Family sailing holiday in Turkey
| country: | Turkey |
| location: | Lycian Coast |
| departures: | 2008: 21 Jul, 28 Jul, 4 Aug, 11 Aug, 18 Aug, 25 Aug 2009: 25 May, 13 Jul, 20 Jul, 27 Jul, 3 Aug, 10 Aug, 17 Aug, 24 Aug |
| price: | From £645 (8 days) including flights, from £465 excluding flights. Local payment from £40 Teenage departures: 21 Jul 2008 |
the amazing things you'll be doing
We take to the warm waters of southern Turkey, exploring in our traditional gület the legendary shoreline of classical sites: Lycia.
This region of little inhabited islands and enchanting harbours was known in ancient times as the playground of the gods, and the backcloth of pine forests tumbling down mountain slopes still hides some amazing archaeological sites.
Our journey is free-form and flexible - we literally 'go with the flow'!
Dalyan to Delikada Island: From the quayside of pretty Dalyan, we first meander by riverboat through reed beds rich in birdlife, then pause to explore the dramatic ruins of ancient Caunus with its rock-cut tombs before reaching Iztuzu Beach - a great place for swimming, away from the crowds. This endless and unspoilt stretch of white sand is one of the last nesting sites of the loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta. From here it's a short journey to Delikada Island, where we find our gület moored and waiting.
The gulet, a Turkish delight: The traditional gület has been lovingly hand-built in this part of Turkey for generations. Each boat has a wide sundeck and shaded afterdeck; the cabins are fully furnished with en-suite WC and shower. Delicious meals are prepared on board by our cook and eaten al fresco, and the voyage is designed so you can do as much or as little as you want.
Sunken city & on shore explorations: Journeying eastwards, our skipper drops anchor in the secluded coves of Fethiye Bay - ideal for swimming, snorkelling and discovering secrets of ancient times. These shores and islands were amongst the richest in the known world, and our leisurely Blue Cruise allows plenty of time to visit, for instance, the sunken Roman bathhouse at Batik Hamam or the overgrown Byzantine remains on Gemiler Island. Further east we moor up at the whitewashed villages of Kas and Kalkan, and have the option to paddle by sea-kayak over the sunken city of Kekova. Other options include a walk on shore to explore the hinterland of this beautiful coast.
This region of little inhabited islands and enchanting harbours was known in ancient times as the playground of the gods, and the backcloth of pine forests tumbling down mountain slopes still hides some amazing archaeological sites.
Our journey is free-form and flexible - we literally 'go with the flow'!
Dalyan to Delikada Island: From the quayside of pretty Dalyan, we first meander by riverboat through reed beds rich in birdlife, then pause to explore the dramatic ruins of ancient Caunus with its rock-cut tombs before reaching Iztuzu Beach - a great place for swimming, away from the crowds. This endless and unspoilt stretch of white sand is one of the last nesting sites of the loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta. From here it's a short journey to Delikada Island, where we find our gület moored and waiting.
The gulet, a Turkish delight: The traditional gület has been lovingly hand-built in this part of Turkey for generations. Each boat has a wide sundeck and shaded afterdeck; the cabins are fully furnished with en-suite WC and shower. Delicious meals are prepared on board by our cook and eaten al fresco, and the voyage is designed so you can do as much or as little as you want.
Sunken city & on shore explorations: Journeying eastwards, our skipper drops anchor in the secluded coves of Fethiye Bay - ideal for swimming, snorkelling and discovering secrets of ancient times. These shores and islands were amongst the richest in the known world, and our leisurely Blue Cruise allows plenty of time to visit, for instance, the sunken Roman bathhouse at Batik Hamam or the overgrown Byzantine remains on Gemiler Island. Further east we moor up at the whitewashed villages of Kas and Kalkan, and have the option to paddle by sea-kayak over the sunken city of Kekova. Other options include a walk on shore to explore the hinterland of this beautiful coast.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly London/Dalaman; transfer Dalyan. |
| Day 2: | Riverboat via Caunus and Iztuzu Beach to Delikada Island; board gület and sail to Aga Limani. |
| Day 3: | Hike to sunken bathhouse; sail via Tersane Island to Yassica Islands. |
| Day 4: | Sail to Gemiler Island; explore Byzantine ruins. |
| Day 5: | Sail to Kalkan; optional visit to ancient Xanthos and Saklikent Gorge. |
| Day 6: | Sail to Kekova; optional drive via Kale to Olympos, hike to Chimaera. |
| Day 7: | Sea-kayaking expedition to Kekova sunken ruins and Simena (optional); sail to Kas. |
| Day 8: | Transfer Dalaman; fly London. |
small group family holiday
This is a 'small group family adventure' - typically you will join several other families and travel in a group of approx. 16 people. The trips are great value and a great way for you and your children to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of time to yourselves. Most adventure kids tend to be aged between 7 and 15, but some are younger (minimum age is usually 5) and some older (perhaps travelling as part of a larger family group). Please check with the operator to confirm the minimum age for this trip how this holiday makes a difference
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As we charter the gulet for the entire season the owners rely on us for the majority of their living. Activities on this trip tend to be ‘people-powered’ – kayaking and walking – with very little vehicle use. Where we do use a vehicle it tends to be smaller, and consequently less polluting than large coaches. With many people coming together to provide the holiday our money is spread far and wide - suppliers benefiting from our visit include café owners and equipment suppliers, along with the gulet owners, crew, drivers and our local agent staff.
Our Tour Leaders are all trained by us in the importance of responsible tourism with guidance given on how they can make a difference. This then percolates down through those they deal with. As well as the above, we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. |
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. |