Welcome to your Blue Voyage Experience with Guletix.
Our team will meet you and your group at this spot upon your arrival to the harbor.
Depending on your time of arrival, we will directly take you to your Gulet and hold a short welcome meeting or alternatively give free time to sit back, relax and dust off your travel-heaviness. You may also take your time to explore the city and the harbor before you start off your holiday at the seas.
Crystal clear swimming waters, surrounded by sweet gum and pine trees and perfumed by the sea, giving its distinct Turkish feel. The town is crowned by a castle and lined with wood-hulled yachts.
Located on Turkey’s south-western coast, this seaside pearl was once a fishing and sponge diving village that transformed into a modern-day touristic destination over the last 40 years, and today Marmaris draws visitors from all over the world.
The visitors of this trendy town are captivated by its natural beauty, warm and friendly locals, and hospitable culture. They keep coming back year after year, and they pass their passion for this town on to the next generations.
While some of the visitors are enjoying the sunshine on small yet charming beaches with warm shallow waters or a daily excursion exploring the region and visiting the ancient sites, the other half are on a treasure hunt and drawn to the local bazaar which is brimming with souvenirs, "genuine fake" designer duds, bags and shoes perfect for gifts, experiencing the soft buzzing sound of haggling on the streets as they walk by.
Marmaris has a lot more to offer as it is also possible to see a different lifestyle. By taking a stroll along the harbor and you can admire the million-dollar yachts that undulate in their moorings.
Having the biggest harbor in the region makes Marmaris also famous for its yacht marinas, which is a major center for blue cruise and gulet holidays, as well as luxury yacht charters. As the town has a perfect location for the yachts to access easily to secluded coves, bays, and beaches, which makes it a starting point for weekly Blue Cruise Holidays.
Paradise Island
Paradise island, also known as Heaven Island is located opposite of Marmaris city center, by the entrance of Marmaris Bay and acts as a breakwater. The island is connected with the mainland by a neck known as the Fake Strait (Turkish: Yalancı Boğaz) and in a distance of 3 sea miles from Marmaris harbor or 20 km from the land.
Yalanci Boğaz (Fake Strait)
The island is connected to Marmaris by a natural earthbank and when viewed from Marmaris, the set does not appear, giving it a look of a strait. Therefore called by the locals as ‘The fake or false Strait’.
Nimara Cave
Nimara Cave, situated on the island, has become a popular tourist attraction over the years when the archeologists discovered artifacts dating back to the Paleolithic Age and the Bronze Age. They also found remnants of city walls, watchtower and ancient houses. Scientists have discovered new evidence proving that the Paradise island was inhabited by early hunter gatherer humans at least 12000 years ago.
The remnants are located at the highest point of the island. The island also has a wide variety of endemic plants and wild life as Nimara Cave is home to ‘Trogloxene Butterflies’, similar to those found in Fethiye's Butterfly Valley.
Kumlubuk Bay
Kumlubük also known as Amos is a crescent moon shaped large bay on south of Asarcik Point, named after its sandy beach, meaning ‘Sandy Bay’ in Turkish. The bay is surrounded by thickly wooded mountains and features one of the longest shores of the peninsula with golden sand bank. The beach scarcely looks crowded even during the high seasons with its widely stretching shore.
Amos Cove
Hidden between the resorts of Turunc and Kumlubuk, Amos is a small cove tucked between two headlands. It's a bit rough and ready and the pebbles are scattered with ancient wooden loungers, but there is an unspoilt beauty that makes a stark contrast to the bling and bright lights of Marmaris, which lies across the bay. Amos was once a sizeable Roman settlement and there are some remains, including a small amphitheatre with breathtaking views.
Kumlubük and Amos Cove are the most visited spots of daily boat trips from Marmaris as they drop anchor for a swimming break.
There are several restaurants with piers along the coast and some of these restaurants offer exclusive services and watersport activities.
Amos Ancient City
Amos means "temple of mother goddess" in Hellenic language and most of the present-day remains of the ancient city dates back to the 5th and 2nd Centuries BC, the Hellenistic era. Amos is located on Asarcik Hill, 25 km away from Marmaris center, above the Kumlubük Bay to the northwest.
Although very little remained from the ancient city and not famous as its equivalents, it was one of the most important port cities of its time.
