Beaches

Iztuzu Beach is a long beach seperated from Dalyan by the reed beds that are along the river feeding into the sea from Koycegiz Lake. It is world famous as one of the rare breeding grounds for loggerhead sea turtles. (Caretta caretta) The greatest threat to the survival of the loggerhead sea turtle is on these sandy beaches where its life begins, which has triggered an international conservation effort that began in the 1990s. The effort to protect loggerhead sea turtle eggs and to assure a safe breeding ground for this endangered species has made international headlines. June Haimoff is an English environmentalist who settled in Dalyan after her retirement and launched a successful campaign for the conservation of loggerhead sea turtles. She realized that the sea turtles unique to the locality were lethally menaced by the buildings that were starting to rise like mushrooms on the beach with the development of tourism. Since then, she dedicated her efforts to assure conservation of the site as well as attracting international attention to the fate of the turtles. She relates the struggle and the victory for the preservation of these species in her book titled Kaptan June and the Turtles published in 1997.

Asi Beach

Asi Bay is located just south of Dalyan. Day trips on boats out of Dalyan offer a day on the beach along with a barbarque. The bay has many caverns and caves, and an island where fish gather. It is a popular lay-over point for private and charter yachts plying the coastline. Asi Beach has a restaurant on the beach where you can order meals and drinks. It can also be accessed from Dalyan and this is usually by booking a jeep tour.

Bakardi Beach

Bakardi Bay is just south of Asi Bay between Dalyan and Sarigerme. Above the rough mountains of Gokbel and within a 45 minute walk your are on the deserted Bacardi beach. A very queit and very secluded beach more for nature lovers than sun-bathers who wish to lie on a beach chair in the sun. The clear aquamarine blue water is certainly inviting for those who would like to swim or snorkel.

Boat Tours

Bakardi Beach is a paradise for people who love nature. Swimming and snorkelling in the clean seawater of Bacardi Bay. You can collect lots of things under the water. You can swim with the fish. And the best part of the trip is Captain Ali’s famous barbeque prepared with his lovely wife Susan. Its lush meal with lots of spices. You should try their tours before you leave. You will never ever regret from their boat trips.

Ekincik Bay

Ekincik Bay is an excellent place to relax and take a break for swimming and sunbathing. After that you'll go to the underwater caves which is a really interesting place to go snorkeling. You will be awed at the fantastic beauty of these under water caves. You will also be able to enjoy a traditional Turkish barbeque on the beach during this tour as well. With a return to Dalyan at about 5 pm in the afternoon, it makes for a great day in the sun.

Moonlight Cruise by boat Moonlight Cruise Tour

When the full moon arises in the sky and the cliffs where the ancient Lykian Kings have been buried in their tombs for thousands of years you will board a boat at the river. The tour starts at about 8 pm at night from the harbour and cruises along the riverbed towards Koycegiz Lake. A Turkish Barbeque is provided on board and you can swim by the boat or dance and drink through the night to music. The cruise finishes around midnight but that's about the time the nightlife is really getting going in Dalyan.

Koycegiz Market Boat Trip

The Koycegiz Market boat trip travels across the lake to Koycegiz. Old Koycegiz was once a thriving town on the south coast of Turkey. The original Koycegiz was owned by the Selcuk people before the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. The people of Selcuk known as the 'Mentese Ogullari' were a very rich and owned land covering the area from Iztuzu Beach to the other side of the present Koycegiz. The end came for this thriving people when an earthquake filled the valleys to create what is now Lake Koycegiz. Only half of the old town still exists. This area is now protected and the original descendants of the ''Mentese Ogullari'' occupy the dwellings. Koycegiz Market boat trip travels on Lake Koycegiz over the area where half of Old Koycegiz once was. When you arrive in Koycegiz there is time to walk to the Pazar and shop with the locals that come here every Monday for the weekly market. A couple of hours later the boat leaves and goes back towards Dalyan with a stop at the Mud Baths and an onboard barbeque lunch before returning to the boat jetty at about 5 pm in the afternoon.

