Places to visit in Turkey

Blue Lagoon

Olu Deniz, is arguably the most photographed beach in the world. Otherwise known as The Blue Lagoon because it is an area of outstanding beauty. It is a popular tourist destination and has numerous facilities such as restaurants, shops, bars and the beach has shower, toilet and changing areas. The beach is free but the lagoon charges a very small entrance fee, but it is worth a day out.
The Blue Lagoon has calm, crystal clear waters which makes it ideal for a variety of water sports and a very safe place for children to swim. Part of the lagoon is now a protected area (and it's a national park).

Saklikent

High in the mountains above Fethiye, rushing torrents of icy cold water cut a narrow gorge through the mountains over thousands of years, creating Saklikent Gorge.

This is just a fantastic day out whether in the middle of the summer or when the weather is cooler. On the hottest August day you can wade through the icy cold waters in the gorge. You can make it a leisurely stroll or for the more adventurous walk and clamber over rocks and see how far you can get. Its terrific fun. Then have a lazy lunch at one of the restaurants with eating areas on stilts above the gushing water, where they serve delicious fresh trout and other local delicacies.. Then take a ride down the gorge on a giant rubber ring reaching the mud baths at the bottom. On cooler days Sakilkent is much quieter and the waters much higher making the walk through the gorge very exciting.

A natural wonder, the resulting canyon is 300 metres deep and 18 kilometres long and offers visitors one of the most breathtaking excursions in all of Turkey.

Saklikent Gorge has walls reaching a height of 300 metres and is navigateable for the first 18 kilometres. Saklikent in Turkish means "Hidden City"..

The walls are so high that they cut out most of the sunlight and the fresh spring waters that flow through are freezing cold!

For more information click here

Butterfly Valley

The Butterfly Valley near Fethiye is a hidden gem of Turkey's Turquoise Coast. Deep, steep and accessible only by boat or via the Lycian Way walking trail, it is a protected site because millions of butterflies - over 30 daytime species including the Jersey Tiger Moth and 40 nocturnal species - come here to breed between June and September.

Construction is prohibited, so come by boat, bring a tent and camp overnight or stay in the tree-houses provided to appreciate this natural phenomena for yourself. In addition to the clouds of butterflies fluttering by, there are also two small waterfalls to discover, providing a refreshingly cool shower after a hike through the secret valley.

Boats leave daily from Belcekiz Beach in Olu Deniz and the turquoise water of the little bay means swimming here is also delightful. There is a small restaurant in the valley where you can have lunch if you choose

Kaya Village

A few kilometres from Fethiye, climbing past the ancient fortress and rock tomb of King Amyntas, the pine trees give way to the bucolic landscape of the Kaya Village. Here a dwindling number of local families till the land and tend their animals. Some of the old Greek stone houses have been carefully restored to provide atmospheric and peaceful holiday homes. Visitors can walk, cycle or even horse-ride around the pathways and lanes of the valley, pausing at the simple teahouses, restaurants and general stores or continuing the few kilometres down to the Gemiler Beach.

This is a fascinating place to visit and can be combined with a lovely meal at one of the many good restaurants in the area.

Perhaps everyone's most vivid memory of Kaya Valley is the haunting choreography of the houses, shops and churches of the once thriving Greek town of Levissii.

Dalyan

Dalyan is a small village built along one side of the Dalyan river, close to the ancient site of Caunos. A group of spectacular Lycian tombs are carved into the cliff face onto the opposite side of the river.

Fish restaurants line the quayside at the centre of the village, while attractive hotels are built at the waterside on either side of the village. By night the waterside restaurants and bars come alive with music and laughter.

The pretty riverside village of Dalyan offers many diversions including impressive rock tombs, the atmospheric site of ancient Caunos and famous mud baths. Not least of its' attractions is the reed fringed delta along which wooden boats ferry visitors to the wide expanse of Iztuzu beach, made famous by the successful campaign to protect the eggs of the loggerhead turtle.

A full boat tour starts at the hot springs near Koycegiz Lake, and then follows a meandering course down the river through the thick reeds and bamboos towards Caunos. A system of gateways, constructed across the river, catch sea bass and grey mullet as they return to the sea after spawning in the lake.

Letoon and Xanthos

You will be amazed to see these ancient remains available for anyone to walk around and climb on -from ampitheatres and mosiacs still in tact.

Letoon was the sacred cult centre of Lycia and its most important sanctuary dedicated to the three national deities of Lycia - Leto and her twin children, Apollo and Artemis. Letoon was a shrine and not actually a city, though it did have a settlement surrounding it.

This was the spiritual heart of Lycia, its federal sanctuary and the place of national festivals. The features of Letoon include the remains of three temples, dedicated to one of Leto and her twins Artemis and Apollo, an agora, a nymphaeum and an amphitheatre.

Xanthos was the capital city of the Lycian Federation and its greatest city for most of Lycian history. It was made famous to the Western world in the 19th century by its British discoverer Charles Fellows. Xanthos is of great antiquity - finds date back to the 8th century B.C. but it is possible that the site may have existed during the Bronze Age or during the Iron Age.

Xanthos stands up atop an elevated area within Xanthos Valley with the Xanthos River flowing closely under the city's west side.

From this elevation one receives a supreme view of the valley surrounded by the spectacular Taurus mountains.
The ancient Lycian site of Xanthos lies a few kilometres south of Letoon, close to the village of Kinik.

On the road from Fethiye to Kalkan there is a sign post - a track leads off left up to the ruins.