The remnants of the ancient city are comprised of an amphitheater, a temple, and statue pedestals and surrounded by ramparts. The amphitheater is in good shape, with its seating area, sidewalls, and stage with three chambers. The necropolis of the ancient city is located uphill outside of the city.
Inscriptions found on-site during the excavations revealed three rental contracts and they are considered to date back to 200BC.
As every city in ancient Greece the city is built on a hilltop as it was easier to defend high ground than it was low ground. They could see the enemy coming and take shelter in the buildings built high above the city. Taking a hike to Amos can be rewarding with its spectacular scenery and impressive view of the bay as it is approximately half an hour trip uphill on foot.
Kadırga Bay is one of the favored spots of daily boat trips from Marmaris for their swimming breaks and anchorage point of Blue Voyage Gulets. The bay is surrounded by small cliff like rock formations which provides shelter from sea breeze and southwest winds and crowned by a lighthouse at the tip of the cliff.
Kadırga Bay has three small inlets and the coast is covered with bushes and scattered olive groves. The beach features a shingle beach and there are no habitations apart from the house of the lighthouse keeper. The water is very clean and clear as many Scuba Diving Schools anchor for their teaching sessions in the shallow waters.
The history of the bay remains unknown but it is considered to be a small fishing port and also an ideal hideout location for pirate ships in the 17th Century just as any other bays and coves along the southern coast of Turkey.
Ekincik Bay
Ekincik Bay has a long stretch of sandy beach with a beautiful backdrop of lush green pine trees and home to many caverns and caves.
Located on the north shore of Port Köyceğiz. Wild, steep wooded slopes surround the bay. It is one of the most eye-catching and scenic bays in the region.
Ekincik harbor is a port of call for cruising yachts and gulets with its close location to the famous town of Dalyan with its Turtle Beach, Mud baths, the ancient city of Kaunos, and the rock tombs.
For many years now, the locals of Ekincik offer transportation to Dalyan with their small riverboats, and the sight of those riverboats carrying visitors back and forth one after another is definitely worth seeing.
Dalyan Caunos & Turtle Beach (Optional Excursion)
Famous Caretta Caretta Turtle Beach, Natural Sulphur Springs and Mud Baths, and Marvelous Carian Rock Tombs meet in Dalyan Town.
After arriving in Dalyan, Riverboats take an exciting trip along the delta’s tangle of channels.
The first stop is at the natural springs. After a short swim in the Sulphur pool and covering yourself head to toe in mud rejuvenate the skin. The trick is letting the mud dry under the sun for a few minutes.
The second stop is at the impressive view of the rock tombs carved into the cliffs, looking over the ancient Carian city of Kaunos.
Finally, the trip makes a pause at Turtle Beach at the mouth of the river, where you can while away an hour or two sunbathing and swimming.
Iztuzu Beach is a 1,5 km long narrow spit of land and one of the main breeding grounds for loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the Mediterranean and is therefore often referred to as Turtle Beach. The loggerhead turtles are endangered species and come to nest in the sandy beach and can be often spotted swimming in the water.
Dalyan
Dalyan is a small and pretty holiday resort, located between Marmaris and Fethiye on the southwest coast of Turkey, with a population of 5,000.
The entire town center is settled along the Dalyan River, on the shores of the fjord-like natural channel that connects the lake of Köyceğiz to the sea.
The symbols of the town, riverboats are all lined up along the Dalyan channel and the center is crowned with a turtle (Caretta Caretta) statue.
The famous Carian Rock Tombs or also called ‘Temple Tombs’ are visible across the town center and illuminated with spotlights in the evenings. The view of the tombs is stunning.
The Ancient City of Kaunos and The Rock Tombs
The Carians were the ancient inhabitants of Caria in southwest Anatolia. Even though it is not clear when the Carians enter into history, it is believed to be founded around the 9th Century BC as the oldest find at the Kaunos archeological site is the neck of a Protogeometric amphora dating back to the 9th century BC or even earlier.
According to the father of history Herodotus, the people of Kaunos were the natives of Caria who considered themselves Cretans.
Dating back to 3,400 BC. The ruins of the ancient city of Kaunos also feature traces of some of the first people that lived in Anatolia. In a glimpse, you can spot traces of Persian, Assyrian, Carian, Greek, and Ottomans in the ancient city.
