Family adventure holiday to Turkey
| country: | Turkey |
| location: | Turquoise Coast |
| departures: | 2008: 25 Aug, 20 Oct 2009: 25 May, 13 Jul, 20 Jul, 27 Jul, 3 Aug, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, 24 Aug, 31 Aug, 19 Oct |
| price: | From £527 - £575 (8 days) per adult and £505 per child (under 11) including flights from the UK, or from £355 excluding flights. Single supplement £75. Price excludes activities: £15 (child, 1 day) - £95 (adult, 4 days). Min age 3 years. |
photo gallery
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the amazing things you'll be doing
Canyon Walk, Patara beach, Diving or Discover Scuba, Sea kayaking, Mountain village stay
There is probably no better place in the Med for a family holiday with a difference than the Turquoise Coast of Turkey. The sea is clear, the countryside is full of quaint villages and crumbling ruins, and the mountains are green and cool.
Our base, the port town of Kas (pronounced 'cash'), has not succumbed to mass tourism, but does have a good choice of family-friendly restaurants and cafés ideal for relaxation after an active day. Kas has plenty of terraced swimming spots and a short drive or boat trip will take us to some lovely beaches. Our home for the week is a newly refurbished 2 star hotel in Kas. All rooms have en-suite bathrooms, A/C and a balcony. There is an excellent pool area and restaurant/bar. The hotel is located a little way uphill, giving fine views of the town and bay of Kas. A 10 minute walk takes us to the restaurants and harbour.
There is probably no better place in the Med for a family holiday with a difference than the Turquoise Coast of Turkey. The sea is clear, the countryside is full of quaint villages and crumbling ruins, and the mountains are green and cool.
Our base, the port town of Kas (pronounced 'cash'), has not succumbed to mass tourism, but does have a good choice of family-friendly restaurants and cafés ideal for relaxation after an active day. Kas has plenty of terraced swimming spots and a short drive or boat trip will take us to some lovely beaches. Our home for the week is a newly refurbished 2 star hotel in Kas. All rooms have en-suite bathrooms, A/C and a balcony. There is an excellent pool area and restaurant/bar. The hotel is located a little way uphill, giving fine views of the town and bay of Kas. A 10 minute walk takes us to the restaurants and harbour.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Depart London for Kas. | |
| Day 2: | Boat trip to Limanagzi. In a small bay opposite Kas and only accessible by boat are the three beaches of Limanagzi. There are water activities such as canoes, paddle boats and diving platforms, and a small variety of restaurants serving traditional dishes, such as Menemen (Turkish scrambled eggs), local fish and various mezzes. Duration: half or full day Minimum Age: 3 years Included: services of guide, transport by boat to and from Limanagzi, use of pedal boats or canoes | |
| Day 3: | Saklikent Canyon and Patara Beach. Saklikent Canyon is one of the most spectacular natural phenomena in the Taurus Mountains. Waterfalls cascade into the rapid flowing and extremely cold Eflen River, which over millennia has cut a deep canyon through the ancient rocks. Using a walkway we explore the mouth of the canyon and can progress further in by getting our feet wet! After lunch we visit Patara Beach, often voted as one of the best in the entire Mediterranean. Duration: full day Minimum Age: 3 years Included: services of guide, transport by air con vehicle, escorted walk into canyon, lunch, Saklikent entrance fee | |
| Day 4: | Diving day. The boat departs twice a day; at 09.00 and 14.30. Qualified divers get 2 guided dives, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Beginners will get a ‘Discover SCUBA’ course, which is a half-day session. The Discover SCUBA program consists of an introductory video and a one-to-one dive with an instructor, going no deeper than 8 metres below the surface. Duration: full or half day Minimum Age: minimum age 10 years Requirements: you must be a good swimmer, be in good health, and will be asked to sign a medical disclaimer. All children must be accompanied by an adult on the boat. | |
| Day 5: | Morning: Weekly town market. Afternoon: To Mountain Village Night. Every Friday morning in Kas a colourful and bustling market takes place, which is a must for every visitor. This is a proper local market, dominated by a wonderful variety of fruit and vegetables along with clothes and household goods. Many villagers from the mountain villages also attend and it is into these mountains that we travel this afternoon. The scenery is dramatic, with extensive pine and cedar forests framing the Ak range, which are snow-capped until July. Here we stay in a traditional village house with basic facilities and communal sleeping rooms - however we can also sleep out under the stars (weather permitting). The warmth of the welcome and the insight into rural Turkish life should make this a lasting memory. The village stay with services of a guide, transport, dinner and breakfast is included in the holiday cost. A sheet sleeping liner is required by all participants. Minimum age: 3 years | |
| Day 6: | Return from Mountain Village. After breakfast there is time for some exploration before returning to Kas. Afternoon free. | |
| Day 7: | Sea Kayaking at Kekova. An introduction to sea kayaking in the calm waters of the bay of Kekova. As well as the joy of paddling over clear blue waters, this is the site of a 2000 year old sunken city. The return journey takes us to the tiny settlement of Simena with its striking hill top fortress and colourful waterside cafes. Duration: full day Minimum age: 8 years (all children must be accompanied by an adult in a 2 person kayak) Requirements: must be able to swim Included: services of guide, transport to and from Kekova, hire of sea kayaks, lunch, entrance fee to Simena Castle | |
| Day 8: | Return to UK | |
family activity centre holiday
For many families, flexibility is the key on a holiday and we have used our operational experience to offer just that. Activity centres have one base from which we offer a range of exciting, fun and educational activities that may appeal to all the family or just some. You can choose how many you do and who in the family does them. You will not be forced into a group (although there are normally other families around) and if you want free time to explore as a family our staff are there to advise what there is to see. Each activity has a stated minimum age and children must be accompanied by at least 1 parent while undertaking an activity.how this holiday makes a difference
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As a part of our continued commitment to responsible tourism, we operate this trip in a way that aims to reduce impacts and to give as much back as possible to the local community.
We are concerned about the amount of plastic waste that is created by people buying numerous bottles of water on their holiday so we have sent out over a thousand reusable water bottles to give to our clients on arrival and our local operator has installed a water cooler at the hotel which clients can use to fill up these bottles. This is run on an honesty system and works out much cheaper for the clients than buying bottles of water throughout their trip. There has already been a substantial reduction in unnecessary plastic waste. The group will spend 1 night with a local family at a nearby mountain village, not only does this help su to understand the local culture it also helps the local community to benefit from tourism. As part of the trip the group also visit a local market and the buying of souvenirs and fresh produce here will also help benefit the local community. We have had a long-term relationship with the operator and they hire local staff. We have worked with our operator to help train their staff in all aspects of their jobs, and this includes Responsible Tourism training. We predominantly use local leaders on this trip. These leaders, already committed to Responsible Tourism, have received training and get additional refresher training on a regular basis. They will give a briefing on Responsible Tourism issues to help you understand how you can help reduce you impact and maximise the benefits to the local communities from your visit. Our base for the week is the locally run Oreo hotel in Kas. Using this we believe helps to contribute to the local community as local staff are employed and locally produced and sourced goods are bought for the hotel. We have at our offices worked to reduce our carbon footprint through a reduction of energy use and energy conservation measures. We also actively try to reduce the waste produced by having active reduction and recycling policies in place. We run annual staff workshops on Responsible Tourism. Global warming is a reality and to help you make a difference by reducing the carbon dioxide that is produced when you travel we offer a chance to carbon balance your flights. We encourage all our clients to do this and do so for all our staff travel. Go on do your bit! |
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. |