nearby

There is no lodging at the spring until the new hotel opens. Kangal town, 13 km (8 miles) away, is a small district centre with basic services. Sivas, about 1 hour 20 minutes away, has the widest choice of hotels and makes a sensible base for a day trip.

Safety notes

• Shared water: Many visitors come with skin conditions, and the fish move from person to person. If you have open wounds, a weak immune system or diabetes, ask your doctor first.
• Long soaks: The water is close to body temperature, so overheating is unlikely, but long sessions in the sun dehydrate you. Bring water and shade.
• Construction: Expect building work around the site from late 2026. Follow signs and fencing.
• Altitude and weather: At over 1,400 m, evenings turn cold quickly. Bring a warm layer.