7-Night Göcek & The Bays — Turkey's Turquoise Coast
Route Overview
The Route
Day 1 — Göcek: Embarkation
Board at the beautiful D-Marin or Skopea Marina in Göcek — a small, sophisticated town at the head of the Gulf of Fethiye, surrounded by pine-forested mountains. Welcome dinner ashore at one of the excellent restaurants lining the promenade.
Day 2 — 12 Islands Circuit
The waters around Göcek contain a cluster of 12 islands of extraordinary beauty. Spend the day exploring — anchor at Kızılada (Red Island) for a morning swim, Yassıca Islands for snorkelling on the reef, and the ghost village of Tersane (an ancient Byzantine shipyard) for lunch. Dinner back in Göcek.
Day 3 — Ekincik & Dalyan River
Sail south into the breathtaking Ekincik Bay — a deep, fjord-like anchorage surrounded by pine forests with no development whatsoever. By tender up the Dalyan River through reed beds to the ancient Lycian city of Kaunos and the famous Dalyan beach, last nesting site of the Mediterranean loggerhead turtle before Turkey.
Day 4 — Marmaris & Bozburun
Continue west to Marmaris — a large, well-serviced town at the head of a deep bay. Provisioning, fuel and a busy marina; the old fort and the bazaar are worth exploring. Continue by afternoon to the serene peninsula of Bozburun — a traditional Turkish wooden boat-building village with several excellent small restaurants.
Day 5 — Bozburun Peninsula & Datça
A day of hidden bays along the Bozburun peninsula — dozens of named and unnamed anchorages with crystal-clear water and not another vessel in sight. Continue to Datça in the afternoon — a pleasant small town at the narrowest point of the Datça-Bozburun peninsula.
Day 6 — Kaş
One of Turkey's most charming small towns — a Lycian rock tomb in the main square, excellent diving (the 1979 wreck of the cargo ship and the famous submarine cave), and the tiny Greek island of Meis (Kastellorizo) just 2 nautical miles offshore. An extraordinary evening in a restaurant with views to Greece.
Day 7 — Kekova & The Sunken City
The ancient Lycian city of Simena — half submerged beneath the water since a 2nd-century earthquake. Sail slowly along the coast looking down through crystal-clear water at the sunken walls, staircases and amphora fragments. Anchor at Üçağız for lunch at a restaurant perched above the ruins. Return to Göcek by sunset.
Day 8 — Göcek: Disembarkation
Farewell breakfast before disembarkation. Dalaman International Airport is 45 minutes from Göcek; frequent connections to Istanbul and European cities.