Kalkan was once a quiet fishing village and has since turned into a popular holiday destination. It still retains its classic Turkish charm with traditional restaurants serving everything from fresh seafood to fish mezes and colourful fishing boats still lining the harbour. You can even jump on an authentic wooden gullet to explore the surrounding bays. The boats usually stop for snorkelling and swimming in the calm crystal-clear waters and lunches are sometimes prepared on board.
You can’t come to this beautiful part of Turkey without exploring the many Lycian sights in the area, such as Xanthos, Patara, Myra or the sunken city of Kekova where there are ancient 2nd-century ruins. You can get to Kekova via an organised boat or kayak trip. Boats usually leave from Kas, a lively town which is a 30-minute drive from Kalkan. Kas also has more to offer with its impressive ancient site of Antiphellos, with still-visible ruins including a theatre. For more fun day trips, you could head to the seaside resort town of Fethiye, a one-hour drive from Kalkan. It has plenty of top-notch restaurants, shops and fascinating cultural sites too that are well worth a visit.
Back in Kalkan itself, you can immerse yourself in the culture and head to a market. You’ll find everything from spices to hand-crafted rugs, fresh produce and jewellery. The town is also famous for its waterfront cafes and roof-top restaurants offering fantastic views of the bay. For days spent by the beach instead, Kaputas Beach and Patara Beach, a long stretch of shoreline that’s also a National Park are both excellent choices. With day beach clubs at both, you can relax on the sand, take part in water sports like kayaking and parasailing or eat at the restaurants.
The Region
Kalkan has become a boutique resort, with cobbled streets and converted Greek houses, which belonged to the Greek merchants before the exchange of population in the 1920’s. Once quiet fishing harbour, these days you are more likely to see traditional wooden gulets taking tourists to soak up rays on the sparkling turquoise Mediterranean. A boat trip is a must-do, from the boat you can snorkel and usually a delicious lunch is prepared on board. Keen walkers should check out the Lycian way for designated walking paths in the area.
You cannot come to this area without spending some time exploring the many Lycian sights, such as Xanthos, Patara, Myra or the sunken city of Kekova.
Patara is said to be where democracy started (they excavated a stone voting block) and is also said to be the birthplace of St Nicholas, who became bishop at nearby Myra. The ruins here include an ancient theatre, city walls, government building, and agora. The lighthouse on the site is said to be the earliest of its kind. Visit Patara in the late afternoon and finish the trip with a drink on the sandy beach watching the amazing sunset.
The Saklikent Gorge is a great place to visit, especially if you want to cool off in the fresh waters whilst walking up the gorge. For the more energetic there are rafts and rings to ride the flowing waters. Further down you can enjoy a day canoeing toward the beach.
Islamlar sits 8 km above Kalkan. Once the place Kalkan folk went to cool off at one of the trout farms built to make use of the mountain’s springs. Today Islamlar houses many a villa, enjoyed by Istanbul Turks who prefer a holiday in slightly cooler and cleaner air. Here the locals grow grapes and pomegranates, but you’ll mainly see the men sat gossiping next to the local teahouse. The trout farms remain a place to come for a wonderful fresh meal, or a breakfast consisting of fresh local fare. The rocket will be the freshest and most tasty you’ve ever had; and the fresh chips cooked in olive oil take some beating.
By night both Kalkan and Kas come alive. Kas has more of a bohemian feel, people ambling through the cobbled streets, passing the ancient tomb in the street, haggling for textiles, carpets and other goodies, maybe stopping for the traditional Turkish ‘maras’ ice cream, a tulip-shaped glass of tea or a wonderful kebab in the shadow of the mosque. Most of the villas in Kas are just out of town on the Cukurbag Peninsula. A reasonable (5km) taxi or Dolmus (local bus) ride into town. Be sure to try the Piyaz, a white bean salad with tahini sauce.
Travelling along the coast towards Kalkan you pass the modern marina, the children’s beach park (run by the local hotel school) and halfway to Kalkan the stunning Kaputas Beach, cut in a gorge with all different shades of turquoise in the sea.
Kalkan is a more sophisticated resort, with the villas built onto the mountainside. Evening are spent enjoying the rooftop restaurants, perched on the top of the old ‘konak’ houses. Then wandering to a seaside bar for a cocktail, after shopping for glass lanterns, Iznik pottery, handbags or pestemel towels. Do visit the ‘pastane’, local patisseries which do the most delicious morning pastries and you must try the ‘Gozleme’ pancakes at the Thursday market.
Other things to do in the area include scuba diving as the visibility is excellent, paragliding, horseriding on Patara Beach or kayaking around the sunken ruins at Kekova.
