After visiting our son and new daughter-in-law in Istanbul for about five days, we leave for the Lycian coast. Here we enjoy the beautiful nature. Read beautiful beaches, rugged rocks and the bright blue sea. Six days is far too short to discover all the beautiful places here, so we will definitely go back!
Kayakoy
We fly to Dalaman, on the coast. We rented a nice Airbnb in Kayakoy. It’s a quiet little town, in the neighbourhood of Fethye.
Levissi
The first day we take a walk from Levissi, the ghost village founded by the Greeks in the 18th century. They were forced to leave in the early 20th century. The village has been empty ever since. It is very quiet there.
From the village we walk through the forest towards Oludeniz. Just before this town we turn right and walk towards the coast. We have lunch and cool our feet at the Blue Lagoon. The last part of the walk runs along the coast through beautiful nature with stunning views of the sea. We end up back at Levissi after about 15 kilometers.
Saklikent Gorge
I have already come across this impressive gap on many websites. I am very curious. On the way there we are a bit afraid that it is a tourist trap and will be disappointing. As we drive through the village we are always beckoned by the owners of all kinds of restaurants, cafes and shops. It is the late season and very quiet. Of course they beckon us, because they could use some business.
Once at the gorge we pay 100 lira for the parking lot and a little less to enter. There are also some restaurants and stalls here, but the crowds are not too bad. You walk the first part via a balustrade that is attached to the rocks. I immediately think it is very beautiful! Then you come to a tea house where you can also rent water shoes for 100 lira.
You can then walk into the gorge via the river. The water is cold, but I don’t mind it. We are early and it is wonderfully quiet. We walk a long way into the gorge. Walking through the water, which usually flows ankle deep but also knee deep here and there. Occasionally clambering over the rocks. The steep walls on either side are impressive! The red rocks contrast beautifully against the bright blue sky. At the end there are some guides who are willing to take you further into the gorge for a fee. We turn around. On the way back we already notice that it is getting a bit busier,
Patara
We drive to Patara via the beautiful coastal road from Kayakoy, via Oludeniz and Karaagac. There are two parking lots here. The first to visit the ancient city, the second to go to the beach. The entrance fee is quite hefty (640 lira) but you actually get two for the price of one! Patara was an important port city and also the capital of Lycia. There are remains to be seen from the Lycian but also from the Hellinistic, Roman and Byzantine periods.
This includes a beautiful theater, the harbor street and several bathhouses. There is a lot of information on signs and you can follow the clear path to the harbor street. Then the path stops, while several buildings can still be seen. We continue along elephant paths and quickly lose our way in this vast area! We eventually get out through the bush, but it is a bit strange.
After the warm visit it is nice to go to the beach. This is a five-minute walk from the second car park. It is a beautiful and quiet beach where you can cool off.
We spend the night in Kas, on the Gumus peninsula.
Kapatas
A nice beach near Kas is Kapatas beach. It is a small beach right on the busy coastal road (which does not bother you). It is located in a cove. The water is incredibly deep here!
Dalyan
We spend the last days in Dalyan. This town is located in an extensive nature reserve. We have booked a super nice hotel here, the Crescent Park hotel. It is located outside Dalyan, on the road towards Iztuzu beach. It has spacious rooms, a beautiful garden with large swimming pool and the breakfasts are delicious!
There is plenty to do in Dalyan. You can go to Iztuzu beach by boat, you can visit the ancient city of Kaunos and there are mud baths. Iztuzu beach
We choose to first drive to the viewpoint. This turns out not to be completely accessible by car (rough gravel road), so we walk up the last part. We are rewarded with a beautiful view!
Iztuzustrand
Then we drive to the beach. The boats that leave from Dalyan end on the north side of the beach, we park on the south side. You can then visit the entire beach. We stop about halfway, where we also have a view of the nature reserve and the water behind the beach.
Here we enjoy the peace, the goats, the butterflies and lizards. At the end of the day there is a beautiful sunset over the area.