Merchant ships between the Mediterranean and the Aegean made Kaunos a major port city. Most commodities were salt, salted fish, slaves, and timber used in the construction of boats at the time. However, the city lost its strategic role when the alluvial sands filled the harbor.
In the 16th Century AD, the malaria epidemic raged, causing the total desertification of Kaunos.
In 1842, archaeologists discovered the ruins of Kaunos and found a well-preserved amphitheater and church/temple ruins in the excavations.
A total of 167 rock tombs were found in the ancient city area and the Rock Tombs carved into the hills overlooking the river and the city, are the largest of them all. Tombs dating back to the 4th Century BC and were also used during the Roman period later.
The definition of the temple tomb comes from the fact that the tombs on the slopes resemble temples, but inside there are only tomb chambers. Thus, they are more tombs than a temple.
Usually, in every tomb, there are 3 stone platforms for the deceased and his family. However in larger tomb chambers, the deceased could be buried with their servants as well.
The Rock Tombs are about 2500 years old and they are built from top to bottom. The construction of the largest temple tombs took several years.
The Carians believed in life after death and they put coins on the eyes of the deceased, to help them in the afterworld. They believed that they had to cross the ‘Styx River’ into the underworld and they had to pay ‘The Ferryman Charon’ to transport the souls of the newly dead across this river.
The Myth of Kaunos
Legend has it, Kaunos was founded by King Kaunos, son of the Carian King Miletus and Kyane, and grandson of Apollo. Kaunos had a twin sister by the name of Byblis who developed a deep, unsisterly love for him. When she wrote her brother a love letter, telling him about her feelings, he decided to flee with some of his followers to settle elsewhere. His twin sister became mad with sorrow, started looking for him, and committed suicide. Mythology says that the Calbys river emerged from her tears.
İztuzu Beach (Turtle Beach)
There are only a few places left in the world where sea turtles still thrive and İztuzu Beach is one of them, offering a valuable nesting ground to two of the world’s 8 species of sea turtles.
It is one of the main breeding grounds for loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta Caretta) in the Mediterranean and is therefore often referred to as Turtle Beach.
İztuzu is estimated to have 520 nests and 40,000 baby sea turtles are expected to hatch on the beach each year.
The beach also acts as a breakwater and separates the salty seawater from the freshwater of the Dalyan River.
Caretta Caretta Turtles
Sea turtles have been swimming in the world’s oceans for 65 million years, since the time of the dinosaurs. It may be surprising that these animals could be endangered after existing for so long on earth, but it is true.
There are a total of eight species of sea turtles from all over the world and two of these species visit the coasts of Turkey.
One of those two species is Caretta Caretta, and the other one is Green Tortoise.
Caretta Turtles are 90 cm in diameter and weigh about 150kg as an adult. The largest weighed Caretta turtle weighed up to over 450kg.
Green turtle diameter of about one and a half meters and adults weigh up to 200kg.
While the Caretta shell is reddish-brown and the skin slightly yellowish, the Green Turtle takes its name from the greenish color of its shell.
While Caretta Turtles can dive up to 200 meters in depth, the green turtles can dive only about 20 meters.
Carettas are carnivores and eat crabs and jellyfish. The green turtles are herbivores and mainly eat seaweed, grass, etc.
Unlike other turtle species, the Carettas cannot retreat their heads inside the shell as they have big heads and thick necks.
Although sea turtles live their entire lives in the ocean, they lay their eggs in a nest on the beach.
The females will always nest two or three times annually. The nesting period lasts from May to the end of September each year.
The females come ashore and lay their eggs in the sand. After the sea turtle reaches an area well above the high tide line, she begins to throw sand around to create a pit. She begins to dig a hole about 90cm deep with her rear flippers. The hole doesn’t just protect the eggs from predators. The sex of the baby turtles is a function of the incubation temperature. A shallow nest baking in the sun will be too warm and all babies will female. A deep one will be too cold and the babies will be male. Digging to the right depth ensures a good mix of males and females. After digging the pit, she begins to lay as many as 100 squishy eggs about the size of ping pong balls into the nest. In two months, these eggs will hatch and the baby sea turtles will emerge. After the female finishes laying eggs, she carefully fills in the hole and cleverly disguises the exact location of the nest by flinging some sand around and creating blurry patterns.
