A Wonderous Few Days from Marmaris, Turkey

If you have never been to the region commonly described as the Eastern Mediterranean you may not be aware of how wonderful the sea is during all but the weeks of mid-winter. The tourist season starts in the spring with direct flights down to South West Turkey and Greek Islands. By then the sea has warmed up and the cruise season begins in earnest. Marmaris has become one of the main sailing centres on this stunning coastline. It has much to see in the immediate vicinity and one of the popular gulet cruises that heads east offers even more.

A Marmaris Gulet Cruise asks nothing of you other than to relax and enjoy yourself. You may fancy a little fishing to catch dinner but you certainly will not go hungry if you fail to catch anything. Your gulet will stock up with fresh seasonal produce, herbs and olive oil when you leave Marmaris harbour and restock whenever you need to. In the immediate vicinity of Marmaris there is plenty of time to put down anchor and swim. You are beginning an adventure which has plenty more to reveal.

There is a lovely spot known as Ekincik down the coast. There is a beach and moorings for the gulet and it is a nice sport for overnight. Just a few minutes further on is Iztuzu Beach which is a 5 km long sand bar that is a nesting site for the endangered loggerhead turtle. That has resulted in its being granted protected status but there is nothing to stop holidaymakers enjoying it by day.

Inland from the beach and through the river delta is the small town of Dalyan with its famous Lycian rock toms carved in the hills that look across the river to the town. It is tempting to spend a little time here but there is still much more to see further along your Alaturka Cruise. A popular day trip further along the coast is the 12 Islands Cruise. While day trippers have to return to port at night if you are aboard a charter gulet then you can stay as long as you like.

The 12 Island Tour starts out at the modern marina port of Gocek which is likely to have some extremely impressive yachts anchored for a while. The Tour also leaves from the ever growing town of Fethiye a just distance away. It is a town that offers great nightlife, bars and restaurants but also a number of different historical, cultural and natural attractions. This was also a region where the Lycians lived and there are a couple of sarcophagi, in the town, one actually in the middle of a road.   You may want to see Butterfly Valley, paraglide down into the Blue Lagoon or see the deserted village of Kayakoy. There is so much to do both on sea and land.

What about you, have you ever gone cruising on the Mediterranean? Which area?

This post is brought to you by Alaturka Cruises