Up the Dalyan River (without a Paddle...)

​After leaving Gocek bay we had one more overnight stop just outside the headland, and a little further west from Ragged bay where we stayed on the way in. This was really just to shorten the trip to Ekincek and make it a little easier on our VIP guests, my mum and brother Michael. This bay has the unlikely name of Kukukaga Koyu and is shallow enough to swing anchor which is a real bonus, as I am so over swimming lines ashore. As boats left we repositioned ourselves but sadly the music got louder and louder on one of the gulets (they were there before us). Keith went over to see if they were staying the night and as they were, and expected to be kicking on until the wee hours, we moved around the corner to Buyukaga Koyu. That meant swimming lines ashore at dusk but it is just as nice a bay and very quiet. Such a shame that one boat can completely ruin a beautiful place with noise pollution.

Buyukarga Koyu

In the morning my brother went ashore and walked up to the top of the ridge. The party boat was gone, probably left early morning when the punters were still sleeping. We left around mid-morning to get to Ekincek Beach anchorage, motoring most of the way with a short-lived gennaker sail towards the end. We settled into our anchorage in the west of the bay, off the black sand beach. Keith and Michael went ashore to organise our tour for the next day, all very easy (Euro120 for a private boat for 6hours). We went for a walk along the beach where the sand gradually turns to gravel the further you walk along and it becomes impossible to continue. Not much to the town, a few tired looking "resorts" line the beach, but the town quay is recently upgraded and looks quite nice. The Dalyan river cruise is the main attraction for coming here. It is very popular with cruisers heading along the coast (and back) between Marmaris and Gocek and makes for an interesting diversion without having to get off the water for too long!

​In the morning we were picked up from ITIKI just after 8am and skirted the coast checking out some caves and rock formations along the way before entering the river mouth. We decline the first stop at Turtle Beach as it just seems like some kind of beach resort, hopefully no one will tell me we missed something amazing. We head directly to Caunos which is an ancient city of Caria and Anatolia, founded in the 9th century BC. The boat drops us off here and we explore on foot. A short walk up hill and we find a well-preserved theatre a bath house as well as other ruins. We are here early enough to have the site to ourselves for a short while before the road trippers start showing up. We spend an hour wandering around the site which also has a great view over the mouth of the river and down to the coast. Back on the boat and we weave our way through channels of rushes, dodging the increasing amount of traffic coming the other way. Having an early start was a really good idea. We start to see glimpses of the ancient Lycean Tombs (The Kings Tombs) in the rock face ahead and we make a stop at the lovely town of Dalyan. Here we have 2 hours and after taking the obligatory selfies in front of the tombs, we wander around the town. Its not possible to visit the tombs and go inside, unfortunately and there is a dearth of information about them in the town. To make up for it there are plenty of lovely shops and cafes so we do a little shopping, and then enjoy a lunch of gozleme (Turkish pancakes) before it is time to head back down the river. Once we leave the protection of the river, the trip around the headland and back to ITIKI is a little bouncy as the afternoon breeze has picked up. We up anchor and move to another small bay just to the south, for a change of scenery for the evening.

Enjoy the trip up the river with us: