Manavgat Turkey

The town of Manavgat is a popular holiday destination in the Antalya region of Turkey. Situated on the Manavgat river this is an authentic Turkish town with a scenic riverside setting but still within easy reach of some beautiful Mediterranean beaches. The area surrounding Manavgat is still used as agricultural land and is dotted with waterfalls, crystal clear pools, caves and stunning rivers. The town has a vast choice of restaurants, perfect for a romantic riverside meal in the evening. You will find plenty of nightlife in the town at the discos and bars or you take a trip to the coastal villages of Kumkoy and Llika which both have lively evening entertainment. Manavgat holds a weekly market which draws visitors from surrounding holiday area. Here at the market you will find lots of bargains like jewellery, rugs, leather goods, copperware and spices. Don’t forget to pick up your souvenirs and gifts when you visit the market. Apart from the market Manavgat has some great shops selling local tradition goods and also some more upmarket shops.

Although Manavgat is located inland there are still plenty of beaches nearby for you to enjoy. Side is very close and there are lots of beaches and coves in the area just waiting to be explored. The beach resorts of Alanya and Antalya are well worth a visit and the whole family, especially the children, will love the Antalya Aquapark. Most beaches offer a range of water sports.

Using Manavgat as a base there is so much to see and do in the surrounding area. For a cool contrast to the beach there are the cool Manavgat Waterfalls. With beautiful lush green surroundings and shaded restaurants, the waterfalls provide a great day out for some rest and relaxation. If you are feeling a bit more energetic then walking in the foothills of the Taurus Mountains is an excellent choice for nature lovers. The best time for walking and hiking is in the spring and early autumn when the temperature is better suited for walkers, the town is much quieter than the peak season and there are plenty of last minute holidays on offer. If you are looking for sightseeing excursions then you should take a trip to the ancient ruins at Side, the ancient cities of Ephesus and Perge, the Aspendos Amphitheatre and the amazing lunar landscape of Cappadoccia where you will find cities built into rock and caves to explore.

Manavgat is great for activity holidays with golf, river rafting and canyoning, paragliding, mountain biking and jeep safaris. There are plenty of golf courses in Manavgat and nearby Belek which is home to six world class courses. With perfect weather conditions and amazing backdrops this is the place to enjoy a golfing holiday.

Not to be missed when in Manavgat is a boat trip. As the Manavgat river flows through the town to the sea at Side visitors can take both river and sea boat trips. A river boat trip will take in the beautiful scenery of the town and surrounding area. From Side you can take a tradition gulet cruise along the coast, stopping off at the secluded coves for some swimming and diving.

Whether you are looking for a romantic holiday by the river, a family holiday on the beach, an adventure holiday or a cultural holiday there are always lots of package holidays available throughout the internet.

Butterfly Valley

Ideal for a quiet and humble holiday. Can be reached by sea, the beach, dozens of famous type of butterfly, one to one for those who enjoy camping holidays. All day long soak up the sun, can swim, hammocks, relax under the palm trees. Rock climbing and trekking can be done in the valley behind the beach. Take a pleasant walk to the waterfall where the butterflies can introduce you to the wonders of nature

Butterfly Valley, the province of Mugla, Fethiye Oludeniz town within the boundaries of the town is a natural treasure. Protection of endemic species as a world heritage site because of its proposed 100 Butterfly Valley in the foothills of the mountain, which is one of Babadag, 8 February 1995 1 degree of natural protection, and any type of construction has been declared closed. The name of the valley surrounded by steep rocky walls, reaching to 350 meters, has hosted more than 80 butterfly species, and especially the tiger butterfly. Faralya source in the village and 50 meters waterfall, with a creek through the center of the Valley to the Mediterranean.

The geographical structure of the Valley of Butterflies, flora and fauna science circles, especially botanists and entomologists become subject to examination and laboratory studies, draws the attention of national and international environmental organizations, and ecological formations.

Butterfly Valley transportation is provided by boats from Ölüdeniz. Faralya (Uzunyurt) a path from the village of the Valley, reaching the surface, but rope climbing routes, and because of the variable, must be accompanied by a guide.

Butterfly Valley and to protect wildlife by taking the necessary steps to implement projects that were created on a facility in order. Business opportunities that offer accommodation to visitors of tents and tree houses has a capacity of 500 guests per day and the Valley of the Butterflies, as well as making ecological farming on 100 acres land, waste treatment, cleaning of the sea and carries out projects in clean energy matters.

