The Kekova Region
Kekova is a truly beautiful place and if you read websites speaking highly of it, they are true. I love the place, it is so beautiful and relaxing. It's no wonder it's popular with yachtıes. Also with Britain's royal family, they sometimes come here. It was reported that Prince Charles was here a few years ago with Camilla and his sons.
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| The Kekova region, view from the road leading to the village of Üçağiz. Üçağiz means "three mouths", these are the two openings east and west of Kekova island and the channel to Üçağiz village. |
Visiting Kekova
By car: you can access the road to Kekova by turning off the main
Kas-Finike highway (it is marked) and driving 19 km to Üçağiz. You'll
pass the village of Kılıçlı in a valley which is one of the few places in
Turkey that I occasionally see a few non-touristic camels. In Üçağiz
you can find boats for hire in Üçağiz or join a boat tour, if you haven't
already made arrangements.
By daily tour: tours run from tourist towns and cities along the coast. If your tour is originating from a distance, you may first be brought overland to Üçağiz, where you will board your boat. You can also go directly to Kekova by boat, such as from Kaş, but then less of your day is spent in the Kekova region because of the time it takes the boat to reach the area. Daily tour boats are usually double-decked with a glass bottom for viewing the ancient sunken buildings and walls. You'll have lots of swimstops in beautiful places, definitely bring a snorkle if you can.
Üçağiz is the harbour of the area and is still a fairly sleepy and laid-back place that isn't tacky. It has lots of good seafood restaurants by the harbour, old whitewashed buildings covered with flowers and bouganvillea and little souvenier shops. You can visit some of the ruins of Teimiussa by walking to the east end of the harbour. There are some pension here, but I have heard that they fill up pretty quickly during the summer months, so it would probably be best to book ahead.
Kaleköy is reached by boat and if you are on a daily trip, you'll probably stop here where you can can have tea or a snack at a café, wander the winding streets, see the castle (you can get great photos from here) and the Lycian sarcophagi. It is a very quaint little place and one of the cafés has the best homemade ice-cream I've ever eaten. I believe it is called the Ankh Cafe or Pension (Pansyon), and it isn't far from where your boat will dock (I think you can see it from the sea). It overlooks the sea.
I'm sorry I don't have better photos of the region. Hopefully when the weather is warm enough for swimming we'll have time to get back there and take a boat trip, I'll post my pictures from it the
Besides my pictures below, there are
some
excellent photo galleries
here and
here.
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Kaleköy |
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Boat sailing into the Üçağiz harbour |
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| Üçağiz, still a fairly sleepy and laid-back village. |
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Old buildings of Üçağiz |
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A great restaurant in Üçağiz where we had a delicious seafood lunch, at the western part of the harbour next to a parking lot. |
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The kekik (thyme) plant that grows all over the Kekova region.
Kekova means "plain of thyme" and I think the best thyme in Turkey
comes from here. You can buy large bags of dried thyme in Üçağiz
and perhaps in Kaleköy, very cheaply. My family and friends always
look forward to receiving some as presents on my trips back to my
hometown in America. |
