Kalekoy Harbour

There's something to please everyone here. The sunken city of Kekova is an unbelievable sight. The village has the most friendly people and the best ice cream possible. The castle on the hill has the best views around. The water is perfect for swimming or just to be stared at, I mean, look at the blue tones! it's the kind of place you want to go and stay!

There were eight of us Canadians staying in Kalkan and we booked a day sail with the local tour operator. By a stroke of great luck we were booked on the Kekova II. The skipper and his mate were awesome guides and took us to great snorkling areas, fed us Turkish tea and provided a great lunch. When asked if he was responsible for such a great lunch he shyly said he helped his mom make it, we of course were thrilled. More snorkling and then a stop at a fortress on top of a hill. While we were climbing the steps to the fortress we noticed a sign for the best home made ice cream, off we went to see if the claim was true. It is! Our boat skipper was helping behind the bar and clearing tables and as we left and said good-bye to the owner we could not help but notice the resemblance to our skipper, it was his dad. His family owns the restaurant and the boat and everybody helps out with both. Absolutely fantastic day was had by all and all agree it was one of the highlights of our three weeks in Turkey. We are now measuring highlights in decimal points as in 9.95, 9.85 etc. as there were so many great adventures from hot air ballooning to gorge trekking to boat rides.

Kaleköy (ancient Simena) is a small village only accessible by boat, either from the nearby ports of Üçağız or Demre Çayağzı. Simena was an ancient Lycian village (4th C BC, predating the Greek conquest). Today, it is a small secluded village with steep cobblestone streets, white stone houses, small walled gardens and fruit trees. The harbor area is lined with seafood restaurants and “meyhanes” (Turkish tavernas). Food and lodging are available in the village. A steep path leads to the ruins of the crusader castle above. Built by the Knights of St. John from Rhodes, the fortress contains the ruins of battlements, bastions, an ancient temple and the smallest extant Lycian amphitheater (seven rows and 300 theater seats). The area has been settled for millennia; a graveyard 100m east of the fortress is littered with huge boat-shaped Lycian sarcophagi, turning the area into an open-air museum. During Greek and Roman times the economy was built around the production of Tyrian dye, a deep and costly purple dye produced from the Murex sea snail. Lycian, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman artifacts can be seen around the village grounds, and parts of the ancient city walls are still visible. Simena Fortress is open (mid-Apr–Oct) 8am-7pm, and Nov–mid-Apr,closes at 5pm. There is an entry fee of 14 ₺.

Great to visit the castle, ancient old turkey at its best, nice little café bars and some great snorkelling and kayaking round this area. If you can be there of an evening there are wonderful sunsets. Climb up to the castle is well worth it for the views

We sailed our boat to Kalekoy Harbour and did the usual tourist thing - visited the fort etc. Before we left we decided to lunch at the family run Likya Restaurant. We tied our boat to the restaurant's wharf and we were welcomed by Mehmet Demir, the owners son, who made us a delightful lunch. We stayed for diner as well and had a great seafood meal - really fresh and cooked just so well.

Two days later we had to return as we missed the friendly atmosphere and great food. Mehmet's mother was happy to share her recipes and even allowed a younger family member help prepare some of her Turkish specialties.

An unforgettable experience and we will surely be back next season.

You visit this harbour in the afternoon of your Kekova boat trip. Steep climb up to the fortress on the hill, which can be a bit of an effort in the heat, but the view is fantastic, especially towards the sunken city. Then it's back down to a lovely cafe selling the most delicious peach ice cream ( they also do delicious banana).
I can imagine it's pretty dead when the tourist boats leave, but maybe that's a good thing?

I walked to Ucagiz from Kas along the wonderful Lycian Way, [see Kate Clow's brilliant book on it] and then hopped on a boat with the indomitable Hussein and onto Kale Koy. This is heaven for those who like their antiquities with the bloom of decay un-removed un sanitized. Hundreds of Lycian tombs. See pictures.

This is a fascinating place. Ruins, panoramic view, village and shopping at localsall of them fantastic.You can go there by boat. There are daily boat trip in Kas which travel to nearest islands, bays and special places. We went there with "Neseli Kaptan - the captain cheerful". He is very friendly and warm like his nickname. Our trip was funny, we saw kalekoy, underwater ruins, and swim in "aquarium bay". Lunch was including the price, the meal had been prepared by captain's wife and served in boat, it was tasty. Price is reasonable and this activity is highly recomended.

Kalekoy is a beautiful place when you see from the boat. However when you visit the village it was so disappointing.

This is a really beautiful place. Everything about it - the old Seljuk castle, the sunken city, the small and lovely village, all are great locations.