Kayaking the Turquoise Coast

Paddle one of the finest stretches of the Mediterranean, discovering sunken wonders and secluded bays

Those lucky enough to have explored the southwest coast of Turkey often rank it among the finest in the Mediterranean. Here, the mountains of the hinterland stretch to the sea, forming bays, inlets and islands of extraordinary natural beauty, and the waters are clear and deeply coloured, giving rise to the name the Turquoise Coast. On the mountain flanks are beautiful areas of cedar and Mediterranean oak forest. In essence, the perfect place to explore by sea kayak. These long, stable vessels are easy to steer and paddle, great fun to pilot and require no previous experience. They can approach beaches and inlets where larger crafts cannot reach and allow us to take a closer look and explore the quieter areas of the wonderful Turquoise Coast. We kayak in two distinct areas, the beautiful islands and bays of the Göcek region near Fethiye, then we move east, towards the sunken city of Kekova and remote islands.

People, Places & Planet

We work hard to create trips that have a positive impact on the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Learn more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.

Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:

People

How this trip helps improve life for local communities.

• Local guides keep you well informed about local traditions and cultural-social sensitivities.
• This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally owned hotels, restaurants, and other enterprises, and by championing locally produced food wherever possible.
• Read more about our other initiatives here.

Places

How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.

• By travelling in a small group we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
• We work with our partners on the ground to proactively reduce waste; this includes eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles by providing refills for re-usable bottles.
• We rewild 100 square metres per passenger to compensate for all trip and flight emissions.
• Read about our commitment to nature protection and restoration here, including our rewilding commitment for every customer who travels with us.

Planet

How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.

• Accommodation and restaurants in the itinerary use locally sourced food which has not been transported long distances.
• Kayaking trips like this have very little detrimental impact on the environment and the locals, as it is a quiet, low impact activity requiring comparatively few resources to support.
• Read about our climate action here, including our carbon reduction and compensation commitments.

Tips for sustainable travel on this trip

• Leave no trace: we do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
• Plastic waste reduction: please bring a reusable water bottle on this trip, also consider avoiding single-use hotel toiletries, which generate a large amount of plastic waste.

Visa

Turkey

Travellers from the UK and most EU states normally do not need a visa to enter Turkey, while US citizens normally do. Visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/turkey
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/turkiye
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/turkey/entry-requirements
• USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Turkey.html

Vaccination

Turkey

There are no required vaccinations. However, recommended vaccinations include tetanus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, rabies and typhoid. Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Eating and Drinking

In the itinerary we state which meals are included on which day.

All breakfasts included plus 3 lunches.

Breakfasts normally include boiled eggs, cucumber, tomatoes, cheese, honey or jam and yoghurt, olives and bread. Lunches may be taken as picnics or in lokantas (small local restaurants). For dinners, Kas, Göcek and Üçağız have plenty of excellent restaurants and cafés for you to choose from. Some specialise in locally caught fish dishes, others in various lamb dishes. There are also plenty of snack bars where ‘Pide’ (Turkish Pizza) is served. Most restaurants also offer selections of Meze (mixed starters). Your tour leader will arrange group meals (non-obligatory, if you would rather explore yourself) in a variety of establishments. The Turks have a sweet tooth, so expect plenty of pastries covered in honey, as well as cakes and ice creams.

Weather

If travelling in July and August you must be prepared for high temperatures and it is not always possible to avoid the heat of the midday sun. Rain is unlikely in the summer months although the occasional storm can’t be ruled out. There can be rain and snow (inland) in the winter months but the climate is still warm and pleasant. Protracted spells of bad weather are unlikely at any time of the year.

Is this trip for you?

While no previous experience of sea kayaking is necessary, we would recommend that you don’t book a week of kayaking unless you are sure it’s for you. Just an afternoon in any sort of kayak should let you know if the paddling stroke comes naturally. Those who pick-up most sports reasonably quickly should have no problem.

You should expect to paddle between 4 and 6 hours a day, and of course we will allow plenty of time for beaching the craft to enjoy a swim, a leg stretch or a lunch stop. Our kayak guides are trained to BCU (British Canoe Union) standards, and groups larger than 8 will have two guides. Generally we offer double kayaks, although we can accept requests for singles if made in advance and dependant on availability at the time of the trip. The kayaks have storage areas, so you can carry water, cameras, sun cream, snorkels etc during the paddling day. The support boat will carry larger items where necessary. The sea kayaks are Prijon brands and we have 2 models: seayak & odysea.

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.