Turkish Atlantis

Group gathering in Turkey, in the resort town of Kas. The nearest airport is Dalaman (3 hours by bus with a transfer to Fethiye), but you can fly to Antalya (4-5 hours by bus). We meet at a small guesthouse, get to know each other, complete some formalities and go to dinner at a nice restaurant. Kas is a small but very pleasant city with a beautiful promenade and marina. There are several Lycian tombs, the ruins of ancient Antiphellos and an amphitheater on the hill.

We leave all unnecessary things (large backpacks, suitcases, city clothes) for storage in Kasha, get kayaks and do a little training (safety precautions, rowing technique, movement order). Through a narrow crossing we carry the kayaks from the marina to the beach with the wonderful name Halk and finally go out to sea. The first goal is Liman Agzi Bay. We moor at the beach and see the Lycian necropolis of Sebeda. The tombs here are carved into steep cliffs directly above the water. Let's swim further. We go around several toes, trying not to get into Greek territorial waters. We take a break under palm trees in Ufakdere Bay. One more crossing and we are at our overnight stop - in Uzyum Bay. We set up tents in the olive garden and relax.

In the morning we store more water, because the next stop will most likely be without a source. We sail to the interesting T-shaped cape Yamaç Efe, at the base of which are the ruins of the ancient settlement of Aperlai. We wander among the Lycian tombs and fortress walls, admiring the colorful Purple House farm. After lunch, we sail around the cape and enter a huge strait fenced off from the sea by a chain of islands. We spend the night on one of these islands or, in case of a fit of enthusiasm, row to the village of Kaleuchaiz, where there is a decent store and restaurants.

The most interesting day of the hike. We continue to explore the large strait. On its banks there are numerous ancient ruins, including the remains of the sunken Lycian city of Kekova. We sail over them, make a stop to dive over the Turkish Atlantis. Then we cross the strait and land on shore at another ancient settlement (Simena), complete with a medieval fortress. We sail to the island of Aşırlı where the so-called Pirate Cave (Korsan Mağarası) is located. When the sea is calm, you can swim into this cave directly in kayaks. We stop for the night in a nearby bay.

The final chord of the sea kayak trip. We cross another bay of the Mediterranean Sea and land on Çayağzı beach. While we wait for the minibus (which will pick us up and the boats), we will go to the ruins of the ancient city of Andriake. On the way back to Kas we will stop in Demre and wander around the majestic amphitheater of ancient Myra of Lycia. We return to Kas, return the kayaks, pick up backpacks/suitcases from the storage room and go to a restaurant to celebrate the completion of the hike. Overnight at a hotel or campsite.

The tour is over, you can fly home or stay on the coast for a beach holiday. Well, or go on another hike in Turkey - along the fabulous Cappadocia, Lycian or Carian trail. Or continue sea kayaking, but in the Aegean Sea, on a hike around the Bozburun Peninsula.