Turkey holiday, activity week
| country: | Turkey |
| location: | Lycian Coast |
| trip type: | A small group adventure |
| departures: | 2010: 18 Jun, 9 Jul, 23 Jul, 13 Aug, 27 Aug, 17 Sep, 1 Oct, 23 Oct 2011: 17 Jun, 8 Jul, 22 Jul, 12 Aug, 26 Aug, 16 Sep, 30 Sep, 21 Oct |
| price: | From £779 - £979 (8 days) including flights from the UK. From £599 - £729 excluding flights. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
A week of fun and adventures on the stunning Lycian coast
Sea-kayaking & Diving
Kas - adventure capital of the Med - is your base for the first part of this week of thrills! Begin by paddling sea kayaks over the remains of the sunken city of Kekova, then later dive at one of the best sites in the Med on an exhilarating SCUBA experience.
Mountain Biking & River Rafting
After a day on two wheels making an exciting descent from the mountains back to base, you’ve a free day to relax and enjoy Kas’s laid back atmosphere. The last activity and fitting finale to your week of fun and adventure is a day river rafting, with time to explore ancient ruins and riverside cafes. An unforgettable week!
Sea-kayaking & Diving
Kas - adventure capital of the Med - is your base for the first part of this week of thrills! Begin by paddling sea kayaks over the remains of the sunken city of Kekova, then later dive at one of the best sites in the Med on an exhilarating SCUBA experience.
Mountain Biking & River Rafting
After a day on two wheels making an exciting descent from the mountains back to base, you’ve a free day to relax and enjoy Kas’s laid back atmosphere. The last activity and fitting finale to your week of fun and adventure is a day river rafting, with time to explore ancient ruins and riverside cafes. An unforgettable week!
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Depart London; Arrive Kas After your flight, you make a transfer of around 3 ½ hours to your first night’s accommodation and check in. It's time to relax and Kas is just perfect, with a wide range of bars and restaurants to choose from. Hotel - 5 nights |
| Day 2: | Kayaking To Kekova Island Getting your trip off to an action-packed start, your first day begins with a sea kayaking trip! A few kilometres to the east of Kas is Kekova Island. Off its northern shore, the fascinating remains of an ancient settlement - known locally as Batik Sehir (the sunken city) - lie submerged in a few metres of translucent, turquoise water. Consigned to the sea as the result of an earthquake, the ruined walls and stairs of houses and the outline of its jetty are still clearly visible. As this is a protected archaeological site, swimming and snorkelling are prohibited; you take sea-kayaks to get a really close look at the atmospheric ruins. Returning to Kas your afternoon is left free to relax and enjoy this lovely town, perhaps with a swim or a wander around the interesting local shops. The backstreets of Kas are a warren of older buildings; there's even a sarcophagus in the main street! Local men sit in the shade of trees and climbers lounge in the teahouses of the main square where the rattle of dice can be heard as they play backgammon. Join them and these friendly guys will be only to happy to show you the ropes. This evening your Group Leader will either organise a meal for the group or alternatively recommend some local restaurants for you to try. (B) |
| Day 3: | Scuba Diving With some of the best dive sites along Turkey's Mediterranean coast boasting good visibility and a variety of sea-life, Kas is a great place to try SCUBA diving. If you're already a qualified and certificated diver, we include two dives on local sites. If you haven't yet learned to dive, we offer a fully supervised introductory course, specifically designed for beginners, followed by a dive. (BL) NB: If you are already qualified and wish to dive (other than the introductory course), you must produce a valid PADI, NAUI, CMAS or BSAC diving certificate or equivalent. |
| Day 4: | Mountain Biking Today’s action takes place on two wheels as you set out on a mountain bike exploration of the Lycian back roads. Your exhilarating route is mainly downhill and follows both rough tracks and asphalt roads. The views from the numerous high vantage points towards the mountains on one side and sea to the other are simply stunning. Showing a different perspective of the Lycian coast they reveal, perhaps for the first time, just how pretty it is. After lunch you'll continue your descent, heading towards Dirgenler, before returning to Kas for a well-earned beer. In all you’ll bike 25km today. (BL) |
| Day 5: | Kas Halfway through the week you have a day to relax and look forward to the activities to come. For those who can’t face sitting by the sea in the sun with a cold beer to hand there are many optional activities that can be undertaken. Note: additional insurance will be required to cover any extreme sports. Alternatively the backstreets of Kas are a shopper’s delight with Aladdin’s Cave-like shops hung with exotic carpets and ceramics – go on, undertake a little ‘retail therapy’ – you’ve earned it! (B) |
