Going sailing around the Turkish Coast was not the first place that came to mind when thinking about sailing around the Mediterranean. Typically, I hear of sail Croatia or sail Greece. I am here to tell you that you need to put sail Turkey on the top of your list.
Swim in turquoise waters that stretch as far as the eye can see. Explore ancient ruins that whisper tales of civilizations long gone. Sleep under twinkling stars and find a community of like minded travellers. Join me in sailing the Turkish coast, an incredible gem overshadowed by its more popular neighbours. This is more than a sailing trip; it is an invitation to a world of unparalleled adventure and relaxation.
The South Aegean Coast
First, let us learn a bit more about the stunning location where this journey took place. South-Aegean Coast, also known as the Lycian Coast or the Turquoise Coast, is a gem within Türkiye (Turkey). When it comes to stunning beaches, crystal clear water and sunshine this place has it all.
Located within the province of Mulga. The South Aegean Coast boats a rich history. There are remnants from the Lycians, Ancient Greeks, Romans and Ottomans. It was governance of the Lycian Empire from 15th Century BC to 546 BC. Consequently, evidence of these civilisations can be found all over this region.
As you sail along the Turkish coast, you will be met with incredible scenery – towering cliffs extending hundreds of metres high, clear turquoise waters, rocky coastlines, ancient ruins and even a sunken city. It is a spectacular part of the world. Access to these areas via the land is difficult and time consuming. This makes a boat trip the best way to explore this area.
Essential Information For Your Trip
How long should you sail around the Turkish Coast for?
Boat tours around the Aegean coast typically range from a simple day trip to over a week. The 4-day trip was the perfect balance between providing a memorable experience without feeling cramped.
Where do the boat tours typically start?
Boat tours typically start in Fethiye or Olympos. There are, however, many other options based on your schedule and budget.
Who should go on one of these boats?
Anyone seeking an adventure exploring the Lycian Coast should consider this journey. It is also great for solo traveller with boats catering to this style of travel. There were multiple solo travellers on my boat, and it was a fantastic way to meet people. The boats catering to different age ranges, so select the one that suits you.
What company did you go with?
I chose Farout Cruises, who at the time stood out with the best value, positive reviews, and a convenient departure time/date. Farout Cruises offer an 18–35-year-old cruise and an all ages one. If you do end up contacting them, say I referred you when booking. There are also multiple other companies who provide similar experiences, so it’s worth shopping around for the best price.
What’s Involved
Traveling on a Turkish gulet, the cruise included visits to Butterfly Valley, Oludeniz, St Nicholas Island, Kas, and the Kekova region. Activities ranged from exploring ancient ruins, to swimming in clear waters. Optional activities like paragliding and diving for those looking for more adventure are available for extra.
The sail trip provided a blend of adventure, cultural exploration, scenic beauty, and relaxation. The boat had many sunbeds and water toys. The cabins were small but comfortable, each with a private ensuite bathroom. Sleeping under the stars on the top deck was also an option.
The journey concluded in Ucagiz Village Harbor, with the option to transfer to Olympos. Depending on your cruise, you may start or finish in Olympos.
My First Overnight Boat
I have never been on a boat trip before. Well, that’s not strictly true, I’ve been on passenger ferries from one place to another. But never on a dedicated, multiple night trip on a boat. Never. The idea always scared me. What if I didn’t like it? What if I couldn’t stand the other passengers? How would I get off the boat? But also, what if I liked a place and wanted to stay there longer?
Based on these concerns it was a pivotal moment when I decided to book a three-night, four-day boat trip around the South Aegean Coast. The deposit was in and there was no backing out. Turns out this was an incredible decision. I would highly recommend you put sailing the Turkish coast on your next trip radar.
Day by Day Review
I have broken down my four-day experience of sailing the Turkish coast below. I’ve outlined the details, tips, and personal experiences. For the official schedule, check out the Farout Cruises website. We stuck to this closely, I’ve also include a map of the route showing you where we went each day and the main stops along the way.
Map of The Route
Notes:
- I went on the gulet in early October. It was outside of peak season and things were quieter. This was the last boat trip for the captain and his crew for the season. If you are heading here in peak season, just be prepared for more people.
- There was minimal information provided about each location while on the boat. The boat did not have a tour guide. The captain and the crew would typically just point them out, but not say anything else about them.
