We arrived in Kas in the evening after visiting Patara Ruins and the beach. It had been an excellent day stopping at different sites while making our way to Kas. This post, “Kas Ultimate Guided Tour Turkey Six Should See Destinations,” is our third in a series of posts. We are documenting our adventures and visits as we travel across Turkey with ITT Group Turkey. We purchased this Turkey tour package while visiting Pamukkale.
Ultimate Guided Tour Of Patara Ruins And Beach (map)
Patara Ruins and beach can be found 45 minutes west of Kas. We actually stopped here the day before on our trip from Fethiye. But Patara is situated closer to Kas. We thought that we add it to this post rather than the post about Fethiye. Patara was the major naval and trading port of Lycia. Patara was a very wealthy city due to trade and was one of the six principal cities of Lycia. Patara’s oracle is the renowned temple of Apollo (not yet found) that was said to rival that at Delphi. The temple equaled the reputation of the famous temple on the island of Delos. It was believed that Apollo lived at Delos during the summer but spent his winters at Patara.
There is a very beautiful beach (Patara) located near the ruins, said to be one of the most beautiful in Turkey. Its length is about 12km and is known to be a nesting spot of the loggerhead turtle. The beach is closed from dusk till dawn to give the turtles peace in which to lay their eggs.
We spent about an hour here walking through parts of the ruins and enjoying the views of the beach. Too bad, we visited in March as the beach is so beautiful and the water looked so inviting. If in the area you should drop by as this place is worth the visit and that beach would be nice in the summer months. There was no cost to visit the ruins or beach when we were there. We were told that one can easily catch a bus from Kas to Patara beach. This might be something one could do when the waters are a little more comfortable.
Ultimate Guided Tour Of Kas And Area (map)
Kas is a seaside town on the Mediterranean coast in southwestern Turkey. The city occupies the site of ancient Antiphellos, with still-visible ruins including the theater. The 4th-century-B.C. Lion Tomb, with 2 carved lion heads, is one of many Lycian rock tombs you will see within the city. The Lycian Way, a marked trail, passes by the town.
We stayed at Cobanoglu Hotel that night, basic accommodation. Had a good sleep, and enjoyed our breakfast that was provided in the morning. After breakfast, we and our guide (Dogan) walked around the town center taking in the sites. While walking we ran across several Lycian rock tombs, one was literally across from our hotel. It’s nice to see that these ancient tombs were not moved or discarded over the years. It adds a sense of wonder to think about the long-ago past.
Kas was originally called Habesos or Habesa in the ancient language of Lycia, later given the name Antiphellos. Antiphellos was a member of the Lycian League. It is known to have gained a reputation and its importance as a port town during the Hellenistic period around the 4th century BC.
In town, there is an ancient theater about a half kilometer from the town center. Besides the ruins, Kas offers a variety of adventure activities. They include; paragliding, river rafting, and trekking through countless mountains. Kas is also known as one of the leading spots for diving in Turkey. With many diving schools that offer lessons. Too bad as we would have liked to have dove given the chance, but the water is just too cold. There are many underwater caves, ancient shipwrecks, and a beautiful array of fish and other sea creatures.
Guided Tour Of Kaleüçağız And Boat Tour The Sunken City Of Simena (map)
After leaving Kas we headed with our driver and guide to the village of Kaleüçağı. To discover the Sunken City of Kekova. This city was called Simena a Lycian settlement that sank into the sea by earthquakes in the 2nd century BC. Not all of the city is underwater but most of it is. When the water is calm you can see parts of the sunken city through the water. It is best to be high above for a better look down into the water.
When we arrived in Kaleüçağız the wind was blowing, kicking waves out on the water. We were a little concerned as we might not be able to take our boat tour. Our driver stopped at a restaurant that he knew of and talked to the owner about arranging a boat. After finding a willing captain it was off to see the sunken city. On our way out to the sunken city, the captain took us past Theimussa an ancient place. There were so many rock tombs spread out along the shore, an amazing sight.
Leaving the protection of the bay we round the corner to see Ucagiz Kekova Castle it looks like an impressive structure, here we also see a Lycian rock tomb sitting in the shallows of the bay. In this area, you can see parts of the sunken city on a calm day but, the water was so rough that for us it was impossible. Instead, we marvel at what we can see above the waterline.
Kekova Island
After touring this area here we headed over to Kekova Island just across from where we were, this also has parts of the sunken city but the rough water still makes this impossible to see. But up on shore, there are still remanents of what is left of the city, a staircase leading into the water and pieces of the ancient buildings that have survived the centuries. After taking many pictures and fantasizing about what was here so many years ago we head back to town. This has been an enjoyable excursion it’s just too bad the weather did not cooperate. Turkey holds so many hidden secrets we were fortunate to discover this one. We leave Kaleüçağız after spending 3 hours looking around and the boat tour. Now we are off to Demre a 30-minute drive to visit the Myra ruins one of the Lycian Civilization’s most impressive settlements.
Ultimate Guided Tour Of Demre to Visit Myra Ruins And St. Nicholas Church
We arrive in Demre and head to a local eatery for lunch, as always the food is good, plentiful, and inexpensive, just the way we like it. After lunch, we set off to visit St. Nicholas church after which we will visit the Myra ruins. Never seem to get tired of history and seeing incredible ruins.
St. Nicholas Church (map)
The church to honor Saint Nicholas and that contains his tomb was constructed in AD 520 on the foundations of the older Christian church. You may be surprised to hear that this St. Nicholas is the real face behind the legend of Santa Claus. Many people are unaware that this influential patron saint resided in this region, and served as the Greek bishop of Myra. The church is regarded as one of the most important Byzantine structures in Anatolia. It is famous for its remarkable wall frescos, its architecture, and its religious significance.
The cost of visiting St. Nicholson church is 70 TL each. We spent an hour looking around and admiring all of the wall and ceiling frescoes. We found the fresco’s to be extremely beautiful and moving. St. Nicholas church is definitely worth visiting if only to see all the impressive frescos.
Myra Ruins (Lycian Rock Tombs) (map)
The Ancient City of Myra, located in Demre, is one of the Lycian civilization’s most interesting and fascinating settlements. Located at the crossroads of maritime and land-based trade routes. Myra is located in the central Lycian region and served as the most important representative of Lycian art and culture. Myra is one of the most touristic ancient cities on the Mediterranean coast. Having an impressive theater and an incredible mountain wall full of rock-cut tombs (graves). The Lycians held a belief that the souls of their dead would be transported from the tombs to the afterworld by a sort of winged siren-like creature, and so often placed their tombs along the coast or at the top of cliffs.
We spent several hours at these ruins, the entrance fee of 55 TL, inexpensive for the privilege of seeing such amazing wonders. These Myra ruins are simply incredible. When you first enter there are many stone blocks with beautiful stone carvings on them, many with faces. As you approach the mountain wall and see the rock tombs it is overwhelming how incredibly glorious it all appears to be. The tombs are many and extremely beautiful to look at. One can stand there and admire these tombs for a very long time, they are just that awe-inspiring. Just think how incredible this feat was to accomplish.
Myra Theater
Located next to the rock tombs is the just as impressive Theater. The theater of Myra is one of the few surviving archaeological remains of the ancient city. Situated at the feet of several much older rock tombs. Built-in the first quarter of the third century CE. This theater is in very good condition and very beautiful in its own right. The theater could accommodate somewhere around 12,000 spectators during its day. Sights like these are magical wonders because of their size and the sheer feat in their construction. To have witnessed such a civilization would have been phenomenal. All of this never ceases to amaze us.
Guided Tour Of Mount Chimaera (map)
We drove to Mount Chimaera after leaving Myra. We arrived early in the evening just in time to see the flames when the daylight was fading. Mt. Chimaera is a mountain temple sanctuary dedicated to Hephaistos. Here natural fires have been burning for at least 2500 years through fissures fuelled by gas emissions. This site was identified as the ancient Mount Chimaera a myth, for which the Chimaera was a monstrous fire-breathing hybrid creature composed of different animal parts. According to Homer’s Iliad, the Greek hero Bellerophon was ordered by the king of Lycia to slay the Chimaera (hoping that the monster would instead kill Bellerophon). But the hero “trusting in the signs of the gods,” was victorious when he thrust a lump of lead attached to his spear into the beast’s mouth.
The forested park is open 24 hours a day. This allows visitors to hike the three kilometers (45 minutes) uphill along a rough stone path to the Chimera anytime. This is quite the walk as it is mostly uphill. Remember to have a flashlight on your way back down as it can be a bit of a tripping hazard. Not the place to twist an ankle or worse. We spent about 30-minutes up at the flames, this was a unique experience, and we do recommend visiting. There’s a small admission fee of 15 TL to the site. A spring near the parking lot provides drinking water, and there are bathrooms near the entrance as well.
Our Hotel Stay PLAJ Hotel (map)
After leaving Mount Chimaera we headed to our hotel for the night in Çıralı, PLAJ. We arrived near 8:30 pm, the owners went out of their way to provide us with a delicious fish dinner. The rooms were nice and simple, we had a great sleep. The next morning we went down to the restaurant for a traditional Turkish breakfast. We recommend staying here as the owners were extremely pleasant and went out of their way to make our stay comfortable. The food was very tasty, what else could one ask for.
Chronological Timeline Of Turkey
| Paleolithic Age (Early Stone Age) 60,000 – 10,000 BCE | Mesolithic Age (Mid Stone Age) 10,000 – 8,500 BCE |
| Neolithic Age (Late Stone Age) 8,500 – 5,000 BCE | Chalcolithic Age (Copper Age) 5,000 – 3,000 BCE |
| Bronze Age 3,000 – 2,000 BCE | Hatti and Hurrian Civilization 2,500 – 2,000 BCE |
| Troy – II Settlement 2,500 – 2,000 BCE | Hatti and Hittite Principalities Period 2,000 – 1,750 BCE |
| Great Hittite Kingdom Hurri Civilization 1,750 – 1,200 BCE | Troy – VI Civilization 1,800 – 1,275 BCE |
| Aegean Migration and Invasion From Balkans 1,200 BCE | The Anatolian Principalities during the Iron Age 1,200 – 700 BCE |
| Urartu Civilization 900 – 600 BCE | The Civilization of Phrygia 750 – 300 BCE |
| Lydia, Caria and Lycia Civilizations 700 – 300 BCE | Ionian Civilization 1,050 – 300 BCE |
| Persian Conquest 545 – 333 BCE | Hellenistic And Roman Age 333 BCE – 395 |
| The Byzantine Civilization (Eastern Roman Empire) 330 – 1453 | The Seljuk Empire 1071 – 1300 |
| The Ottoman Empire 1299 – 1923 | The Republic of Turkey Since 1923 |
ITT Group Turkey
ITT Group Turkey is a Company that offers exceptional tour packages that can be customized to your specific needs, wants, and expectations. In this series of posts that you will be reading, we have teamed up with the ITT Group Turkey to highlight our travels throughout Turkey. What started out as a search for a transfer from Pamukkale to Fethiye has turned out to be so much more. The ITT Group Turkey pays great detail to customer satisfaction, meaning that they go out of their way to provide a high standard of service for a very competitive rate. ITT Group Turkey can customize a tour package for you, just let them know what you would like to see and do, it’s that easy.
Meral our tour guide for most of our travels would call ahead of our destinations to find restaurants that served a specific dish or find tickets to the Whirling Dervish when we stayed in Konya. My point is that your guide or driver will go out of their way to make your trip one of those life moments that will stay with you forever. All the small details are taken care of just sit back relax and enjoy your private guided tour.
We babyboomerbudgettraveler did not receive any form of compensation, we enjoyed our trip with ITT Group Turkey and would like others to have the same experience. If you follow one of our links to ITT Group Turkey and book using the phrase “3btraveler” you will receive a discount rate of a minimum of 5%.
How To Apply For Turkey eVisa
The Electronic Visa (e-Visa) Application System allows visitors traveling to Türkiye to quickly obtain their e-Visas online (www.evisa.gov.tr) in approximately three minutes. It is possible to obtain e-Visa 7/24 everywhere with an internet connection. After filling in the necessary information concerning their identity, passport, and travel dates, the applicants can obtain their visa and pay the visa fees online. It truly is that easy; We recommend having a printed copy as well, just because.
Our Thoughts “Kas Ultimate Guided Tour Turkey Six Should See Destinations”
- We continue to enjoy our guided trip through Turkey with ITT Group Turkey. Dogan our guide has done a very good job in showing us interesting locations along our way. The best part of this trip has been seeing the Myra ruins and the rock tombs of the Lycian people. St. Nicholas church way in at second with all of its beautiful frescoes. We are continually in awe of the history that is found all throughout Turkey. If you enjoy history and ancient ruins half as much as us you need to visit Turkey as you will not regret it.
Our Positives
- The Patara ruins were nice to see, maybe not as many as other places that we have seen, but still beautiful
- Patara beach was a nice surprise, just too bad the time of year was not right to enjoy such a paradise.
- Myra ruins with the rock tombs were incredible, so many in one place, and the theater was in excellent shape, you could almost see the people sitting enjoying some kind of performance.
- The Sunken City was interesting from what we could see, just too bad the wind had to spoil the show.
- Mount Chimaera was very fascinating, it’s amazing to think that these flames have been performing to us onlookers for thousands of years
Our Negatives
- Not sure that we have any negatives, Doagn has done a good job of making sure that we have seen the most interesting stops along our way. The time of year, but like I have said before we are limited to when we can travel. Maybe we will be back, you never know.
Next Stop
Cindy and I, and my sister, are off to Antalya for seven days, after leaving Çıralı. We had booked this before purchasing our tour from ITT Group Turkey and could not get out of the booking. The time here will give us an opportunity to catch up on our blogging rest a little and enjoy the city. During our last two days in Antalya, we will have Meral back as our guide. We are all looking forward to her return as she has become much more than our guide. She knows what we like and goes out of her way to make sure that we are having fun, learning, and getting our daily workout. Please come visit us while we are in Antalya I promise to keep you entertained and informed as well.
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Recommended Travel Essential
Cindy and I call ourselves nomadic, so we use certain essentials to make this way of life easier and more comfortable with our lifestyle. With this in mind, we have composed a list of what we feel are essentials and some tips you might use to plan or take your next travel adventure.
- Travel Packing Essentials to help organize and make this task less stressful
- Travel Safety Essentials to make your life on the road a little safer, giving you peace of mind
- Living essentials to make life a little more comfortable, be this resting, working, or playing.
Accommodation Options While Traveling The World
- Booking.com is one of our go to’s when we are looking for a place to stay for a couple of days or longer
- Agoda.com we find is best to use when in Southeast Asia, but hey you never know what you might find
- Airbnb.com used to be our go-to but some of their cancelation policies are reasonable, give them a try as well
Travel Insurance
We always travel with travel Insurance, just medical or complete trip coverage. We use Heymondo as we find their costs reasonable. Remember, don’t travel, and without coverage, the savings are not worth the possible costs.
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