7 Days Fethiye ? Kas ? Kekova Gulf ? Fethiye
DAY 2 Early in the morning, you will start your day with sailing toward Bay?nd?r Harbor which is difficult to reach by motor way. Bayindir Harbour; on the east side of the island the mountain rises precipitously from the coast and there are lots of Lycia graves and tombs which are carved into the rocks. There is a stream in this 60 meters long cave. There is also a church right in the middle of the cave that belongs early period of Christianity. The beach has the reward of European blue flag.
Thereafter, your private yacht will sail to Kas Harbor. You can have a wonderful night with the nature and the historical ambiance of Kas; you can also do some shopping and enjoy your night in some pubs or bars. Kas is a small fishing, diving, yachting and tourist town. As a tourist town it is relatively unspoiled. Ka? is on a hill running down to the sea and has a typical Mediterranean climate of hot, dry summers and warm, wet winters, which allows the growth of oranges, lemons and bananas. The hillsides produce honey, and almonds since at high altitudes there are extensive pine forests. It seems that Ka? was founded by the Lycians, and its name in Lycian language was Habesos or Habesa. It was a member of the Lycian League, and its importance during this time is confirmed by the presence of one of the richest Lycian necropolis. The ancient Greeks later gave it the name of Antiphéllos or Antíphilos, since it was the harbor in front of the city of Phellos. During the Roman period, Antiphéllos was famous for exporting sponges and timber. Pliny the Elder refers to the town in the fifth book of his Naturalis Historia. After 395 the town became part of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine).Than it was annexed (under the name of Andifli) to the Anatolian Sultanate of Rüm, led by the Seljuks. After the demise of the Seljuks, it came under the Ottomans. In 1923, because of the Exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey after the Greco-Turkish War, the majority of the population, which was of Greek origin, left the town for Greece? Abandoned Greek houses can still be seen at Kas.
DAY 3 After a very satisfying and rich breakfast in your peivate luxury yacht as every day, you will sail to Three Mouth Bay which is 34 km away than Kas and the oldest Lycian town.
Right after some relaxing time and swimming break, you will sail to “Kekova Island”. It is a small Turkish island near Demre. Kekova has an area of 4.5 km² and is uninhabited. After the Italian occupation of Kastelorizo, Kekova — which was at that time temporarily inhabited during summer because of wood harvest — was disputed between Italy and Turkey. The1932 Convention between Italy and Turkey assigned it to Turkey. On its northern side there are the partly sunken ruins of Dolchiste/Dolikisthe, an ancient town which was destroyed by an earthquake during the 2nd century. Rebuilt and still flourishing during the Byzantine Empire period, it was finally abandoned because of Arab incursions. The Kekova antique remain part was declared a specially protected area on 18 January 1990 by Turkish Republic Ministry of Environment and Urbanization. All kinds of diving and swimming were prohibited and subject to special permits from governmental offices.
We have to keep sailing because we are not allowed to stop in Kekova Bay. However, you will be able to see the sunken antique city. Subsequently, you will go to Kale village (ancient Simena) which is a Lycian site as well. It is a small village with the partly sunken ruins of Aperlae and a castle. Access to the village is possible only by sea. Here, you will see the antique theatre remains and if you climb this theatre you will see an amazing view. You can also see the antique sunken ruins inside the sea. You will have your lunch with this perfect view.
Thereafter, you will sail to another Kekova’s bay and have your diner and overnight stay there.
DAY 4 After your breakfast with fresh eggs, olives, cheese, marmalade and many others, you will sail to Finike Island. You will enjoy the sun and beautiful view along the way. Finike is popular with its oranges, nature and history. Here attracts many people with Limyra city remains and Arykanda antique city remains.
DAY 5 On the 5 th day of your private yacht holidays in Turkey. Today your captain will take you to Demre for breakfast.
From here if you wish, you can attend our extra land tour Myra which you may like a lot. The tour takes nearly 3 hours.
