İğneada Longoz Forest National Park, Nature reserve near the Turkish-Bulgarian border, Turkey
İğneada Longoz Forest National Park is a nature reserve along the Black Sea coast near the Turkish-Bulgarian border. The landscape contains five lakes, marshes, and sandy dunes that create distinct wetland habitats.
The area received official national park status in 2007 after environmental research identified its rare floodplain forest ecosystem. The designation followed years of scientific study highlighting the region's ecological value.
Local guides from the Laz community lead nature tours through the park, sharing their knowledge of the regional flora and fauna.
The park can be reached by public transport from Istanbul via towns like Silivri, Çorlu, and Lüleburgaz, or by driving on motorway O.3. The journey works well depending on where you start and how much time you have.
The forest floods seasonally, submerging trees in water where ash, oak, alder, and maple species thrive in waterlogged soil. This recurring water cycle supports the growth of rare floodplain vegetation found nowhere else nearby.
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