Two months later, newly hatched sea turtles race to the sea. Each baby turtle must rush past a gauntlet of predators from land, sea, and sky to reach to open ocean.
However, the predators are not the only danger, the hatchlings are born at night and if they do not reach the sea before the sunrise, their soft baby shells can scorch in the hot sun.
From all this ordeal, one out of every 1,000 will reach adulthood. If they survive after a long and perilous journey, Caretta Turtles may go on to live over a hundred years.
Carettas have an efficient and powerful navigation system. The hatchlings rush to the sea almost instinctively, relying on orientation cues around such as the position of the moon or stars, odors, wind direction, and light reflections on the sea surface. Adult females swim long distances at the sea, but to nest, they always return to the same beach where they were born.
White Storks
Dalyan is also home and nesting area for large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills, called Storks.
Arriving every year in March, storks build their nests in high places such as roofs and high poles, and those nests are easily sited in the area. Their nests are often very large and may be used for many years. Some nests have been known to grow over two meters in diameter and about three meters in depth.
After nesting for half a year, they emigrate back to the south for the winter with their hatchlings.
The storks are carnivorous, taking a range of reptiles, small mammals, insects, fish, amphibians, and other small invertebrates.
Aga Port
Aga Port is a charming and secluded bay, located on the Gulf of Göcek in the north of Cape Kurtoğlu. This rustic and peaceful cove features two bays, named Büyük (Big) and Küçük (Small).
The twin bays of Aga Port act as a network port for cruising yachts and gulets and feature an extremely clean and clear sea due to an underwater spring near the beach which feeds freshwater to the bay. Consequently, the water is cooler than anywhere else in the area.
The stunning views of rocky slopes, pine trees, and famous Mount Babadağ are the highlights of the journey.
Aga Port is a generous place with things to see and do, offering various options. Visitors can either while away fishing, swimming ashore, and sunbathing on a small white sandy beach or alternatively, taking a hike up the slopes will be rewarding with an amazing view of the entire cove and the nearby ancient ruins.
Hiker’s Trail to Ancient Lydai (Lydae) at Aga Port
Hikers will enjoy ascending the invigorating trek uphill with loose stones from the water's edge to a bowl-shaped plateau just above Ağa Limanı. The hike is only about a kilometer long and it takes between 20 and 30 minutes at a steady pace to reach the top.
It will be advisable to make the climb with walking sandals, shoes, or boots as flip-flops will not be suitable.
The Ancient City of Lydai (Lydae)
Even though very little is known about this mysterious settlement high above Aga port, It has a far-off location and only accessible by the sea from Aga Limanı or on foot from Hamam or Martılı Bays in the Göcek Islands region.
Once the visitors reach the top, they find themselves in a plateau shaped like a bowl and in a field of a farm that replaced once a prosperous city.
As in every ancient Greek town, the center is settled around an agora and nearby theatre. However, the locations of those remains can only be recognized or visualized by keen eyes or specialists.
Once an important border city between Caria and Lycia, Lydai was a town of ancient Caria and its name appears in different versions in the documents of ancient authors.
The ruins from Roman and Byzantine-era spread around 800 hectares, most of which are tombs and mausoleums dating back to the early 2nd Century AD. The mausoleums, built with an upper temple area and a lower room for graves, display decorations and inscriptions that emphasize the city's wealth and importance during the Roman period.
Ancient water cisterns can be also spotted which are still in use by the locals to water the fields.
Path to Hamam Bay from Aga Port
For Hiking aficionados, Aga Port continues past the ancient city of Lydai to Hamam Bay with a three-hour trail walk full of sweet scents of thyme, eucalyptus, pine, and oleander in the air.
Tersane Island was once a Greek settlement called Telandri. With the Population Exchange in 1923, the Greeks in Telandri were settled on the island of Greek Populated Southern part of Cyprus and now fruit orchards surround the ruins of about 140 old stone houses, churches, and tombs. One of the most significant ruins is the Byzantine-era church built in Tersane Bay, located on the northwest end of the island.
However, nowadays the island is almost uninhabited, apart from cows and goats and a few people who tend to them, and home to a small rustic restaurant catering to people on small sailboats and motor yachts who moor in the bay.
