Your private guide will meet you at the Pier first thing in the morning and take you on a very interesting full-day tour:

First, drive to Dalyan, where you will board a small motorboat that will take you through a maze of reeds on the Dalyan River Delta, where you enjoy nature as you cruise along the river through its channels. The banks are lined with cotton fields that are nestled within dense marshes. During your boat ride on the river, you will see the famous rock temple-tombs of Lycian kings that are carved into the rocky cliffs. You will also have an opportunity to enter the famous mud baths to be rejuvenated!

One can also take a walk up the rugged hillside to Caunos, an ancient Lycian city where one can see remains of a theater, a temple and baths, among other interesting ruins. Founded around 9th Century BC, Kaunos became an important Carian city by 400 BC. A town on the boarder of two Kingdoms, its culture reflected aspects of both the Lycian and the Carian ways of life. Its tombs, for instance, are in Lycian style. Kaunos suffered from endemic malaria; according to Herodotus, “Father of History”, its people were known for their yellowish skin and eyes. The Kaunians’ prosperity was threatened by the silting of their harbor. The Mediterranean Sea, which once surrounded the hill on which the archaeological site now stands, has retreated about 5 km to the south, pushed back by silt from Dalyan River. In addition to the tombs, there is a very well-preserved theatre; nearby are also parts of an acropolis and other structures such as baths, a basilica, and defensive walls.

After visiting Kaunos, you will continue by boat to Iztuzu Beach (also known as “Turtle Beach”); it is not only a beautiful strand, but it is also home to the Caretta Caretta (loggerhead turtles). Surrounded on one side by the sea and the other by Dalyan River, one can swim in both sea water and fresh water there! Far from buildings and other disturbances, it is here that these turtle hide their eggs every year. Once the eggs are hatched, the baby turtles find their way to the sea by the help of moonlight.

At the end of the tour, your guide will bring you back to the pier or to your hotel.