Your own group kayaking holiday in Turkey
| country: | Turkey |
| location: | Turquoise Coast |
| departures: | You can create your own group with 2 (min) - 25 (max) people. Although there will be no local leader, a representative of the operator will be in the hotel in Kas and available throughout the week. Activities obviously have a guide / instructor in charge. The minimum age is 14 |
| price: | From £701 - £741 (8 days) including flights from the UK, from £529 - £559 excluding flights. Optional activities for every day will be paid with final balance |
the amazing things you'll be doing
A week of sea kayaking, hiking through hills and ruins, scuba diving, mountain biking, canyoning, whitewater rafting and even a tandem paraglide.
There is probably no better place in the Med for adventurous activities and good value living than the sunny southwest coast of Turkey. The sea is clear and warm, the countryside is full of crumbling ruins, and the hills are green and cool. Our base, the port town of Kas (pronounced ‘cash’), has not succumbed to mass tourism, but does have a handful of lively bars and good restaurants for vibrant evenings after days of activity. Kas has a few small pebbled and terraced beaches within easy walking distance and a short boat trip takes us to some lovely swimming spots over at Limanagzi bay.
Sea Kayaking in Turkey. No previous kayaking experience is required to join this trip, as there is nothing technical in steering these light but stable craft. After an important safety briefing, most are paddling well within a few hours. You will however need to be reasonably fit - we shall paddle from 4 to 6 hours a day, with plenty of stops for swimming, leg stretches and refreshment. Our route stays close to the shore, visiting quiet bays, coves and beaches, as we explore two distinct areas of the Lycian Coast.
The water is clear and calm and reaches temperatures of 25º-28ºC in July and August. At Kekova we literally paddle over a ruined sunken city and all along the coast there are remains from Lycian, Roman and Byzantine times.
There is also a free day in the delightful coastal town of Kas during which there is the option to go diving or canyoning. Lunches and evenings are spent in small villages and we use a combination of basic hotels and remote beach camp sites.
There is probably no better place in the Med for adventurous activities and good value living than the sunny southwest coast of Turkey. The sea is clear and warm, the countryside is full of crumbling ruins, and the hills are green and cool. Our base, the port town of Kas (pronounced ‘cash’), has not succumbed to mass tourism, but does have a handful of lively bars and good restaurants for vibrant evenings after days of activity. Kas has a few small pebbled and terraced beaches within easy walking distance and a short boat trip takes us to some lovely swimming spots over at Limanagzi bay.
Sea Kayaking in Turkey. No previous kayaking experience is required to join this trip, as there is nothing technical in steering these light but stable craft. After an important safety briefing, most are paddling well within a few hours. You will however need to be reasonably fit - we shall paddle from 4 to 6 hours a day, with plenty of stops for swimming, leg stretches and refreshment. Our route stays close to the shore, visiting quiet bays, coves and beaches, as we explore two distinct areas of the Lycian Coast.
The water is clear and calm and reaches temperatures of 25º-28ºC in July and August. At Kekova we literally paddle over a ruined sunken city and all along the coast there are remains from Lycian, Roman and Byzantine times.
There is also a free day in the delightful coastal town of Kas during which there is the option to go diving or canyoning. Lunches and evenings are spent in small villages and we use a combination of basic hotels and remote beach camp sites.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly to Dalaman; transfer to Gocek |
| Day 2-4: | Three days sea-kayaking in and around Gocek Bay, one of the most favoured yachting bays in the Mediterranean. |
| Day 5: | Free day in lively port town of Kas; opportunity for diving or paragliding (optional). |
| Day 6: | To Ucagiz; sea-kayaking in Kekova where we paddle over the ruins of the sunken city. |
| Day 7: | To Paradise Bay for a rest and relaxation before lunching in Kale village. Return to Ucagiz; to Kas. |
| Day 8: | Fly to London. |
travelling in your own group
To classify as a group, we usually require a minimum of 6-8 clients although we can often accommodate larger numbers up to 16. We are often limited by the size of our accommodation or transport, but we will endeavour to accommodate your group wherever possible. If our stated dates are not available we will do everything we can to arrange a similar trip to fulfil your requirements. All trips are competitively priced, but it should be noted that a number of circumstances, such as flight availability, can affect the cost. We therefore recommend, booking and planning your trip as early as possible.award winner
This tourism business won an award in our 2004 Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical, Magazine of the Royal Geographical Societyhow 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 communities. The area we visit on this trip is rich with ancient and historical ruins which are dotted about the coast line. The Kekova region in particular, was declared a specially protected area in 1990 by the Turkish Ministry of Environment and Forest so all activities, such as scuba diving and swimming are prohibited in the area. By traveling over the sunken city in our Kayaks, we are able to enjoy the ruins with minimal impact.
We stop at small settlements along the route, such as Ucagiz and Simena, and usually eat lunch in some of the excellent local restaurants. These are owned and run locally and source as many of their goods locally. We have had an excellent long-term relationship with the local operator and this helps to stabilise their income generation and so helps to create a more sustainable future. All the leaders are employed and trained locally by our operator in Kas. The leaders, already committed to Responsible Tourism, have received training and get additional refresher training on a regular basis. The leaders will advise the group on responsible tourism during the trip. On the hotel nights we use all locally owned and run accommodation. This we believe contributes directly to the local community as local staff are employed and locally produced and sourced goods are bought for the accommodation. Towels are not washed every day unless clients request it and there are signs in all of the bathrooms indicating the hotel policy. The hotel in Kas also has a water cooler which clients can use to top up their water bottles. This is run with an ‘honesty’ system whereby clients are advised on the cost of the water and a money box is left next to he cooler. This encourages clients to use their own water bottles and not to contribute to the pollution caused by discarded empty plastic water bottles. The maximum number we take is limited to 16 on this trip. This we believe reduces the impact on the community and environment. UK Office: We have at our offices worked to reduce our carbon footprint through a reduction of energy use and energy conservation measures. We also actively reduce the waste produced by having active reduction and recycling policies in place. We run annual staff workshops on Responsible Tourism. Carbon balancing: 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. |