Summer Travel: Turkey’s Aegean Coast

There must be something in the human brain that draws our species to the coast, be it a primitive desire to hunt and fish, or a hedonistic drive to worship the sun and sea. Either way, life always seems better near the water.

One of our favorite coastlines may not be as fashionable as the French Riviera, nor as romantic as Italy's Cinque Terra. But what it lacks in glitz and glam, it more than makes up for in cultural and historical relevance.

On that note, let me draw your attention to Turkey's Aegean coast, a strip of land in the southwest corner of ancient Anatolia, also known as Asia Minor. It borders the Aegean Sea, and was part of both the Hellenistic and Roman Empires.

With a pedigree stretching back more than two millennia, it shouldn't come as a surprise that Turkey's Aegean coast is home to some serious heavyweight attractions. We're talking specifically about the foundation stones of the Temple of Artemis (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World), the ruined Roman city of Ephesus, the Basilica of St. John and the House of the Virgin Mary.



There are actually several ways that travelers access Turkey's Aegean coast. If you're a fan of cruising, then you'll be happy to know that the resort town of Kuşadası is home to a large ship berth. As such, it's easy to combine a cruise through the Greek islands with add-ons in Kuşadası and even Istanbul. Kuşadası itself makes for an interesting stopover, complete with Ottoman-built city walls, a portside promenade and powdery beaches.

Another option, albeit one that's mainly popular with British and European travelers, is to access the coast via charter flight to the city of İzmir. However, for North Americans traveling across the pond, it makes more sense to fly directly to Istanbul, and then travel south along the coast. Fortunately, Turkey boasts an excellent long-distance bus network. Night buses with on-board stewardesses, overhead movies and reclining seats are surprisingly comfortable, very safe and all-together affordable.

If you're interested in ticking off the list of sights that we previously mentioned, then it's best to base yourself in the tiny town of Selçuk. Here along the coast you will find a few generic resort complexes, but we're partial to the smaller B&Bs and guesthouses scattered amidst the historic center. Largely Ottoman in design, Selçuk is guarded by a grand fortress, and surrounded by rolling hillsides and sweet-smelling orchards.

When it comes to sightseeing, quite frankly you're spoiled for choice.

Although the Pyramids of Giza are the only ancient wonder of the world that remains intact, the foundation stones of the Temple of Artemis were discovered in 1869 at Selçuk. Subsequent archaeological excavations revealed numerous sculptural fragments and column segments, thus improving our knowledge of one of the most influential temples in the Greco-Roman world. Today a solitary reconstructed pillar of incongruous stones marks the site.

One of the most impressive ruins in Selçuk is the Basilica of St. John, which was constructed by the Roman Emperoro Justinian I in the 6th century. In addition to serving as a house of worship, the basilica also marks the final resting place of St. John, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. After his exile from Jerusalem, St. John took up residence in Ephesus (modern Selçuk) where it is believed that he received the final word of Jesus Christ and wrote the Book of Revelation.

The basilica's exterior was modeled after the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople (Istanbul), which stood for almost a thousand years before being demolished by the Ottomans in the 15th century. Inside, the Basilica of St. John is covered in marble and mosaics, and contains a crypt where the apostle's tomb lies. On any given day, the ruins are visited by thousands of devoted pilgrims.


On a nearby hilltop lies another famous pilgrimage site, namely the House of the Virgin Mary. This humble stone structure is where St. John is believed to have led Mary after their exodus from Jerusalem. In the Catholic doctrine, the house is also where Mary spent the remainder of her life prior to her Assumption into heaven.

Of course, the most impressive sight along Turkey's Aegean coast is Ephesus, one of the largest and best-preserved Greco-Roman cities. The centerpiece is the Library of Celsus, a monumental public depository that at one time held more than ten-thousand scrolls. Its main facade is comprised of two levels of Ionic and Corinthian columns, and gives way to the unrestored interior containing rows of storage niches.

Beyond the library, Ephesus holds several other noteworthy buildings including a 44,000-person theater, the largest in the ancient world, two agoras or open-air places of assembly, triumphal gates, ceremonial fountains, a gladiators' graveyard and consecrated temples to the various gods and emperors. Everything is connected via broad colonnaded streets lined with polished marble slabs.

Here is an interesting piece of information: Although the present coastline is a bit far from the core of Ephesus, in ancient times the city was adjacent to the harbor. However, heavy silting over the generations gradually pushed Ephesus inland. As impressive as the ruins are now, we can only imagine how much more striking a seaside Ephesus would have appeared.

