|
İçmeler
In the vicinity of Marmaris there is another holiday destination that is developing called İçmeler (place of drinking water). This is ideal for those who want to enjoy the entertainment facilities of Marmaris but want to have a quite time during the day and be able to sleep soundly at night. Despite having numerous hotels the regulations that have been enacted mean that İçmeler is very green, full of flowers, has good and clear walking trails and its beach is always very clean.
The park inside the hamlet is almost like a botanic garden. The area behind the park, which is called Sanat Sokağı (Art Street), has a wide range of displays of the local traditional handcrafts and paintings from Marmaris-based artists.
The stream that divides the hamlet through its centre has been organised to add atmosphere to the beautiful hamlet. It is a colourful and lively part of İcmeler, with the two banks of the stream filled with stalls where souvenirs, gifts and handcrafts are sold.
İçmeler presents you with rich options for eating, drinking and entertainment. But for those who want even more Marmaris is just a few steps away. There are very frequent and regular transport links between Marmaris and İçmeler.
In the past, İçmeler used have healing springs but today do not look for them, your hunt will be in vain. Instead, you will have to make do with bottled water to kill your thirst.
İçmeler is also ideal for swimming and water sports. The aqua park right behind the main park in the centre is ideal for families with children. Despite lots of construction and growing numbers the hamlet’s waters and beach have remained clean. However, if you want an even cleaner sea and smaller crowds you should take a boat trip to the coves in the area.
In İçmeler modern and traditional architecture come together. The Köyiçi region behind the beach area and the canyon region a bit further from Köyiçi and that is within walking distance have facilities to the taste those that are into nature and old village life.
A "blue cruise" on land to the Gulf of Gökova
The Gulf of Gökova is one of the most preferred destinations of the Blue Cruise, with the most pleasant coves of this trip lying between Karacasöğüt and Bördübet. These coves in a row are Karacasöğüt, Okluk (the cove where a presidential palace was built in the term of the late President Turgut Özal and which is closed to the public), the Ingiliz Limanı (British Port), Löngöz, the Yedi Adalar (Seven Islands), Gücük Limanı and Bördübet Cove. If your vehicle is not too low or if you have a four wheel drive vehicle try to continue on the dirt path. One of the routes of the jeep safaris that are run by tours companies in Marmaris use the dirt path linking these coves as a one of the trails on their tours.
The British Port is one of your stopping points and is a most beautiful cove, hidden in the pine forest and reached by the road that stretches all the way to the beach. There you will be able to read the words of famed sea traveller Sadun Boro, a call to protect this extraordinary beauty. At the British Port there are restaurants that provide services to visiting boats.
At Löngöz Cove, which is highly favoured by the cruising boats, there is Ali Baba’s place where you can put up tents. At this open air restaurant you can also get stuffed vine leaves, salads, chips, fish grilled on a wood fire and cold drinks.
On the Yedi Adalar (Seven Islands) there is the place of Kambur Kemal, which does not provide food services. If you are there in the season you could try the regional French figs. We will recommend you to try the fish or grilled meats at the Defneli _imşek Restaurant at Ayın Cove. Your last stop is Amazon Camping at Bördübet Cove. From here you will either take the same road back or get onto the Marmaris-Datça road.
Sedir Adası (Cedar Island) – Kedrai
Twelve kilometres down the Marmaris-Muğla road there is a turn to the right and, after you travel for another six kilometres, you get to another point on the Gulf of Gökova, Çamlı Quay. Boats leave from Çamlı Quay as they fill up and go to Sedir Island. The island is the site of the ancient city of Kedrai and the famed Cleopatra Beach.
Kedrai was a Carian city, later being connected to the Rhodian state. The word Kedrai means cedar in Greek. Although it is not known whether there were cedars, used in ancient times to build the frames of ships, on the island but that is the old Greek name for it.
Kedrai, directly opposite Rhodes, was one of the most important settlements in the region. The ancient city was surrounded by walls, some of which, along with towers, can be seen on the coastline. There was also a Temple of Apollon, though only its foundations remain. There are also ruins of the agora and other buildings, the city necropolis and, on the east of the island, the theatre, which is in a fairly good condition.
If we disregard major settlements such as Knidos, in the area opposite Rhodes, which covers the Marmaris and Bozburun region, there are only three places that have a theatre among the settlements from ancient times.
In 405 BC, during the Peloponnesian Wars between Athens and Sparta, the island was attacked by the Spartan general Lysander for its being on the side of Athens. The island was captured by the Spartans and the locals were enslaved. The historian Ksenophon, when writing about this war, described the island’s residents as half barbarians.
