DALYAN

Brief TV fame was brought to Dalyan in the late ‘80s by loggerhead turtles, or more accurately by David Bellamy and our own local celebrity Kaptan June, who still lives in Dalyan (read her books: Saving the Turtles and Breakfast with June), who led a world-wide campaign to halt proposed development on Dalyan’s pristine five miles Iztuzu Beach. The conservation battle was won and the whole Dalyan Delta turned into a wildlife sanctuary in order to preserve its unique flora, fauna and way of life. Dalyan has everything, an outstanding beach, fascinating wildlife, strong local traditions and the majestic remains of an ancient city.  (Also visited by Sting and Dustin Hoffman and many other celebrities).

The Dalyan delta is an area of immense natural beauty and has become one of Turkey's most treasured natural conservation areas. Flanked by imposing mountains and pine-clad hills, the river spreads out into tributaries which are teeming with local wildlife, a naturalists paradise. Dalyan is located on the river, between Koycegiz Lake, where there are hot springs and natural mud baths the waters of which have healing properties, and delta, where the river meanders out to the Mediterranean. 

The river and tributaries lead out to the stunning sand bank, known as Ìztuzu Beach, home to the famous loggerhead turtles. To travel across to the beach by water taxi takes 40 minutes or 25 minutes by 'dolmus' (public mini-bus). Regulations have prohibited building on the sandbank so all hotels and apartments are located in the village. 

As the beach is a short distance away, Dalyan is a quiet, peaceful resort, if you like the type of resort where there are hotels on the beach and loud karaoke bars, this is not the place for you. However there are a few discos for those of you who are night owls in addition to mouth watering restaurants, some of which line the riverbank, and the village has a smattering of local bars, souvenir shops and cafes. 

For more information read Turkey in a Snapshop and FAQ.

EXCURSIONS 

To give you a taster of what’s on offer, below is a sample of excursions arranged for a recent group. There are many other excursions but these are the ones we highly recommend, in addition there are walking trips but these are usually early/late in the season depending on the temperature. These walks are perfect for those who want to see typical Turkish life, away from the tourists, ideal for aromatherapists (chamomile, calendula, geranium to name but a few can be found), birdwatchers and photographers. 

IZTUZU/TURTLE BEACH

Iztuzu beach can be reached by local bus, approx 20 minutes over the mountain with spectacular views – this will cost about £3.00 return. Alternatively go to the other end (named Turtle beach) via a ‘water taxi’ (large flat bottomed boat) and sail down the river for about 40 minutes for the same price. If you are lucky you may even see a turtle or some of the local birds – kingfishers, storks and purple herons to name but a few. You can walk from one end to the other in 45 minutes.  

BOAT TRIPS

from Dalyan harbour you can use the public co-operative boats for their regular trips or hire a private boat. Some trips sail out to sea (visiting other bays and beaches), or up to lake Koycegiz. This lake is over 12km long, with its beautifully clear and cool waters is well worth a visit, if only to take a dip and cool down. You have the option of the mud baths & hot springs (Sting and Dustin Hoffman have been photographed here when they visited to show their support for the region) with a BBQ on a small-secluded beach, or the Garden of Eden where you can dine in traditional tree houses and relax afterwards in one of the many hammocks. 

MOONLIGHT CRUISE

Similar to the above but commencing early evening. The night sky in Turkey is spectacular, this is one not to be missed. Telescopes and charts showing the constellations will be available, in addition to printouts displaying the stars on display that night – compare it to previous ones and see how it changes during the season. 

12 ISLAND CRUISE

A private bus takes you on a 30 minute journey over the mountain to Goçek a premier sailing port with many fine yachts and seafront restaurants, the gateway for the 12 island cruises. During this excursion the boat stops at 5 different bays for a swim, Cleopatra’s baths, the remains of a lighthouse under the sea on which you can stand in the middle of the water and a bbq. We usually do this trip every week, which should give you an indication as to how wonderful we think this cruise, is. 

JEEP SAFARI

There  are a variety of jeep safaris that you can choose from. We did our own private trip in 2003 where we travelled around the vast Koycegiz lake to reach the mountains on the other side of the river from Dalyan. Our guests learned how the African slaves were brought to the region and what happened when they gained their freedom – you will see their influence enroute ie basket woven and mud brick houses. Lunch is usually served at a traditional Turkish restaurant or even a Turkish person’s own home.  

After lunch we saw olives being pressed to obtain olive oil – either by the belt driven pulleys and rollers or the more modern electric motor system.  Then we continued to climb the mountains where you will can see some spectacular views of Turtle beach, the Mediterranean, Dalyan village, snow capped mountains in the distance and the surrounding towns.  Then we descended to another beautiful secluded bay, mainly reached by boat.  We will stayed there for at least an hour to sunbathe or swim before we return to Dalyan using a more direct route. 

CAUNOS

The original harbour of Dalyan, which served as a major port for the Roman army. Over the last 1,500 years it has silted up creating a fresh water delta on which Dalyan now survives. There are many interesting Roman ruins here eg amphitheatre, library and church. The Rocks tombs are enroute to Caunos so if you feel you have enough energy you can climb these too, alternatively you can visit another day taking the small rowing boat across the river which costs approx 2 pounds. 

SURROUNDING AREAS: OLU DENIZ, HISARONU & FETHIYE

We can hire a car to take us to this part of Turkey (approximately 1hr away), stopping to take pictures of views such as the one on the left. We will visit the lagoon at Olu Deniz, one of the most photographed beaches in Turkey, Olu Deniz means 'dead' or 'calm sea' in Turkish - there are hardly any waves in the sea but it’s even more sheltered behind the bay in the lagoon and there. We can then take you through the ‘Ghost Village’ - where the Greeks lived until they were ousted in the 1920’s – and continue meandering down the road to a beautiful bay overlooking St Nicholas Island (did you know Santa came from Turkey?). As you can see from the view of the bay (taken from the island) most visitors arrive via boat. It still looks beautiful even on a dull day

ANCIENT HISTORICAL SITES

Turkey is thought of as the centre of ancient civilisation briding Europe with Asia.  Ephesus is a truly stunning ancient city approx 3 hours from Dalyan, near the tourist resorts of Kusadasi and Bodrum.  Pamukkale is spectacular, it looks like a ski resort when you approach the lime covering hillside with hot springs that have created natural spa pools.  Tour companies arrange tours to both of these sites and each is surrounded by many other ancient treasures such as St John's castle, St Luke's Tomb, St Mary's Church, the ancient ruins of Aphrodisia and much, much more.

THE GHOST VILLAGE - KAYKOY

This is a must on your excursion list, a visit that can be enhanced by reading Birds Without Wings (see below to order your copy from Amazon) which will give you a good insight into what life was like for the Greeks and Turks living together in the village.  In 1923 they were forced to separate (Greeks had to go back to Greece - even though many were born here and felt like they were Turks, albeit they spoke Greek) and Turkish people living in Greece had to come back to Turkey but strangely none took advantage of the empty homes that had to be abandoned (mainly due to superstitions).  It's a fascinating place to visit, somewhere you might want to visit several times to really get the feel of it plus it's not too far from Gemiler Beach (opposite St Nicholas Island), just over the mountain from Fethiye harbourside and quite near to Olu Deniz too.

To learn more search on google for the following article:

Abandoned Kayaköy a symbol of war's painful consequences

JANE AKATAY - FETHİYE, Muğla – Hürriyet News Agency

REASONS TO HOLIDAY IN TURKEY

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