So, have we convinced you to take a trip to Turkey's Aegean coast? Hope so, though if you still need more inspiration, check out the gallery below.

Olympos, Turkey

Ancient Lycian ruins, an isolated Mediterranean beach, accommodation in treehouses and flames that mysteriously burn from the side of a mountain are some of the attractions of Olympos (Olimpos) in Turkey's south.

The modern "village" is named after the Lycian/Roman city that now lies in ruins on the beach, which in turn is named after nearby Mt. Tahtalı, the highest mountain of the vicinity and, along with some other 20-odd noticably high mountains in northeastern Mediterranean basin, known as Olympos in antiquity.

A hippie haven until recently, the completion of a surfaced road from the main highway in summer 2009 means that there are many more people (including families with fussy children, and rowdy and drunk teenagers) heading there compared with only a few years past. In summer weekends when hordes of day- (and night-)trippers pour in, Olympos is sadly not much different from any ordinary resort town now. However, former habitués report that autumns when everyone else quits the scene, Olympos is just as beautiful as it used to be.

Getting to Olympos

Olympos is about 50-60 km south of Antalya. Nearest major towns are Kumluca to the south and Kemer to the north of Olympos. There are minibuses from Antalya's otogar (main station for intercity buses) as well as buses from Antalya to Kaş (and all those others on the way west like Kumluca), which stop at the junction on upland section of the main coastal highway of the region, which is about 10 km away from Olympos. There is a station at the junction with an open air cafe, which also offers some snacks. From there a dolmuş, which depart fairly frequent nowadays, can be caught.

Olympos Sights

The "town" area is a collection of backpacker guesthouses and hostels, particularly popular are the treehouse style bungalows. Follow the dusty road down past the end of the guesthouses and it leads to an ancient winding path, past the remains of ancient Greek ruins and down to the sparkling water. It's a pebble beach with absolutely no shade, so it's blisteringly hot to sit on and not very comfortable without thick padding, but the scenery is spectacular.

The ruins themselves are quite impressive, not as much so as Ephesus but still worth seeing. The relative lack of tourist traffic compared to Ephesus means the site is largely overgrown, which gives the place a "mystical" feel, so you have to do some hiking to get to some of the remains. I was there in late May and it was already brutally hot, so be prepared with lots of sunscreen and water.

Entering the ruins cost 3 TL/person, and going to the beach requires entering the ruins and the staff at the gate make no distinction between someone visiting the ruins and a beachgoer, so you'll have to pay this fee each time you're going to beach, except, of course, late at night and very early in the morning, when the office is unmanned. There is also the option of buying a weekly pass which costs 10 TL and gives unlimited access to the ruins, and thus the beach.

Olympos Activities

Bayrams has a lively social scene, with several resident Aussies tending bar. When it's fully dark you can take a bus up to Mount Olympos, with a 45 minute hike up to the Eternal Flames of the Chimera. These flames issue from natural gas jets in the side of the hill, which will self ignite if put out. These are the flames that inspired the Greek myth of Bellarophon and the Chimera. Ranging in size from small flickers to decent size campfires, they're quite interesting when you consider they've been burning for thousands of years.

Gulets cruising down the coast from Antalya stop at the beach to allow their passengers to wade ashore and visit the ruins or eat at one of the many beachside restaurants.

Olympos Money and Shopping

Since the area is under protection, no permanent construction is allowed (save for treehouses) and as such there is no formal bank in Olympos. However, a mobile satellite-connected cash dispenser run by the Turkish bank of Yapı Kredi is available in a central location between guesthouses, at least in summer.

Nearby Destinations to Olympos

Minibuses leave to the station on the main road every couple of hours. From there, dolmuşes go towards Antalya and Kaş (15 TL) every 30 minutes. It may be worth asking about buses direct to Fethiye if that is your destination.

There are also gulets that leave from Olympos going to Fethiye generally taking 4 days to get there.

• Adrasan about 4 km away, having been spared (at least for now) from development since the surfaced road does not yet reach there, is the destination of choice for the former frequenters of Olympos who flee the crowds newly arriving to Olympos.

Hasankeyf, Turkey

Hasankeyf is a small village located along the banks of the Tigris River in southeastern Turkey.

It has been settled for perhaps as long as three millennia, though most cliff dwellings are around 2,000 years old. It was perhaps inhabited first by Assyrians and/or Urartians, and then most certainly by successive Roman, Byzantine, Turkic, and Arabic dynasties.