MYRA: Although some scholars equate Myra with the town Mira in Arzawa, there is no proof for the connection. There is no substantiated written reference for Myra before it was listed as a member of the Lycian alliance (168 BC – AD 43). The Greek citizens worshiped Artemis Eleutheria, who was the protective goddess of the town. Zeus, Athena and Tyche were venerated as well. The ruins of the Lycian and Roman town are mostly covered by alluvial silts. The Acropolis on the Demre-plateau, the Roman theatre and the Roman baths have been partly excavated. The semi-circular theater was destroyed in an earthquake in 141, but rebuilt afterwards. There are two necropoli of Lycian rock-cut tombs in the form of temple fronts carved into the vertical faces of cliffs at Myra: the river necropolis and the ocean necropolis. The ocean necropolis is just northwest of the theater. The best known tomb in the river necropolis is the “Lion’s tomb” also called the “Painted Tomb.” In early Christian times, Myra was the metropolis of Lycia. The town is traditionally associated with Saint Paul, who changed ships in its harbor. Saint Nicholas of Myra was the bishop of Myra in the 4th century, is said to have been an ardent opponent of Arianism at the First Council of Nicaea in 325, although his name does not appear among the signatories of that council. Myra became the capital of the Byzantine Eparchy of Lycia under Theodosius II, who reigned from 408 to 450. After a siege in 809, Myra fell to Abbasid troops under Caliph Harun al-Rashid. Early in the reign of Alexius I Comnenus (ruled between 1081 and 1118), Myra was again overtaken by Islamic invaders, this time the Seljuk Turks. In the confusion, sailors from Bari in Italy seized the relics of Saint Nicholas, over the objections of the monks caring for them, and spirited the remains away to Bari, where they arrived on May 9, 1087, and soon brought that city visitors making pilgrimage to Saint Nicholas.
Thereafter, you will sail to Gökkaya Bay to have your lunch in this beautiful bay. It will be so hard to leave the beauty of Gökkaya after 3 or 4 hours relaxing time. The overnight stay will be in another beautiful bay around.
DAY 6 Today, you will have the chance to see the places that you may not forget in your life. First stop is Dead Sea which frequently rated among the top 5 beaches in the world by travelers and tourism journals alike. Since it is forbidden for gullets to anchor in Dead Sea. If you like, you can go to Dead Sea by swimming or your crew will take you there by small boat of your private yacht. The reason why it is called Dead Sea due to its calm water even during storms. Dead Sea remains one of the most photographed beaches on the Mediterranean. It has a secluded sandy bay at the mouth of Deadsea on a blue lagoon. The beach itself is a pebble beach. The lagoon is a national nature reserve and construction is strictly prohibited. The seawater of Deadsea is famous for its shades of turquoise and aquamarine, while its beach is an official Blue Flag beach, frequently rated among the top 5 beaches in the world by travelers and tourism journals alike. It is also one of most popular place for paragliding lovers.
After enjoying your time in Dead Sea, your next route will be Gemiler Island. Modern archaeologists believe that the island may be the location of St. Nicholas’ original tomb. The Byzantine ruins of five churches built between the fourth and sixth centuries AD remain. The most interesting remain is the 500 meters of tunnel which connects two church to each other. Other remains from the same period include around forty other ecclesiastical buildings and over fifty Christian tombs. One of the churches was cut directly from the rock at the island’s highest point, and is located directly at the western end of the processional walkway
DAY 7 On the last sailing day of your blue cruise, you will visit Red Island since its rocks and sea turns red during the sunset. There is not any structure but the light house. Since its sides can block the waves, here is very nice to swimming.
After a day with a beautiful view, you will turn back to Fethiye for the night. After your dinner in Fethiye Harbour, you may do some shopping or attend our Turkish Bath tour or you may enjoy bars or pubs in Fethiye. The overnight stay will be in Fethiye Harbor.
DAY 8 After your last breakfast in your yacht, your crew will help you with checking out.
Extra Tours (upon request with additional cost): Myra, Tlos / Saklikent, Turkish Hamam