Villa Kadife

An exciting jeep safari around the town of Dalyan is a great way to get to know your surroundings. The town is full of serene natural beauty that can be seen up close during the safari.

Travellers will have a knowledgeable tour guide on hand to talk you through the environments that you'll be passing. Those who love nature and love exploring it will adore this trip into the wildest corners of the island. Prepare to get down and dirty on this memorable trip through the mountains and across the river sides.

On your journey, they’ll be lots of places where you can swim and they’ll even be the opportunity to snorkel, parasail or ride a banana boat.

Dalyan mud baths in Marmaris provide a lovely and unique way to experience the nature of the island. At first, you'll be greeted by a strong stench. However, after covering yourself head to toe in mud and washing it all off, you'll be surprised by the sudden softness of your skin! The baths are usually full of flocks of tourists so get down there early to secure a spot in the mud.

Regularly used by locals, the mud is thought to have restorative and revitalising qualities. It also presents lovely photo opportunities that will last a lifetime.

Read more about Dalyan

Turkey is an eclectic mix of dramatic scenery, amazing food and a deep history.  A visit to Turkey almost always inspires comment about the hospitality, maybe because the Turkish people believe a visitor is a gift from God. A trip to Turkey will almost definitely inspire you to return. You’ll be following in the footsteps of many a famous person from ancient history.

The South West coast of Turkey offers the perfect climate for your holiday, boasting over 280 dry days a year and an average June temperature of 28C in Dalyan, with sea temperatures of 23 degrees Celsius.

The Carian’s once ruled this coast and there are lots of signs of their existence, such as rock tombs and the ancient riverside city of Caunos that sits opposite Dalyan. An area surrounded by pine trees, which are believed by locals to clean the air and increase the oxygen levels. The area is favoured by beekeepers for honeymaking and you will see many of the traditional blue beehives, and a few bees, in the area.

Modern Dalyan is a small resort on the river’s edge. Tourists enjoy the small wooden boat trips chugging along to the Iztuzu beach, maybe stopping at one of the sulphur mud baths, for a somewhat rudimentary beauty treatment and some one-off photos for the holiday album. The river has a great view of the rock tombs and has much wildlife along the reedbeds. The Istuzu beach is where the endangered loggerhead turtles come to lay their eggs. The beach caught international interest in the 80’s when David Bellamy and fellow environmentalist stopped a hotel development. Today it’s a conservation area and at the far end of the beach, there is a turtle rescue centre you can visit.

Dalyan has lots of restaurants, bars and a selection of gift shops. Dalyan has a local market on a Saturday, which has an amazing selection of fruit and vegetables. You should take the opportunity to enjoy breakfast at the water’s edge in nearby Gokbel. Slightly further out is the village of Beyobasi, where you can enjoy a trout meal in a restaurant cooled by the fast running waters, just off of the main Dalaman-Akyaka road.

The Koycegiz lake is at the other end of the river. The small town of Koyceyiz is perched on the side of the lake. The small bazaar gives the idea Koycegiz was once more important than Dalyan, thus probably the best day to visit is Monday when the weekly market is in town. Try one of the restaurants on the edge of the lake for lunch. If you’ve driven, don’t forget to stop at one of the fruit stalls on the road side, plying a healthy mix of orange & pomegranate juice. The Sultaniye Hot Springs sit on the south-west shore the lake. The hot mud pools contain mineral waters that are rich in chloride, sodium, hydrogen sulphide and bromide. There are even rudimentary cabins that some braver souls come to stay & take the waters