Tersane Island is the largest island in the bay and a stopover spot for daily boat trips as well as Yachts and Gulets on Blue Voyage. The bay offers a great anchorage spot for visitors who enjoys hiking, climbing up steep slopes, or exploring historic ruins.
Domuz Island, meaning literally ‘Pig Island’ in the Turkish language, named after wild boars that once occupied the island. Even though the boars are long gone, the name remained.
During the Ottoman era, the island was purchased by Abbas II, an Ottoman viceroy of Egypt. Today, the island is a private property, belonging to one of the well-known Turkish family.
The island is surrounded by hills covered with olive orchards and pine woods and it is one of the popular spots for daily boat trips in the gulf with its clear waters that mirror the landscape on sunny days.
Merdivenli Bay, meaning ‘stepladder’ or ‘stairway’ in the Turkish language, is named after a large natural cave with steps carved into the rock just off the beach. Visiting boats, yachts and gulets drop anchor by the mouth of the bay as the beach is only accessible by the sea.
The scenery is magnetic with its caves, canyon walls, deep blue waters, and green nature.
Just like seeking out an isolated settlement in the wilderness, relatively a short hike uphill from the beach leads to a small farming village with a small community. There is a small mosque in the village. On Friday afternoons, when local men attend mosque for their weekly prayers, the small beach at Merdivenli Bay is swarmed with dinghies.
Binlik Bay is one of the hidden gems in the gulf of Göcek that everyone knows about and one of the most visited spots of cruising yachts and gulets as the bay provides a safe anchorage spot with its deep and crystal clear waters. However, this is not the only reason for a stopover. The bay offers a feast for the eyes with its pine and olive trees seemingly driven to the sea and isolated feel with its secluded location.
This pretty little cove is named after the restaurant ashore and very popular among the yachting community in midsummer.
Hamam Bay
This beautiful bay is called by many names with its abundance of Greco-Roman ancient ruins and legends. However, the area is best known for its ancient bathhouse, rumored to be a wedding gift for Cleopatra, the Last Queen of Egypt on her marriage to Marc Antony along with fine-grained sands brought from Egypt to the area.
Hamam Bay, meaning ‘Bath or Bath House’ in the Turkish language, is named after the ruins of an ancient bath located in the southwest corner of the bay and it is one of the most popular cruise destinations in the Göcek Islands.
The bay is also known as ‘Wall Bay’ or ‘Monastery Bay’, referring to the ruins of a Roman-era stone wall and partially-submerged ruins of a Byzantine-era monastery located in the northwest part of the bay.
The bay features blue-green waters, surrounded by pine trees, and also hosts a crater lake. The sunset here is also quite romantic should you stick around long enough to see it.
Today, the site attracts crowds and is on the route of every daily boat trip from Göcek harbor.
As a result, it can get packed at mid-day as visitors explore the ruins and dive from the ancient stone walls or hike following a 1.5-hour trail from the bay that leads to Lydai (Lydae) Ancient City.
The Harbor Baths
The baths at the harbors of port cities were built specifically for one reason only; the protection of public health.
Trade in the Oceans has been a key factor in East-West exchanges throughout history. Long-distance trade in ships made it a dynamic zone of interaction between peoples, cultures, and civilizations stretching from Southeast to East and southeast Africa and East Mediterranean in the West in prehistoric and early historic periods. However, trade overseas also introduced an invisible enemy and exchanged something mysterious and unknown to humankind, diseases.
Merchant seamen traveled long distances and brought many diseases with them. Therefore, they needed to be cleaned and decontaminated as much as possible.
As a solution, the Romans built baths at the harbors and the seafarers were required to visit those bathhouses before they were allowed in the towns.
Additionally, Romans went further and also built brothels at the harbors right next to the baths in the order to protect women and children from the pirates.
Baths in Ancient Greece and Antient Rome
The oldest way of sanitation and personal and public hygiene, Bathing was a custom introduced from Greece towards the end of the 3rd century B.C. Early Romans washed their arms and legs every day, which were dirty from working, but only washed their whole bodies every nine days.
Later, when the custom of daily bathing in hot baths took hold, Romans began to build bathrooms in their houses. In the 2nd century B.C. the first bathhouses were built. In 33 B.C. there were 170 small baths in Rome; by the early 5th century that number had climbed to 856.