There is also a legend linking Cleopatra to Sedir’s golden sand beaches. The most widely told legend tells of the sand being transferred from Egypt by ships for Cleopatra and her lover, the Roman commander Antony, to frolic on when visiting the island.
On the northern part of the island the sand, consisting of special calcareous droplets not found anywhere else on the Aegean and Mediterranean shores barring Crete, is to be found. Unfortunately this sand is not being protected and is being lost. However, despite this, the golden sand of the Cleopatra Beach and the various beautiful tones of the sea still attracts visitors to Sedir.
The boats return to Çamlı Quay at around 4:00 to 5:00 pm.
From Marmaris to Bozburun
For another day, if you get tired of the crowds of Marmaris, you can visit Bozburun to the south west. Your stopping points will be Bayırköy, Çiftlik, Orhaniye, Selimiye, Bozburun and Söğüt. Barring Bayır, you can get to all of these by sea. However, if you travel by boat you should reserve at least three days for the trip. You can also get to Orhaniye, Selimiye and Bozburun from the Datça road by passing through Hisarönü. But we will go through Bayır.
You leave Marmaris, pass through İçmeler and follow the road to Turunç. The road starts to wind more sharply and climbs for a while until it get to a short flat area. After this there is the turn for Bozburun. After half an hour driving through the pine forest and small settlements you are in Bayır.
Bayır
The village of Bayır in recent years has become a popular stopping point for jeep safari tours. Do not forget to take a break here and have a cup of tea or foamy ayran under the shade of the giant ancient trees in the village square. We do not know where the rumour came from but it is said that walking once around the ancient tree increases the lifetime of the whoever circles it. The Bayır villagers have written this on an information plaque near the tree.
It is believed that the village itself was founded on the top of the ancient city of Syrna and where the mosque now stands there used to be a temple dedicated to the God of Health, Asklepios. Some traces of the temple have survived. The acropolis of Syrna is two kilometres to the north east of the village, on top of Yancağız Hill. You can get to the acropolis by using the ancient stone-paved road that is still in use. The climb to the hill takes about half an hour. You can see the acropolis, some parts of the city walls, lids of stone tombs and the ruins of buildings.
After Bayır, the road divides in two. One of the roads, the one to the right, heads to the village of Turgut. The other goes to Bozburun. We will first go to Bozburun and approximately one kilometre later take the turn to Çiftlikköy. We will talk about getting down to Orhaniye and Selimiye from Turgut later.
Çiftlik
Take care not to miss the turn to Çiftlik on the road from Bayır up to Söğüt, one kilometre along. There is a signpost but it hardly noticeable. After you take the turn you travel a bit through a flat area and then you go down towards Çiftlik Cove. On the one hand you will the see the cove and on the other Hisarönü Gulf at your back. At this point you should take a break and get out for a breath of fresh mountain air. You will be surrounded by the pine forest. You get to Çiftlik via a slightly winding road that takes 15 minutes. The thick sand of Çiftlik’s beaches attract many visitors. There are only a few of this type of beach around Marmaris and the nearby coves, especially as it has crystal clear and clean waters. Leave yourself to enjoy the waters, swim for while and then lie down on the sand beach. The beach, which runs all around the cove, is not crowded barring at midday when daily boat tours take a break here. However, by comparison with the past, Çiftlik Cove does not have its former quietness. Now you can feel a bit crowded with a holiday house complex, two hotels, a water sports facility, a holiday village that as yet only has its restaurant and entertainment centre running and the restaurants on the waterfront. At the entrance of Çiftlik Cove there is an island, though as it is privately owned you can’t visit without permission. The rocky areas at both ends of the cove are suitable for diving but there are hardly any fish to hunt with a spear. For better diving you can go to the nearby Gebekse Cove by boat. On the point of this cove in the sand you will see archaeological remains. The Gebekse ruins are believed to be of a church.
Gebekse Cove is one of the main stopping points of the Blue Cruise boats and a small number of day cruise boats also come here. There is a small beach and an open air restaurant. You will get great pleasure from swimming with goggles and seeing the wonderful colours beneath the water.
Şelale (Waterfall)
Next return to the village of Bayır, though this time follow the road down to the village of Turgut. After you travel 5.5 kilometres you see the sign saying _elale on the right. It is possible to drive on the dirt road, which brings you to the _elale region after 200 metres. This _elale is not one of the giant size waterfalls. It falls from a height of just three or four metres, coming from a valley of thick vegetation where the water levels drop in summer. However, the water of the stream is icy cold and, if you have your swimming costume with you, you should take to the waters of the small two to three metre deep lake formed by the waterfall. You can get relief from the suffocating heat even if it is only for a short time. In the area near the waterfall there are open air restaurants. The ayran and the gözleme, freshly cooked right there by village woman, will make you feel good after the cold water. You can also order trout or chicken dishes. If you have the time you can also walk by the banks of the stream into the valley, though don’t forget that the thick vegetation can make hiking difficult at times.