The unfortunate thing about Hasankeyf is that it is slated to be inundated upon the completion of a dam project that has been in the works for a couple decades now.

Getting to Hasankeyf

Hasankeyf is far from the rest of Turkey, but one can easily reach the city of Batman by bus or rail, and then cover the remaining hour or so of travel by minibuses (dolmuş) offered by Hasankeyf town council (Hasankeyf Belediyesi). It costs 3 TL/person. It's also possible to reach Hasankeyf by taking Batman-Midyat-Mardin minibuses.

Hasankeyf Sights

Hasankeyf is rich in history throughout the ages. The main archaeological highlight of Hasankeyf is the citadel on the very top of the town, overlooking the river. Considering how extensive these ruins are, an entire day (or two) could easily be spent exploring.

The grand days of Hasankeyf are long gone, so most sights are in a state of disrepair, or even partially ruined (which is made worse as the much needed funds for renovation are blocked due to the dam project), although all are intact—and beautiful—enough as to allow you to imagine what they were like back in the day.

• Old bridge. Built in 1116 by Artuqid ruler Fahrettin Karaaslan as a replacement of an older bridge, the bridge spanning the Tigris River is considered to be the largest from the Medieval Period. Passageway of the bridge was made of wood so that it could be removed in case of an attack, and as a result, only two piers and some foundation work are all that exist of the bridge today. The funny thing about the bridge is, the intact watchtower of the bridge on the opposite bank now serves as a room of an adjacent house built later, complete with a small wooden door on what was the main gate, opening to part of the passageway, which in turn serves as the balcony!

• Citadel (signposted Kale at the main highway through the town). This structure sits 100m above the Tigris River, overlooking Hasankeyf, with impressive views over the old town and the river. The citadel has likely been used as a dwelling place for centuries. Admission 3 TL pp.

• Small Palace. This palace was built by the Ayyubids and overlooks Hasankeyf as it sits on a cliff.

• Ulu Mosque (Ulu Camii, literally "Great Mosque"). Built by the Ayyubids in 1325, on the top of a church's remains.

• Great Palace. The palace was built by the Artuqids and has an associated rectangular tower that may have been a watchtower.

• El Rizk Mosque. The Mosque was built in 1409 by the Ayyubid Sultan Süleyman and stands on the bank of the Tigris River. The mosque also has a minaret that has remained intact.

• Süleyman Mosque. This mosque was built by Sultan Süleyman and is all but destroyed except for a minaret. Süleyman's grave is missing from the site as well.

• Koc Mosque. The mosque is located east of the Süleyman Mosque and was likely built by the Ayyubids.

• Kizlar Mosque. Located east of the Koc Mosque, the Kizlar Mosque was also likely from the Ayyubid period as well. The section of the structure which is used as a mosque today was a mausoleum in the past, containing grave remnants.

• Imam Abdullah Tomb. The tomb lies west of the new bridge in Hasankeyf and it the tomb of Imam Abdullah. Abdullah was the grandson of Jafar at-Tayyar, uncle of the prophet Mohammad. An epitaph on the tomb states that the tomb was restored in the Ayyubid period.

• Zeynel Bey Mausoleum. Named after Zeynel Bey, this mausoleum is on the less-built opposite (northern) banks of the river (and as such easily distinguishable from the surroundings), with its outside covered with charming blue mosaics of geometrical designs and calligraphy, although somewhat worn out. Bey was the son of Uzun Hassan, the ruler of the Akkoyunlu Dynasty which ruled over Hasankeyf in the 15th century.

Hasankeyf Activities

Aside from the spectacular heritage sites, thousands of caves exist in the cliffs that surround the city with old shepherd paths through narrow side canyons and along the tops of towering limestone cliffs. Many of the caves are multi-storied and water-supplied. Until the 1970s many families still lived in the ancient cliff dwellings (signposted Mağaralar) along the river, but now there aren't more than a few inhabitants. Churches and mosques were also carved into the cliffs and numerous ancient cemeteries exist throughout the area as well.

The great thing about Hasankeyf is that the lack of Western tourists- and pretty much anyone at all- really makes you feel that you're pretty off-the-beaten track. Find a local guide to take you on the some of the trails carved into the rock with beautiful views of the valley.

Hasankeyf Safety

While you will see locals taking a dip in the river in summer, it is better to be on the safe side and save your eagerness for somewhere else. The riverbed is deeper and the current is stronger than how they appear in the first glance, and indeed a number of lives is lost to the river every year in this very place.