Public baths were a feature of ancient Greek towns but were usually limited to a series of hip-baths. The Romans expanded the idea to incorporate a wide array of facilities and baths became common in even the smaller towns of the Roman world, where they were often located near the forum. In addition to public baths, wealthy citizens often had their private baths constructed as a part of their villa, and baths were even constructed for the legions of the Roman army when on a campaign. However, it was in the large cities that these complexes (balnea or thermae) took on monumental proportions with vast colonnades and wide-spanning arches and domes.
Baths were built using millions of fireproof terracotta bricks and the finished buildings were usually sumptuous affairs with fine mosaic floors, marble-covered walls, and decorative statues.
A key invention in the history of baths was the hypocaust which was invented at the end of the 2nd century BC. Though evidence of the floor heating systems exists in earlier models, it seems that the Romans developed and perfected this technology.
Baths in the Roman Empire were provided water by the extensive aqueduct systems built by the Romans. Water supplies for public baths usually took priority over water for private use. Baths that needed to, such as small baths or baths in arid areas, could function with very little water input, keeping water in reservoirs and cisterns. Other baths, in areas where water was more readily available, used a generous supply of water from the aqueducts to maintain their stylish displays such as fountains and cascades. During the time of Trajan (AD 100), nine aqueducts supplied Rome with about 1 million cubic meters of water daily. Rome has not seen anything near this impressive supply of water until modern times.
Roman baths were designed for bathing and relaxing and were a common feature of cities throughout the Roman empire. Baths included a wide diversity of rooms with different temperatures, as well as swimming pools and places to read, relax, and socialize. Roman baths, with their large covered spaces, were important drivers in architectural innovation, notably in the use of domes.
Generally opening around lunchtime and open until dusk, baths were accessible to all, both rich and poor. In the reign of Diocletian, for example, the entrance fee was a mere two denarii - the smallest denomination of bronze coinage. Sometimes, on occasions such as public holidays, the baths were even free to enter.
Typical features (listed in the probable order bathers went through) were;
Apodyterium - changing rooms.
Palaestrae - exercise rooms.
Natatio - open-air swimming pool.
Laconica and Sudatoria - superheated dry and wet sweating rooms.
Calidarium - hot room, heated and with a hot-water pool and a separate basin on a stand (labrum)
Tepidarium - warm room, indirectly heated and with a tepid pool.
Frigidarium - cool room, unheated and with a cold-water basin, often monumental in size and domed, it was the heart of the baths complex.
Rooms for massage and other health treatments.
Additional facilities could include cold-water plunge baths, private baths, toilets, libraries, lecture halls, fountains, and outdoor gardens.
In the Roman bathhouses, men and women did not bathe together. It was considered to be in poor taste so, each had their own designated time at the bathhouse. For instance, the woman may have been allowed in the bathhouses in the morning while men came in in the afternoon.
Archaeological evidence shows that the site of the Roman baths' mainspring may have been treated as a shrine by the Britons and was dedicated to the goddess Sulis, whom the Romans identified with Minerva; the name Sulis continued to be used after the Roman invasion, appearing in the town's Roman name, Aquae Sulis (literally, "the waters of Sulis"). Messages to her scratched onto metal, known as curse tablets, have been recovered from the sacred spring by archaeologists. The tablets were written in Latin, and cursed people whom the writers felt had wronged them. For example, if a citizen had his clothes stolen at the baths, he might write a curse, naming the suspects, on a tablet to be read by the goddess.
Sarsala Bay
Sarsala Bay is one of the largest bays in the Göcek Islands region with several coves ideal to drop anchor, making it extremely popular with yachtsmen. The bay is surrounded by densely wooded hillsides and features a long stretch of pebbled beach along with crystal clear waters.
The beach is also accessible by car and in close distance to Dalaman airport, very popular with all holiday-makers and packed with the residents of Dalaman at the weekends.
A path from the shore offers a pleasant walk through the forest and leads to Taşkaya Bay where the Lycian Rock Tombs await to be explored.
A True Story of a Governer of Egypt
Sarsala once was the property of Khedive Abbas Pasha of Dalaman, the governor of Egypt during the Ottoman Empire-era. He wanted to have a hunting lodge built in Dalaman, as the area was abundant with wildlife and a railway station in Egypt. A French construction company was assigned for both tasks. However, with a mix-up or confusion with the locations, the company ended up building the station in Dalaman and the Lodge in Egypt.