- The boat was marketed as having air conditioning. However, aside from an initial five minutes when we arrived on the boat, the air conditioning remained off the entire journey. The crew said it wasn’t able to be used when the engine wasn’t running, making for some warm nights sleeping.
Day 1
The day started at 10am for check in and a briefing in Fethiye. After everyone had arrived (there was about 16 of us), we then walked to our boat. Be prepared for many Australians on this boat. Once abord, we had a brief introduction and each of us were shown to our rooms.
Each room was either a double bed or a triple share. When booking this trip I was told that my friend and I had a double bed. It was then a pleasant surprise to see we in fact had separate beds and to know I would not be sharing a bed for three nights The boat itself was plenty big enough with places to lounge around all over the deck. The boat shortly set sail for our first destination, Butterfly Valley.
Butterfly Valley
Not a single butterfly was seen the whole time I was in Butterfly valley (it was not the right time of year). Nevertheless, it was spectacular with towering cliffs providing a dramatic backdrop. This was our first opportunity to swim, and I couldn’t wait! There were lots of jumping off the boat. The boat also had various inflatables to chill on, two SUPs (but no paddles) and snorkelling gear for us to use.
After the refreshing swim, It was time for lunch. What would it be? Would we have four days of below average food? Well lunch turned out to be very good. It had many different plates options including salads, meats, vegetables, and bread.
Post lunch, there was an optional hike along butterfly valley to a waterfall. This was going to be a small free (a few Euros). For me, the allure of the clear waters was too much to resist. I stayed behind and enjoyed more swimming.
Oludeniz (Blue Lagoon)
Our next destination was Oludeniz, also known as Blue Lagoon. The Farout Cruises website claims that this is the most photographed beach in the world. Unfortunately, the boat parked behind a rock, obstructing the view of the famous beach. The rock in question did, however, provide an excellent platform to jump off, approximately eight metres tall. I also had the opportunity to put on my goggles (I take them everywhere) and spot a few fish.
Note: The boat provides snorkels, masks and fins. However, the quality is questionable. some had broken straps and finding one that fit my big head was near impossible. There were some usable masks available, just not many.
At this point two adventurous travellers left the boat for optional parasailing. It cost 130€ (potentially cheaper if you book in advanced). They went to the top of Babadag Mountain, offering breath-taking views of the surrounds. The rest of us remained on board and headed off to our final stop of the day.
St. Nicholas Island
The first day’s sailing concluded at St. Nicholas Island, where we would spend our first night on the boat. The island presented an opportunity to climb through ancient ruins to watch the sunset from the top. The 70 Lira entrance fee (make sure you have cash) was more than worth it for the panoramic views. I even spotted a sea turtle from the top!
Back on the boat, dinner featured BBQed fish. We each got a fish to ourselves. Post dinner, the captain pulled out a chart briefed us on our route for the next day. The boat was starting at 4:30 in the morning, fortunately we didn’t need to get up then! There was a little partying where some people swam to a neighbouring boat which was playing music and partied on it. However, most of the boat retired by 11. Sleeping on the deck seemed like a great idea until the wind picked up at about 2 am when I retreated back inside.
Day 2
Turns out having a cabin directly next to the boat’s engines wasn’t ideal. At 5am the engines started and the whole cabin started vibrating. I’m not sure it was any better in any other cabin, but eventually I managed to get back to sleep. We had a brief stop at 9am for breakfast and a swim. Breakfast involved breads, cheeses, fruits, vegetables, sausages and eggs. After eating, we sailed into the marina at Kaş. At this point anyone who booked into the optional diving headed off on their trip.
Kaş
For everyone not going diving, we had two hours to explore Kaş, a small, touristy town with a bazaar, cafes and restaurants. Kaş was very quiet in early October but I can imagine it gets very busy during peak season. As we would have lunch provided on the boat, there was no need to eat here. I did get an ice-cream (I can’t say no). I also visited the Antiphelllos Ancient City, a large well-preserved amphitheater. It’s a short walk out of town and has some nice views over the sea.
Tip: Kaş is the last location to withdraw cash or buy any supplies for the rest of the trip.
Afternoon Relaxation
After leaving Kaş, we stopped nearby for lunch (and a swim). As usual the lunch was great. It was then a short sail to a secluded bay for the night. This was one of my favourite overnight stops of the trip with not many other boats around. Dinner was once again delicious.
Day 3
At this stage, the days really started to blur together. How long had I been on the boat exactly? How many swims have I gone for? It was getting hard to tell.
