Destination Dalyan

The 3-hour drive from Pamukkale down to the coast just gets better and better, through spectacular mountain scenery and then over the mountains themselves. Once we leave the D330 at Golcuk and cut through the lanes which take us to the D400, we are deep into pine clad mountains, winding our way first up and then down the spiralling lanes. It’s a terrific drive.

After two hotels and a guest house so far on this trip, it’s good to settle into our new riverside apartment knowing we now have our own space for a while. The rocky outcrops across the river are easy on the eye and as we approach the town on our first sortie, boats bob on the water and trip touts call for our attention.

Our first impressions of Dalyan is that is much more of a tourist resort than our previous locations, perhaps more so than we expected. But such is the delightful setting of this town that we soon overlook the tourist element and settle in to enjoy our stay here.

In fact the setting isn’t just very attractive, it’s slightly unusual too. The town sits on the Dalyan Cayi river, a mile or so upstream from the coast, its buildings hugging one riverbank whilst the other bank is dominated by lofty rocky outcrops. Palm trees one side, rock faces the other. Between the town and the sea lies a vast area of salt marsh and reed beds, packed with wildlife. Many boats ply their trade from town, either upstream to the Koycegiz Lake or downstream to the beach.

The river teems with fish, of both salt and fresh water species, as the sea fish apparently journey upstream to spawn in the lake, making it possible to catch sea bass from the river bank four or five miles inland. Kingfishers dart back and forth across the water, fish in giant shoals attack any bread thrown by diners from the waterfront restaurants, birds of prey hover over the reed beds. But best of all are the turtles: three species including the loggerhead turtle breed here, and it’s all but impossible to spend time here without spotting some of the giant creatures drifting through the waters.

For a surprisingly small fee we are able to hire, just for ourselves, a skipper and a boat which would normally hold around two dozen passengers, for a whole day. And a brilliant day it is, too. First we take in the natural mud bath where we wallow in the deep sulphurous soft mud and coat our bodies in its warmth, followed by a cold shower and then an immersion in the natural pool of hot water from the springs. It’s great fun, although some 48 hours later we still reek of sulphur each time we break sweat.

Further upstream we reach the lake, where we leap from the boat and swim around in its surprisingly warm water. Heading back downstream, we take in an awesome sight. On the opposite bank from the centre of Dalyan is the site of 4th century BC Lycian tombs built into the cliffside watching over the town like a mini Petra. Our skipper pauses here, and then moves on to Kaunos.

We disembark and climb the hill to Kaunos on foot. Kaunos is another ruin of an ancient city, dating from the 10th century BC, smaller of course than the others we’ve visited but no less interesting and thought provoking. The theatres of these ancient civilisations are particularly impressive; it is so stimulating to sit looking into these places and just imagine the atmosphere of a raucous night out, centuries ago.

Finally we head to the Iztuzu beach, a large and lengthy stretch of sand which has suffered minimal development due to its protected status as a breeding ground for the turtles. The nesting sites are protected and there are strict rules in place throughout the beach, rightly giving priority to turtles over humans. 

The landscape which unfolds around us during the boat trip is spectacular and unusual. Boats follow twisting channels between the thick reed beds before disembarking at the back of the beach, as the beach stretches along a strand between river and sea. Salt marshes and swamps fill the foreground in front of sheer rock faces and edifices which rise dramatically and irregularly from the ground. It’s all very appealing and pleasing on the eye.

Dalyan is also relaxing. Despite the tourist element (although this is no doubt lessened by both COVID and the end of the season), Dalyan is one of those places which just chills you out and calms you down, then buys you a drink and takes you out to dinner. Which, given the proliferation of fish, is as varied and tasty as you could wish Turkish food to be. 

As we reach Day 17 of this journey through south west Turkey, the weather changes and for the first time on the entire trip, the sun is obscured by clouds. A handful of Dalyan restaurants draw up the shutters, as if a day without sun is the final straw in this COVID-ravaged summer, and they’re calling an end to their season. For us it’s the very first day without sunshine, and we’ve seen not a drop of rain since landing in Izmir. 

We can accept the odd cloud.