Today, Dalaman is the only place in the world that has a station without a railway connection and the station is used as the head office of state farm.
Once known as Taşyaka, this beautiful and popular bay is re-named after a famous Turkish painter and poet Bedri Rahmi Eyüpoğlu who was among the group of artists and writers that originated the term of Blue Cruise in Turkish literature and made a remarkable contribution popularizing the Blue Voyage concept in Turkey.
In 1974, during a blue voyage with his friends along the Lycian Coast, he used a huge rock as a canvas and drew a painting of a fish figure on the north shore of the bay. At first glance, the painting appears to be a fish, but rumor has it that he hid six animals within the fish and the clues are in plain sight. His friend Azra Erhat who was a Turkish author and archaeologist also contributed with kite mosaics directly below the fish painting.
This magnetic bay welcomes and greets cruising visitors with its prints of art, pine, and olive trees covering the hills behind the oleander flowers, small beaches, and turquoise waters.
The ancient Carian town of Krya (Crya) was once located on the slopes, overlooking Bedri Rahmi Bay. The ruins of buildings, a stone wall, and various types of rock tombs of this ancient civilization can be spotted hiding behind the trees and bright pink oleander bushes.
Yassıca, meaning ‘Flat-Topped’ in the Turkish language, this group of islands takes its name after the flat formation of the rocks that rise less than 10 meters in height above sea level.
Yassıca Islands, consisting of five small islands, have achieved worldwide recognition for their natural, mini-archipelago-like formation.
The largest of the islands features a beautiful sandy beach and a salt-water pond with the size of a children's pool.
This chain of islands is quite small and located very close to each other which makes them a heaven for enthusiastic swimmers as it is possible to swim across one to another in about half an hour.
The islands are uninhabited. However, partially submerged ruins of a bridge that connects two of the islands, are clear evidence of human presence and activity in ancient times.
Yassıca Islands are one of the most popular spots in Göcek for daily boat trips and scuba diving schools, so the islands can be very crowded during the daytime. Nonetheless, It is a lovely spot for overnight stays for the yachts and gulets on a Blue Voyage during calm weather.
The setting is wonderful in the evenings. As the sun sets, the color of the sea turns from bright turquoise to navy blue.
A village hemmed in on all sides by lofty hills, situated among farms and verdant forests in a sun-soaked coastline, sidewalks teeming with lemon and orange trees, backed by the glorious Taurus Mountains and jeweled by an island in the bay, giving Gocek its delightful scenic view and natural allure.
Reaching Gocek is a joyful experience itself with its hairpin turns, spine-tingling drops, and pine-clad mountains stretching to a vanishing point.
This unique and exclusive town is not a usual sprawling tourist center and differs from the fairly similar holiday destinations and its competitors. Highly treasured by the visitors who know its worth.
Gocek Bay is a blue haven for yachts as the island acts like a natural barrier and a breakwater, so the water is very calm. The majority of the shops and basic facilities are settled along the road that traverses the town where most sailors go on a shortstop for their yachting resupply.
It is relatively a small farming village that transformed into a swanky holiday resort. Yet, the locals are still actively busy with farming despite the increasing and fast-paced activities in the touristy coastline. Local houses are mostly located within a short distance from the resort’s famed promenade and still have their verdant gardens where fresh vegetables are grown by the residents.
This rustic village doesn’t have the main beach, but there are lots of dainty spots where visitors can spend a day sunbathing. Pebbly pockets are strung out around the shoreline, but easily accessible by a water taxi from one of the main marinas.
Gocek is one of the great places in Turkey to go sailing or cruising on a luxury yacht. It is a well-known and beautiful yachting spot and is a favorite holiday destination for yacht charter fans. This bustling town is also a favorite spot for well-heeled tourists and celebrities.
The view at the waterfront is indicative of the popularity of Gocek in yacht charter circles. The entire bay and its 4 marinas are teeming with all kinds of boats, ranging from the ordinary dinghies to the impressive luxury yachts and superyachts.
Gemiler Adası, meaning ‘The Island of Ships’ in the Turkish language, is also known as ‘St. Nicholas Island’, is home to the ruins of several churches honoring St. Nicholas of Myra. The island offers a great day for history-loving explorers traveling near Fethiye.