After breakfast we sailed past the Sunken City of Kekova. We slowly sailed past what remained of some sunken ancient city visible through the clear waters. Who were they? Why are they here? We received no information about the mysterious sunken city. I have decided to investigate it for you.
Kekova Town
Directly after the sunken city, we had to opportunity to visit Kekova. It was a small, cute town on the hillside. My ears pricked up as the captain told us that this was the place to get homemade ice cream. The town was quite touristy, but not busy. Being the end of the season, there was almost no one around. I only saw a few locals and minimal tourists. Fortunately for me, there were many many places selling ice-cream. In fact, it seemed like there was more places selling ice-cream than anything else.
I would recommend exploring the Simena Castle on the top of the hill. It offers stunning views over the region. The 1.5 hours was enough time to explore. There was even a pleasant beach next to the town if you needed another swim.
Back on the boat, it was time for lunch and some more swimming. Just after lunch, while still anchored, an ice-cream boat turned up. This was such a cool experience. I had never seen an ice-cream boat before. Had I just eaten ice-cream? Yes. Did I get more ice-cream? Yes. The novelty of an ice-cream boat was too much to say no.
The Final Night
We then headed off to the final location for the night. Just after arriving a boat with a rubber tube showed up, offering to pull us behind the boat for 300 lira per person. The cost was a too high for anyone on the boat to take up his offer. This stop was the busiest of the three nights. A lot more boats were anchored nearby with more turning up throughout the afternoon. The water also was not as clear as the day before (I was getting picky).
After dinner a boat came to pick us up and take us to the only bar in the area, Smugglers Inn. The bar was a cool experience, just be prepared for the drink prices at the bar to be high (even higher than drinks on the boat). Despite this, the bar was a lot of fun and a great chance to meet with people from the various boat around.
I was concerned that we would need to swim back to our boat. And how would I recognise it in the dark? Especially after a few drinks.
Fortunately, the bar had a free taxi boat to take us back to our boat when we were ready to go home.
Day 4
Day four did not involve much time on the boat. After a quick morning swim, we headed off, having breakfast on the way. It was a short trip to Andriaki Harbour, the final stop before disembarking. The Farout Cruises website mentions Ucagiz Village, but this must be the closest harbour. Once anchored at the harbour we spent over an hour waiting for a second boat to transfer us to the shore. This was the perfect opportunity to pack my bag, pay my bar tab and then relax onboard for the final time. Once on shore, there was a shuttle bus waiting for us. Two people from the boat left us here to look at some ruins in nearby Demre (10 minute drive). Everyone else went to Olympos.
Driving to Olympos
The Farout Cruises website mentions getting a transfer to either Olympos or Demre. Olympos was a two-hour drive. Confusingly, the shuttle bus didn’t actually drop us off in Olympos village. Instead, we stopped at a small restaurant/bus station up the hill from Olympos. We hopped on a public bus that would take us the rest of the way. The public bus took another 20 minutes before we arrived. Just make sure to tell the driver where you want to get off.
Note: Confusingly the public bus driver asked us to pay. No one expected this as Farout Cruises told us we would be taken to Olympos, not a bus station. It wasn’t a problem however, we just had to get the original bus driver to explain the situation.
Tip: If you’re heading to anywhere that’s not Olympos. At this point (before boarding the second bus), if you wanted to get to anywhere else that’s not Olympos, you are better of getting off here and finding a different bus. There is only one road into and out of Olympos so all busses will come past this point.
Would I Sail the Turkish Coast Again?
Absolutely – it was a fantastic experience. Sailing the Turkish Coast exceeded expectations, blending stunning scenery, adventure, relaxation and a close-knit boat community.
Conclusion
My experience sailing around the Turkish South Aegean coast was overwhelmingly positive. The scenery was stunning, the water incredible and the fellow passengers lovely. It was a great mix of adventure and relaxation. If you are planning a boat trip, seriously consider sailing the Turkish Coastline.
Have you sailed the Turkish Coast? How was your experience?
Happy Exploring!
Kieren
PS. Thanks for taking the time to read this, I appreciate it. If you enjoyed this post, check out more destinations.
Looks like a wonderful trip – so much better than sailing other places in the Mediterranean. I now have that trip on my bucket list – thx so much for all the info.
Thanks Jane, It really is a fantastic place to visit. Hope you make it there soon!