Fethiye                12 Islands        Ölüdeniz            Butterfly Valley           Saklikent Gorge       Kalkan           Kas       Olympos          Köycegiz

FETHIYE

The town dates back to Lycian times when it was known as Telmessos. Later known as Anastasiopolis in Byzantine times, then Megri and finally Fethiye this century after Fethi Bey, a local pilot and war hero.  He was the first pilot in Turkey, he died when his plane crashed in this area.

Despite being a popular English package tourist centre, Fethiye makes a good base to visit the surrounding sites and beaches.  In the town itself is the recently excavated amphitheatre next to the marina and the impressive Lycian rock tombs (Amyntas Tomb) which are floodlit at night. For more culture, visit the town’s small museum which contains some interesting exhibits from nearby archeological sights.

There are some impressive Turkish Baths to experience.  There are 4 ‘hamam’ - one in the old town (Traditional Old Turkish Bath), one by the otogar which will take a group booking (Kaya Hamami) and 2 in hotels (Ata Park & Letoonia). It’s a great idea to go for a nice relaxing afternoon.

The town has an excellent Tuesday Market. This is the best place to buy all those cheap fake designer labels and also good for souvenirs, cheap CDs and endless food/fresh fruit sellers. 

     Best just to go for the experience - hundreds of Turkish village folk descend on Fethiye for market day to buy and sell their goods.  

 Fethiye is the third best area in Turkey for scuba diving.  There are several companies operating certificate and daily courses (Divers Delight and European Dive Centre).Beaches: The nearest beach in Fethiye is Calis Beach, which can be reached by a short dolmus bus or boat trip.  It’s not a particularly good beach, it does get full of package tourists in high season, but it’s convenient.  For a more secluded, peaceful swim, head to one of the secluded bays on the outskirts of the town, Katranci Bay, Günlüklü (Kargi), Aksaz and Boncuklu.  These are popular with locals and can be reached by local dolmus.
 

TWELVE ISLANDS

The Twelve Islands (oniki adalari) is a area of islands between Fethiye and Göcek.  The only way to enjoy them is to cruise in a Turkish gulet or take a tourist daily boat trip.  Gulet cruises provide access to the tourist-free secluded bays where you can snorkel, swim, climb the cliffs or just relax.

The most interesting islands and mainland bays include Merdivenli (Step Ladder bay) which has an ancient cave cut into the side of the rock.  Afrodit koyu (Cleopatra’s Bath) is an ancient ruined bath where Cleopatra supposedly bathed when she was traveling en route from Egypt to Rome.  Bedri Rahmi bay was named after the Turkish artist Bedri Rahmi Pehlivanoglu, famous for his portraits of Arabic Sultans.  He visited the island several times and painted a fish eye picture on the wall.  Domuz Adasi (Pig Island) was so named because of the pigs that swam there.  Tersane Adasi (Shipyard Island) has ruins of an ancient shipyard.

Göcek Adasi is opposite the small sleepy mainland village of Göcek.  It’s a small, pretty marina town that retains its old Turkish charm with interesting unusual souvenir shops, excellent restaurants, cocktail bars and enough supermarkets to supply all the yachts visiting the marinas.  Göcek has many pansiyons and is connected to Fethiye and Dalaman by frequent buses.
 

ÖLÜDENIZ

This is the famous beach and blue lagoon that features on every travel poster of Turkey. The long, sandy beach is really spectacular and it shelters the lagoon from the sea.  By the lagoon there’s a national park - it’s an excellent place to swim.  Be warned though, in summer, the main stretch of beach is full of sun loungers, umbrellas and hundreds of English package tourists, opposite the dolmus stop there are lots of daily trip boats waiting to hassle you!  Escape them at the swimming Tonoz pool bar.  For the price of a drink or a snack (even a cola) you can pass the afternoon spread-eagled on a sunlounger plunging when the mood takes you!  It’s open till midnight with poolside cocktails and raves!  Another great bar is the legendary Buzz Bar - with cocktail specials (try the ice-cream cocktails).  But be warned - if you’re on a tight budget, the tourist restaurants and grocery stores can be a bit expensive because they’re geared towards package tourists.  Eat at the pansiyon/hostel to save money.

Paragliding  Olüdeniz is the best spot for paragliding in Turkey.  For a reasonable price you will be whisked off in a jeep for an hour up to the summit of Babadag mountain (1975m).  The tandem paragliding will take approximately half an hour back down to the beach (donut forget your camera)!  Check out the prices first, but remember cheapest is not always best - go with a reputable company that follows all safety precautions - Focus, Sky sports, Pink Team (book from Fethiye and they can pick you up).  Other waterspout options include parascending (from boats on the beach) and pedals (for hire on the lagoon).

