Special Locations is offering you the chance to discover more about Turkey.From trekking to sea canoeing we have selected the best activities and tours of the region.We have different programs available and for those who would like to base their holidays around sportive activities we can propose you longer programs.
EPHESUS&PAMUKKALE: This overnight tour spotlights two of Turkey’s showpieces. Your first morning concentrates on Ephesus, one of the world’s best-preserved archaeological sites. With your guide bringing everything to life, you’ll take in the highlights of this 2,000 year-old city. Stroll its famous Marble Street, walk around the 24,000-seater Great Theatre and wonder at the Celsus Library - built facing east to capture the morning light. Big-hitters aside, you’ll also see crumbled houses, baths and the city’s brothel. Then, after some lunch, you’ll drive to Pamukkale. Check into your hotel and spend the evening relaxing before having dinner. You may also want to swim in the many thermal pools. Favoured by the Romans for their healing properties, their waters are still littered with ancient columns. The next morning, you’ll see Pamukkale itself. Formed by calcium-filled springs pouring down a mountainside, its glacier-white ridges and pools look like something from the Arctic. Wander round snapping photos and explore nearby Hierapolis. This Roman city was constructed around the original springs and features an impressive amphitheatre. After exploring here and a break for lunch, there’s time to visit a carpet centre before heading home.
ADULT : £95
CHILD : £55
KEKOVA&MYRA:This tour focuses on three of southern Turkey’s hidden archaeological treasures. Your history hit list kicks off at Myra. Around 2,500 years old, this cliffside Lycian city has some haunting ruins. See its spooky tombs and amphitheatre before continuing to St. Nicholas church at Demre. This semi-ruined Byzantine church holds the empty tomb of St. Nicholas, once the Bishop of Myra and inspiration for Santa Claus. Admire its murals and learn about Nicholas, who lived in the 4th century. Then it’s cameras and snorkels at the ready for your afternoon gulet cruise. After boarding your boat, enjoy a barbecue lunch on deck before cruising to Kekova Island. An ancient earthquake submerged some of this island in the sea, leaving the seabed littered with ruined Lycian houses, streets and tombs. Gaze at the remnants through the waters and grab the chance to swim or snorkel around some relics. There’s also time to visit the castle above the village of Kaleköy. Overlooking Kekova, this 4th century fortress is well worth a closer look.
ADULT : £ 45
CHILD : £ 22
CANOEING: Here’s a way to combine adventure with exploring - canoeing through Patara National Park. After getting lifevests and instructions from your guides, you’ll paddle a two-person canoe along the Xanthos River. Gliding over the calm waters, you’ll pass reedbeds and cedar woods and enjoy views over the distant mountains. Keep your eyes peeled for wildlife, too. The Park is something of a natural wonderland, so you might spy kingfishers, river turtles and even flying fish. Along the way, you’ll stop for a fruit snack and to bathe in some mud pools. Plunge in, cake yourself in the gooey mud and dry in the sun before washing in the river - you’ll feel fantastic afterwards. Then paddle downstream some more before breaking for a barbecue lunch on the banks and continuing to Patara beach at the river mouth. One of the best beaches in Turkey with miles of unspoilt sand, here the time is your own to sunbathe or swim before travelling back to your resort.
ADULT: £32
CHILD: £16
DALYAN MUD BATH: Discover the natural attractions of Dalyan on this trip. Leaving Fethiye behind, you’ll enjoy a scenic drive to this lovely spot, visiting a carpet factory along the way. When you arrive, take a riverboat along the Dalyan River to the mud pools. These mineral-packed baths are said to have healing powers and have attracted bathers since Hellenistic times, not to mention modern daycelebrities like Robbie Williams and Jack Nicholson. Plunge in, cake yourself in the warm mud and rinse off in the thermal springs. You’ll come away glowing. After lunch on the boat, you’ll then cruise past the Lycian rock tombs hewn into cliffs above the water. Then it’s on to Iztuzu beach. This gorgeous sandbar stretches across the river mouth and is a protected nesting ground for endangered Caretta-caretta, or loggerhead, turtles. Spend the next hour or so sunbathing on its sands and swimming in the Mediterranean - it’s an idyllic place to relax.
ADULT : £35
CHILD : £20
SAKLIKENT GORGE Escape to the cool, mesmerising Taurus Mountains for the day, on this rural getaway. We’ll wind our way through the captivating countryside, passing hilltop villages and fertile valleys, to the ancient city of Tlos and on to the impressive Saklikent Gorge. Here, you’ll follow a wooden walkway attached to the side of the gorge itself, which takes you to its heart. Breathe in the pure mountain air that spills down from the mountaintops as you paddle in the refreshing spring water and lunch al fresco at the delightful Mountain Lodge.
TURKISH BATH
If you’ve never tried a hammam, or Turkish bath, before, you’re in for a bit of a surprise. It leaves you feeling incredibly clean and gets your skin in great condition for a lasting tan. And this is your chance to give it a go. First things first, we’ll drive you to a traditional bath centre in the neighboring town of Ortaca. Once you’re here, you’ll change into your swimwear in a cubicle and head for the hammam - essentially a steam room - wrapped in a towel. Relax into the warm steam as it softens your skin and eases out the toxins. Next, you’ll lie on a heated marble slab where you’ll be given an exfoliating body scrub and a massage in olive oil soap. Once you’ve had time to cool off, you’ll leave feeling wonderfully fresh and relaxed. There are optional oil massages available for an extra charge, too.