Sultaniye Boat Trip

The Sultaniye boat trip takes you to scenic Koycegiz Lake, located near Dalaman International Airport and within a convenient distance of both Fethiye and Marmaris, but closest to Dalyan, is well known for its natural hot springs and mud baths. The waters of Sultaniye are good for both bathing and drinking. The treatment consists of covering the body with a layer of mud and then soaking in the hot mineral water. You will spend hours at the Sultaniye mud baths, swim in Koycegiz Lake and enjoy a Turkish Barbeque on the boat.

Jeep Tours

Jeep Tours on the south coast of Turkey are always spectacular. During a one day jeep safari you will make stops for swimming in Koycegiz Lake which is a clear fresh 12 kilometer long lake, stroll through an ancient amber forest whose trees provide oil for cosmetic annd medical purposes, visit a clear water spring which is the source of a local river, have lunch in Yuvarlakcay at a restaurant built out of wood over the top of a river, or enjoy a barbeque on Asi Beach. Stop by a typical Turkish family's house for tea, and in the late afternoon visit a secluded Asi Beach in the rough mountains behind Dalyan, look from a mountain peak overlooking Dalyan, the delta 560 meters above sea level. In between these stops you'll splash through numerous rivers and drive along some beautiful remote tracks. By days end you'll have seen the more remote regions only reachable by jeep, explored little known areas, and deserted places of spectacular natural beauty. You'll leave early in the morning and be back to Dalyan by late in the afternoon. Wear old clothes; t-shirt, shorts, and sport shoes. Bring along a lightweight jacket or sweater, sun lotion, and sunglasses. Expect to be back in Dalyan for a much needed nap before getting ready to go out for the evening.

Mudbaths

The waters of Sultaniye are good for both bathing and drinking. The treatment consists of covering the body with a layer of mud and then soaking in the hot mineral water. You will spend hours at the Sultaniye mud baths, swim in Koycegiz Lake and enjoy a Turkish Barbeque on the boat. The lake narrows into a channel, flowing into the Dalyan River which empties into the Mediterranean at one of Turkey's most spectacular beaches, lztuzu, which is also the breeding ground of the Caretta caretta sea turtle. The reed-lined river meanders toward the sea, overlooked by 4th-century B.C. Lycian rock tombs. Nearby are the ruins of the ancient city of Caunos. On the asphalt road to Velibey is the ancient settlement now at Sultaniye, also a thermal center used for centuries, and site of numerous ruins. Situated next to a natural channel between Koycegiz Lake and the Mediterranean Sea, the Riza Cavus Thermal Baths form a water pool and a mud pond, with a flow rate of about 8 liters per second. The mud and mineral baths can accommodate 1,000 people per day. At a second spring is Velibey Thermal Baths, 1.5 km north of Riza Cavus that has similar qualities and a flow rate of 20 liters per second. The waters of Sultaniye are good for both bathing and drinking. They flow at a rate of 42 liters per second, resulting in a bath capacity of 10,000 baths per day.

Trekking

The Lycian Way is a 509 km way-marked footpath around the coast of Lycia in southern Turkey, from Fethiye to Antalya. The route is graded medium to hard; it is not level walking, but has many ascents and descents as it approaches and veers away from the sea. It is easier at the start near Fethiye and gets more difficult as it progresses. We recommend walking the route in spring or autumn; February-May or September-November; summer in Lycia is hot, although you could walk short, shady sections. The route is mainly over footpaths and mule trails; it is mostly over limestone and often hard and stony underfoot.

On the first part of the route, and in Patara, Kalkan, Kas, Myra, Finike, Adrasan, Olympos, Cirali and Tekirova, you can stay in pensions or small hotels. On other nights, you may stay in a village house, or camp out. There are plenty of camping places with nearby water mentioned in the book; you do not have to ask permission to camp out.

St Paul Trail

The St Paul Trail is a way-marked footpath from Perge, 10 km E of Antalya, to Yalvac, NE of Lake Egirdir. There is a second branch starting at Aspendos, 40km E of Antalya and joining the first route at the Roman site of Adada. The route totals about 500km. This project partly follows the route walked by St Paul on his first missionary journey in Asia Minor. It's a wilder route than the Lycian Way, starting at sea level and climbing up to 2200m, with two optional peaks at around 2800m. At the moment there are no signposts on the route but the way-marking is complete. There are also no way-marks on paths through cultural sites.