Around ÖLÜDENIZ  The daily boat trips will take you cruising around the nearby bays including Soguksu (Cold Spring Bay), Gemiler (St Nicholas Island) which has an ancient ruined city on the top of the hill.  Here you can walk along the old cobbled market streets - it’s an excellent setting to watch the sunset with a drink or two!  The church is dedicated to St Nicholas who was born at Patara, and is immortalised forever as Noel Baba (Santa Claus).

Kaya Köyü (Kaya ghost town)  is a deserted ghost town.  Until 1923 it was known as Levissi when it was built by and inhabited by Christian Greek Orthodox.  They left as a result of the population exchange when all Christian Greeks were forced to move to Greece.  The Macedonian Muslims that were sent to Kaya, believed that its previous inhabitants had left a curse on the hillside village and instead built their houses on the surrounding flat land.  Now the hillside is still covered with the ghostly ruins of 1500 cottages.  There are three churches worth looking at - the Panayia Piryiotissa basilica, the main church, still has murals, mosaic floors and marble altar screens.  In the south-west corner of the church precinct is the charnel house piled high with human leg bones - the departing Greeks took the exhumed skulls of their ancestors away with them.  Best time to go is late afternoon when it starts to get cooler, and the mass tourists have left - take some drinks and watch the sunset from the top of the hill - it’s an eerie haunting feeling as the sun begins to set.  There’s a good restaurant next to the dolmus stop complete with bar-b-q and swimming pool for customers. Dolmuses run direct from Fethiye, or change at Hisaronu (the village before Ölüdeniz).  If you are feeling energetic, you can walk along the ancient road that leads from behind the tombs in Fethiye, direct to Kaya (7 km). Or walk from Ölüdeniz, a 3 hour trek along the mountainous coastline (although it makes more sense to walk down from Kaya to Ölüdeniz).

KELEBEK (BUTTERFLY VALLEY)

This valley is named after the hundreds of Jersey Tiger Moths that live in the limestone canyon every summer.  From the beach you can climb up the stunning waterfalls of the national park.  It’s a tough climb, with only a rope ladder in places, so take care.  But the waterfalls definitely make it all worthwhile, especially on a hot summers day.  Continue climbing up to the village at the top if you want to stay in one of the pensions there, or back down to the restaurant on the beach which has wooden platforms to sleep on.  Remember to check the times of the returning boats, and take some liquid supplies if you are planning to spend the night.

SAKLIKENT GORGE

This is a spectacular 18 km. gorge cut into the Akdaglar mountain. From the carpark, first you must walk along a wooden boardwalk towards the restaurant (built over the cascading water). If you are not tempted by the yummy gozleme (pancakes) or trout, you must wade across the river (you can rent plastic shoes if you are unprepared) and from this point, you begin your ascent up the gorge, clambering over the boulders. It’s relatively easy at first, getting gradually steeper and harder. The gorge is totally shaded, so makes a good destination on a boiling hot day. Remember to dress appropriately - you will get wet, and avoid taking big expensive unwaterproof cameras! Back at the carpark, there are more restaurants over the bridge with camping if you want to stay overnight. From Fethiye, take the direct Saklikent dolmus (1 hour) from the dolmus otogar.

KALKAN

This former Greek village inhabited by Ottoman Greeks was formally known as Kalamaki.  Now it is a pretty fishing village with narrow winding streets built on a hillside, overlooking the tiny bay.  Although it is lined with tourist shops and is a popular upmarket package holiday destination, it still retains more of its original charm than its neighbouring towns.  Ideal for a few quiet days, it does however lack a bit on budget accommodation and restaurants.  There is a nice small beach right next to the harbour where you can pass the day sunbathing and swimming or if you get too bored, there are a number of daily boat trips around the nearby bays.  It is an excellent area for snorkeling and swimming.

KAS

Another Greek populated town that was known as Andifli until 1923.  Its new name Kas means ‘eyebrow’ or ‘something carved’.  Although a pretty town with a fishing boats and yachts in the harbour it is now quite touristic but there are no beaches in Kas itself.  However it makes a good base to visit the nearby sites and coastal bays and there are many budget pensions and restaurants.  All backpackers recommend Smiles restaurant which sells some of the best food in Turkey (try the homous).  The ruins of ancient Antiphellos are scattered all around Kas.  Out of the town, 500m along Hastane Caddesi from the harbour mosque is the small but almost complete Hellenistic amphitheatre with 26 rows of seats still intact (now used occasionally for wrestling matches!)  At the top of the hill, 100m away is a unique Doric tomb also very well preserved and in the town is the Lion tomb with 2 burial chambers.