Archaeologists believe that it was the original location of the tomb of Saint Nicholas of Myra, which is supported by the fact that at least one of the churches contains paintings of his likeness and written ‘Hosios Nicholaos’.
Gemiler Island is a relatively small island in the Mediterranean and surrounded by the mainland on three sides which provide a safe harbor for the cruising ships.
It is also claimed by historians that medieval sailors nicknamed the island in honor of their patron saint – Protector of The Children and Sailors – as the island kept them safe during stormy weather.
Gemiler Island is currently uninhabited except for goats, lizards, and mosquitos. Pine, olive, and carob trees cover the lands and there are a few walking paths around the island, but they are covered in loose scree.
However, the island was inhabited in Lycian times during 16th Century BC, as the Lycians were first attested by the Ancient Greeks and the Hittite empire in the late bronze age.
A few scattered islets lay to the south of the island. Although these rocky outcroppings are not mentioned on most maps or articles about St. Nicholas Island, presumably they were home to the ruins of stone structures that once have been part of the Gemiler Island settlement.
On the island, there are 4 church ruins, tomb structures, and the remains of the medieval settlement. Some of the remains can also be observed underwater.
It is considered that a series of Arab invasions forced the inhabitants to flee In the 7th Century, and Gemiler Island has been uninhabited ever since.
A Religious Center on the Pilgrimage Route
One of the biggest mysteries about this place is the fact that there is no water source and tillable soil on the island and so everything had to be transported to the island by ships. Perhaps this is the real reason behind the traditional name for the island in Turkish is ‘The Island of Ships’.
However, there are several large fresh-water cisterns on the island, indicating the island's inhabitants had an effective system for storing rainwater.
While there were no public buildings, theatres, or bathhouses as are commonly seen in other settlements, there were four churches spread across the island and a populous community of houses next to the harbor.
The existence of dense architectural structures remains a mystery.
Legend indicates that early Christians originally fled to Gemiler Island to hide from persecution by the Romans. Once there, they elected to stay and eventually built the island into a prosperous Byzantine community serving the needs of passing ships.
It is also considered that the attraction of the island is because it has been a religious or bishopric center on the Pilgrimage route to The Seven Churches of Revelation.
Without a doubt, this popular town is a piece of heaven and it is a real place on earth. A place where an endless horizon of thin, wispy strands of clouds that streaks across the sky meet truly breathtaking nature, the miles of unspoiled countryside backed by pine-clad mountains, where the glorious arc of a buttery sand fuse with every shade of blue in the sun-soaked natural lagoon.
The lagoon is one of the most photographed beaches on the Mediterranean coast, Ölüdeniz is popular with boaters, paragliders, and holiday-makers from all around the world. Featuring a white sand beach and a massive lagoon, the area is featured on virtually every travel brochure and video enticing tourists to come to Turkey.
Turunc Pınarı, meaning ‘The Fountain of Orange’ in the Turkish language, presumably takes its name after the combination of bitter orange trees that cover the hills and natural spring water source under a walnut tree on the hillside of the bay.
Additionally, the shore is lined with a potpourri of pine, oak, olive, Indian sandalwood trees, and laurel bushes as well.
This true definition of 'where blue meets green' is only accessible by the sea and located in a valley between steep slopes and densely wooded hills descending towards the shore.
Turunç Pınarı Bay is on the visiting list of every cruising yachts and gulets, as well as national and international celebrities.
Fethiye is a complete holiday destination and this scenic town has so much to offer for every interest. A fascinating combination of ancient and historical sites, rich culture with modern influences, and plenty of adventure opportunities along with natural beauty.
Located on Turkey’s south band of the Aegean region, Fethiye also sits in the heart of the Mediterranean and is referred to as the Turquoise Coast.
The town was dramatically hit by an earthquake in 1957 and the majority of the buildings were damaged or destroyed. Over the recent decades, Fethiye was entirely rebuilt and has blossomed into one of the world’s most popular holiday destinations. Today, visitors from all over the world gravitated to its natural allure.
Much of Fethiye’s ability to gain admiration stems from its diversity. From the old town’s narrow cobbled streets to backing Taurus Mountain views, a delicate harmony with lots of streamlined architecture and hints of the city’s ancient past surprises and delights at the same time.
