The Coasts of Caria
Saturday 10 – Saturday 24 May 2025
Cost: £4,400 per person, £5,700 in single cabin. Scroll down for details, itinerary and how to book.
A late-spring fortnight exploring the best of ancient Caria in a gulet, a traditional Turkish schooner as comfortable as she is romantic, in the company of veteran Turkey hands travel writer Jeremy Seal and archaeologist Yunus Özdemir.
Jeremy and Yunus have devoted much of their working lives to exploring every corner of Turkey. At once experienced attentive guides and good companions, they boast an unrivalled knowledge of this coast’s history, culture, topography, ancient ruins – and lunch stops. Gulet captain Alettin knows the best swimming spots and the most secluded anchorages better than anybody.
Our journey begins in Bodrum, ancient Halicarnassus, and takes in the Gulf of Gökova, the Datça and Loryma Peninsulas and the Bay of Fethiye. Sites include Halicarnassus, the magnificent twin sites of Stratonikeia and Lagina, Knidos, Loryma, Kaunos, Lydae and Lycian Pınara. Itinerary google map HERE.
Caria is a land of legendary resonance and beauty. Our journey along the sea routes which once connected Byzantium and Ephesus with Alexandria and Antioch introduces us to the Hellenistic (3rd and 2nd centuries BC) and Roman (mostly 1st and 2nd centuries AD) civilisations at their height. Recent excavations at ancient sites like Knidos and Kaunos have revealed the remarkable affluence and sophistication of these port cities.
Discover these outstanding ancient sites in the company of expert guides. Enjoy excellent food both onboard and onshore, delightful swim spots and idyllic overnight anchorages. There is no better way to explore the Turkish Mediterranean.
Site gradings in bold indicate how uneven and/or steep the going will be underfoot; A-C are generally manageable, D may well be an issue for some, and E, should you ever come across the designation, is exclusively for goats.
Day 1/Sat 10 May 2025: Guests are met at Bodrum Airport for the short transfer to Bodrum’s harbour where our gulet and supper await.
Day 2/Sun 11 May 2025: After breakfast we put ashore to explore Bodrum, taking in the Mausoleum (A), one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and Bodrum’s Castle of the Knights (A/B), where highlights include a shipwrecked cargo dating from the time of the Trojan Wars. We lunch in town before our gulet leaves for the Gulf of Gökova and our overnight anchorage at Çökertme.
Day 3/Mon 12 May 2025: After breakfast we continue along the coast to Ören (A/B) (ancient Keramos) to discover the relic monuments casually scattered through this sleepy Turkish village. In the afternoon we continue onto our overnight anchorage at Akbük.
Day 4/Tues 13 May 2025: We put ashore to board our minibus for the 75-minute drive through the mountains to Stratonikeia (A/B), a magnificent Hellenistic city site scattered with striking Ottoman-era residences. We lunch here before making the short journey to the temple at Lagina (A), sanctuary site of the goddess Hecate. We rejoin our gulet before crossing the Gulf of Gökova to our overnight anchorage at Yedi Adalar.
Day 5/Weds 14 May 2025: We leave early, stopping for lunch and a swim before arriving at Knidos, an ancient port spectacularly located at the tip of the Datça Peninsula. We anchor for the night in the ancient harbour, overlooked by the theatre. It is a magical setting.
Day 6/Thurs 15 May 2025: The day is spent exploring Knidos (B), with its wealth of temples, churches, cisterns and colonnaded streets. There is the opportunity of an sunset walk out to the lighthouse at the tip of the peninsula. We overnight in Knidos.
Day 7/Fri 16 May 2025: We leave early for Datça, a sleepy and likeable port where we lunch by the waterside. There is time to shop and explore before we leave to overnight in a nearby bay.
Day 8/Sat 17 May 2025: We head south to the tip of the Loryma Peninsula for the ancient harbour at Loryma. We put ashore in the afternoon to explore the impressive 4th-century BC fortress (B/C) which guards the harbour mouth and looks out over Rhodes.
Day 9/Sun 18 May 2025: We make our way north up the Loryma Peninsula, stopping at Arab Island to swim and lunch, before continuing to our anchorage beneath Amos (C/D), an ancient city which some guests may like to visit (via a somewhat precipitous path); others may prefer to sit this one out.
Day 10/Mon 19 May 2025: We leave early for Ekincik where we breakfast. We board a local caique which takes us over the sandbar at the mouth of the Dalyan Delta and up through the river reeds to Kaunos (B), a splendid port city with an especially notable theatre and early church. We lunch by the river in the town of Dalyan before returning to our gulet at Ekincik.
Day 11/Tues 20 May 2025: We make for the lovely anchorage at Ağlımanı for the walk up to Lydae (C), a beautifully sited Roman city that is now home to nothing but a few scattered shepherds’ encampments.
Day 12/Weds 21 May 2025: We head into the ruin-scattered bay at Batik Hamam for lunch before crossing the Bay of Fethiye to our anchorage at Gemiler. In the late afternoon we put ashore to explore the Byzantine monastic settlement of St Nicholas Island (C).
Day 13/Thurs 22 May 2025: We put ashore first thing at Gemiler to visit Kayaköy (B), the former Christian town that has stood abandoned since the notorious population exchanges of the 1920s. Here we breakfast before taking the spectacular mountain road to Pınara (B/C), one of the loveliest sited and most romantic of the region’s cities. We lunch in the village before heading to Fethiye for a brief explore of the town before rejoining our gulet. We anchor in Fethiye Bay.
Day 14/Fri 23 May 2025: We spend our last day swimming and relaxing in the Bay of Fethiye.
Day 15/Sat 24 May 2025: We say goodbye and put ashore for the short transfer to Dalaman Airport.
For a google map of the itinerary, click HERE.
Cost: £4400 per person sharing, £5700 per person in sole occupancy of a cabin.
Price includes all meals, onboard wine, beer and spirits, guiding, entry fees and talks, airport transfers, outings and tips. Does not include international flights or any visas you may need. Where meals are taken onshore, any alcohol is payable by guests.
Your holiday is fully bonded and administered by Heritage Group Travel (www.grouptravel.co.uk) in Bath. For a small charge Heritage can also assist with your flights.
The trip will only run with sufficient numbers; early indications of interest are much appreciated.
BOOKINGS/INQUIRIES either to jeremy@somewherewonderful.com or text/call Jeremy +44 (0)7757 703604.