But if you are getting fed up of ancient tombs, Kas is considered the best place along the entire Turkish coastline for scuba diving as the sea here is the cleanest, the clearest and arguably has the best visibility and greatest variety of sea life.  There are a number of dive operators in the area offering full day, half day trips and certificate courses visiting tunnels, caves and even a World War II bomber wreck.

If you are not feeling so adventurous, it is an ideal place to take boat trips to visit either Patara, Kekova or the Greek island of Kastellorizo (Meis) (daytrip only).

You can take a direct bus from Fethiye to Kas which will take around 3½ hours.

OLYMPOS

This was yet another ancient Lycian city, presumably taking its name from Mount Olympos, thought to be present day Tahtali Dag, 16 km to the north - one of over 20 mountains with the name Olympos in the classical world.  It first appeared in history in 2nd century BC when it was striking its own coins in the manner of Lycians, although early history is shrouded in mystery.  The principal deity of Olympos was Hephaestos (Vulcan to the Romans) who was God of fire and blacksmiths.  Ruins of the temple dedicated to him can be found near the Chimera, he was considered to be a native of this area.  The city went into decline around 1st century BC, but improved with the Romans only to suffer pirate attacks in 3rd century.  After a middle age spell of Venetians, Genoese and Rhodians who left fortresses along the coast, the city was abandoned by 15th century.  The area is now a major destination with many ‘treehouses’ - simple wooden platforms and bungalows to stay in.

The walk from the treehouses will take you eventually to the beautiful uncrowded beach, walking parallel to the banks of the old stream.  The main ruins line the banks of this stream, scattered admidst the thick undergrowth and include extensive Byzantine Genoese fortifications overlooking the beach from each creek bank.  There are 2 harbour tombs, a quay wall, an arcaded warehouse and walls of a Byzantine church.  In the river itself is a well preserved pillar from a vanished bridge.  There is also a theatre, a Byzantine villa with mosaic floors and a mausoleum-style tomb.  Due to its position though, Olympos has avoided the general package mass, so there are no clear paths, and the ruins are difficult to spot but this all adds to its charm, retaining all the character of an undiscovered ruin.

North of Olympos, in the foothills of Tahtali Dag is the eternal flame of the Chimaera.  It is a cluster of spontaneous and inextinguishable flames out of cracks in the bare rocky hillside of Mount Olympos.  It’s not known what causes the blazing phenomenon of gas seeping from the earth but it is known that the fire has been burning since antiquity and inspired the local worship of Hephaistos (Vulcan).  In ancient times, they were much more vigorous, and could easily be seen at night by sailors.  The Chimaera is the name for the fire breathing monster with lion’s head and forelegs, a goat’s rear and a snake for a tail (which has been used for the logo of the Turkish filling station Petrol Ofisi).
 

 KÖYCEGIZ

This is a small pretty town on the northern edge of KÖYCEGIZ Gölü lake.  Apart from the lake, an excellent pension and a handful of restaurants, there is little else in this sleepy town. But there is however plenty to do.  If strolling along the lakeshore, or reading in one of the shady tea gardens sounds too dull and boring, you can take the pension bicycles for an outing.  A 7 km trip north (about 40 mins.) and a short hike will take you to the waterfall (you can alternatively take the dolmus).  The waterfall is an excellent place to cool down after the ride.  Great jumping possibilities for those daredevils!  If that sounds too energetic, take one of the daily boat excursions.  From the boat you can see the ancient ruins of Kaunos set high on a cliff overlooking Dalyan village.  Kaunos which dates back to 9th century BC became an important city and the ruins include tombs, parts of an acropolis and other structures (baths, a basilica, defensive walls). The people of Kaunos were said to be famous for their yellow skin and eyes as a result of malaria.  Between May and September, if you are lucky, you might spot a loggerhead turtle (caret caret) on Iztuzu beach, an excellent beach for swimming.  The turtles use the beach as a nesting site laying their eggs (up to 120) at night in the sand.

 At the thermal baths (Sultanate Kaplicalari) the hot mineral waters are rich in calcium, sulphur, iron, nitrates, potassium and other mineral salts and are said to be good for skin complaints.  Or get a mud body pack at the mud baths.  They are claimed to increase male potency and cure rheumatism and gynecological problems.

A short taxi ride from Köycegiz and you can visit Beyobasi village where there are 2 superb wooden platform restaurants built over the river.  Feast yourself on trout or roasted lamb.

 The Lycians were an independent-minded race of people believed to be of Cretan origin. They settled and defended the wide peninsula between present-day Fethiye and Antalya from around 1400 BC. They had their own unique language, still to be seen on inscriptions and still not yet fully understood, but the most remarkable feature that they left behind are the uniquely styled rock tombs that can be found all around the area.