| Day 6: | Dalyan, Caunos & Rock Tombs Sadly you say goodbye to Kas this morning as you depart along the coast for the growing village of Dalyan. Until a few years ago Dalyan was a forgotten backwater, but its lovely location has meant a change in its fortune, with many people visiting to explore the area. Overlooking the village are the rock-cut tombs which appear in almost all photos, whilst nearby is the now ruined, yet still atmospheric site of ancient Caunos, with its huge amphitheatre; well worth exploring. Dalyan means ‘fish-traps’ in Turkish and the Dalyan River was an important source of fish, even in Lycian times. You could take a boat and follow the river downstream to the famous beach and mud baths, or simply relax with a book - there is much to occupy your free time here. Hotel - 2 nights (B) |
| Day 7: | Rafting On Dalaman River After breakfast your minibus takes you approximately an hour out of Dalyan to a riverside rafting base. Here you’ll meet your fully qualified guides, who’ll firstly kit you out with the appropriate equipment, including of course a buoyancy aid and helmet. You’ll be provided with all of the necessary technical equipment you need for the rafting but you can expect to get wet and it’s therefore a good idea to have a set of clothes to change into for when you return to the rafting base. Once everyone is fully kitted out you board a second bus which, complete with rafts on the back, takes you up into the hills to the faster flowing waters of the Dalaman River. At the ‘put in point’ there’s time for an early snack lunch before your guides give you a full safety briefing for the river descent ahead. The waters here are graded 3-4 for rafting. This is towards the upper end of the grading system used to measure the challenge of a river’s waters, e.g. number and speed of rapids. This means there’ll be plenty of thrills on your four-hour rafting journey but also plenty of time for novices to get to grips with the necessary techniques. Exhilarated and a little wetter than when you set off, you leave the river near the rafting station. A welcome late buffet lunch/early tea awaits giving you a chance for the adrenaline to subside and to recount the highlights of your watery exploits with your fellow rafters. You’ll return to your hotel by minibus, arriving at the end of the afternoon. As tonight is the last night of your holiday, your leader will most likely suggest a final celebratory meal for everyone in a local restaurant. (BL) |
| Day 8: | Fly to London The trip ends here for Land Only clients. Clients on group flights to the UK make the short transfer to Dalaman for your flight to London. (B) Please note: Most activities take place outside the port of Kas - your base for the greater part of the trip - and involve short bus journeys to and from the various activities. The order of the activities may change depending on weather conditions or other operational factors. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. how this holiday makes a difference
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On this trip: This trip provides income for a variety of local business, including our Turkish local agents, the hoteliers whose accommodation we use, and the local restaurants we use along the way. Our commitment to supporting the local economy means that we only use Turkish Group Leaders, local drivers, rafting guides dive professionals, etc. This spreads the money we spend amongst many different people and provides vital employment. Our interest in the sea life (SCUBA diving) reinforces amongst local people the need to protect and preserve these environments.
Our Responsible Travel Code: Clients who travel with us will automatically receive a copy of our Responsible Travel leaflet. This contains details and advice on how you can make a positive difference when you travel. If you would like a copy in advance of travel please contact us. Charity Partnerships: We work in partnership with Plan International. Plan works with some of the world’s poorest communities where three out of four children die before the age of five. We also support Friends of Conservation – an international charity committed to working with local people to develop a balance between their needs and the wildlife with which they share the natural habitat and ecosystems. Other charities that we work closely with include Born Free Foundation and The Travel Foundation, a UK charity that has been established to promote responsible travel practices throughout the whole of the travel industry. Carbon Balancing: Global warming is a real issue and is a direct result of your travel. We have teamed up with Climate Care to give you the opportunity to offset the carbon emissions from your flight. You’ll be asked upon booking if you want to donate – with set amounts from £5. As a company we offset the carbon emissions from all staff travel in full. Our Foundation: We’ve highlighted a few of the ways in which we offer our support, financially or otherwise, and now you can, too. We have set up our own foundation, which will administer funds donated by you. A small donation of £1 per person will be taken when booking a holiday and that money will be put to good use by one of our carefully selected projects. If you don’t want to make the donation, just tell us when you book. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |