Sail the Lycian Coast

Sailing into Antiquity on the Deep Turquoise Sea

Chartering a boat on a sailing holiday along the Lycian Coast, one is constantly reminded just why the Mediterranean is and always has been best explored from seaward. In fact these days a tour by boat is often the only way. Getting away to enjoy all the region's natural splendour, to experience its rich history and culture, reflecting at day's end in the comfort of your own floating hotel for as long as it takes.

Typically sailing out of Gocek or Fethiye, your eastward journey takes you past a rugged land dotted by small coastal towns and fringed by white sandy beaches, with ample opportunities to stop over and explore the local attractions along the way. A full seven days is had by sailing as far as Kas and return, while more treasures await further east if time allows. Sail away from the crowds and the cycles of modern life, to explore this beautiful and unspoilt part of the Mediterranean by charter boat. It's all yours. 

Lycia: Ancient Place of Mystery in a Stunning Scenic Setting

Lycia has numerous coastal attractions, and they are easiest to experience when travelling by boat. That's how it always has been. It wasn't until the 1970s that a proper Lycian Coast road was formed.  More recently the upsurge in the visitor industry has opened up the region to long-distance walking tours, along the Lycian Way. It's by sailboat however that this ancient land is most conveniently traversed and best appreciated. The inviting waters are a beautiful hue: it's here that the whole Turquoise Coast justifiably got its name.

Eastwards along the  Rugged Lycian Shore

Eastwards from the large bay that is home to Gocek and Fethiye, Ölüdeniz looms large as a convenient stop-off point. Just 14km from Fethiye by road, this is a well-established holiday destination surrounded by a national park, with several anchorage options in the large bay to the settlement's west. Travelling on, the next best place to stop over is Kalkan, a fishing village that has grown with tourism and offers all facilities. It's a small harbour though, and an anchorage 2 km to the west (Yesilköy) may be prefered.

Kalkan is the best port from which to visit the ancient sites of Xanthos and Patara and Saklikent National Park, all major attractions in the region. Just beyond is the beautiful Kaputas Beach, a great spot for an early lunch before sailing on to Kas.

Nature and Artifacts that Development has left Unspoiled. 

Kas is one of the larger settlements along the Lycian Coast, yet still with a population under 10,000. That swells in the tourist season, the benefits of development being the convenience for provisioning, marina facilities and dining ashore in an attractive setting. More ancient ruins lie nearby, and Kas is also the main Lycian Coast destination for scuba diving enthusiasts. 

A short sail further east lies the island of Kekova, famous for its sunken city that was destroyed by an earthquake some 2000 years ago. There are plenty of anchorage options in the bay created by the island's proximity to the mainland.

Sailing Beyond Kekova

There's more to the Lycian Coast further east as far as the major city of Antalya. That makes for an ideal two-week charter destination if keen on going further into this part of Turkey. Antalya itself offers some charter boat options, and can be considered as an alternative base to those in the west.

Our client reviews about charter sailing in Turkey

Rating: 5 / 5
The boat was excellent. We were the 2nd charters so it was effectively new. The Jeauneau 41 is a great boat for3 couples in a family. Easy to handle, enough performance to get where you want to each day, good facilities, good size cockpit etc.

SK Yachting were excellent at checkin and checkout. Friendly service, helpful and knowledgable. The checkout process on our arrival back was a well oiled machine. We sailed to the West of the base in Marmaris and the coast and villages were not as good as a previous charter out of Gocek. Perhaps if we had gone east it would have been better.

Bruce, Australia, Jul 21st, 2023
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