Turgut
The village of Turgut is nine kilometres from Bayır and has begun being developed by the tourism sector. The largest carpet shops within the Marmaris region are at the entrance to Turgut. The shops selling carpet and souvenirs to which tourists are brought to in groups are now responsible for the main livelihood of the village. In Turgut there are also many good restaurants where you can eat. In the cove of Turgut there are ancient remains that attract one’s attention. The ruins are to the side of a garden wall and further up there is the wall that is believed to have surrounded the sacred area of Ygeia. It is believed that these ruins are from the small ancient city of Hygassos. Orhaniye, Kızkumu
Orhaniye is only 2.5 kilometres from Turgut. After you leave Turgut the road divides in two. In order to get to Orhaniye you turn to the right while the road leading to the left goes to Selimiye. One of the most important tourism centres on the Gulf of Hisarönü, Orhaniye sees the yachts that come to Hisarönü pass through. The sea of Orhaniye is always as flat as a sheet. The colour of the pine trees that surround the area are reflected on the sea, giving it a shade peculiar to this region. The area is so quiet that when you swim you can only hear the sound you create in the water.
You will be puzzled by the sight of people apparently walking on the sea. Thanks to the movement of the sand there is a shallow bar in the middle of the cove that divides it in two. This ribbon, of approximately 600 metres, is called Kızkumu. There is also a legend attached to it. "A girl who wanted to meet with her lover put some sand in the hem of her skirt and planned to fill the sea with this sand to get to her lover. However, there was not enough sand and she was drowned". By way of explanation, the word Kızkumu means "girl sand".
In the middle of the cove there is an island and on top of the island there are the ruins of a castle. It is believed that the castle belonged to the ancient city of Baybassos. You can get to the island by hiring a caique (small boat) and then walking to the ruins of the castle along the path. The view from here is brilliant and is worth the effort.
The people of Baybassos brought water to the island from the waterfall in Turgut through aqueducts and a pipe laid under the water.
From Orhaniye there are boat tours to the Gulf of Hisarönü. There are stops at places such as the coves of Selimiye, Hisarönü and İnbükü and the island of Dişlice. The tours include lunch and last until the evening. Dişlice Island, located opposite the hill facing Hisarönü where the Robinson Club Maris Hotel is, is popular for its small canyons and stone formations.
At the entrance of Orhaniye Cove there is the Keçi Bükü (inlet) where yachts moor in summer and winter and where they are maintained at the Martı Marina and the Hotel. Just next to these facilities are the ruins of an ancient monastery. It is worth seeing the mosaics in the garden.
It is possible to get to Hisarönü or the Marmaris-Datça road from Orhaniye. The distance between Orhaniye and Hisarönü is only 3.5 kilometres, the road being wide and is asphalted.
Selimiye
From Orhaniye, if you follow the asphalted seaside road, you get to Bozburun. From Orhaniye, ten kilometres from the Turgut turn, you travel another seven kilometres and you get to Selimiye, another of the popular stops for boats on the Blue Cruise between Bodrum and Marmaris. The cove is green, the sea is clean and generally calm but there is not much in the way of sand beaches. There are small restaurants around the quay area. There is an eternal quietness that rules the area, perfect for those that want to have a holiday away from the crowd.
There are also historical remains around the Selimiye region. There are ruins of three castles of the ancient city of Hydas in the area. One of them is on the highest hill of Selimiye, one other on Sarıkaya Hill and the last in Aşarkale in the Kızılköy district. To the south east of the cove you can visit the Hellenistic era city walls. Among the ruins it is worth seeing, 100 metres off the outlet to the sea, the monitoring tower built to show ships the way, the lighthouse, monastery and the theatre.
The pieces that were salvaged from the wrecks in the region are displayed in the Bodrum Underwater Museum.
At Selimiye Cove, which is used by boats for shelter in stormy weather as it is a natural port, if you are seeking a beach you should go to "Sığ Liman" (Shallow Port) two kilometres away where there is very fine sand.
What to eat?
There are many restaurants in the area of the quay where the yachts moor. There is a wide variety of fish available and, according to its type, your choice can be either be grilled or stewed. Fish stewed in virgin olive oil and with bay leaves adds another flavour. Stuffed marrow flower is a speciality of the southern Aegean region.
German Version
|
Home
|
Copyright |
eMail: kaiser24@gmx.com
fotobox24
|
antalya-web |
turkey |
podcast |
savemedic
|
antalya-webcam |
bestofantalya
gratisinfo24 |
antalyaweb.ru
|
e-antalya.de |
antalya.de
|
