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Sea Kayak and Wild Camp Turkey's Seven Capes

Paddle along Turkey's Aegean Coast, exploring secluded coves and deserted beaches only accessible by sea

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Trip Ref #10589

Sea Kayak and Wild Camp Turkey's Seven Capes

Paddle along Turkey's Aegean Coast, exploring secluded coves and deserted beaches only accessible by sea

DURATION

6 nights

LOCATION

Turkey

ANNUAL LEAVE

5 days off work

SEASON

May–Jun, Sep–Nov

GROUP SIZE

Up to 12 people

MEETING POINT

Dalaman Airport

ACCOMMODATION

Classic

Guesthouse · Wild camping

OVERALL RATING

5.0

Based on 5 reviews
DIFFICULTY

Challenging

You’ll be paddling for 5-6 hours a day so you’ll need to be fit, but previous kayaking experience is not essential.

Kayak cape to cape past hidden caves and remote bays all the way to Patara Beach, eyes open for sea turtles

Follow the Lycian Way Trail from the water stopping at the white sand beaches of Butterfly Valley and Paradise Bay

Swim and snorkel in the turquoise waters of the Aegean Sea, and wild camp on the sandy shore beneath the stars

Day 1

To the ghost village of Kayaköy

Meet your host at Dalaman Airport and transfer to the beautiful valley of Kayaköy in southwestern Turkey, near the harbour town of Fethiye. Check into your guesthouse, relax by the pool then head out to explore the ghostly village and ruined stone buildings clinging to the rocky hillside. Originally known as Levissi, Kayaköy was once a thriving centre which was then forcefully abandoned at the end of the Greco-Turkish War. Wander through this fascinating open-air museum on foot, then head back to your accommodation for a delicious dinner with your fellow travellers and get ready for your kayaking adventure ahead.

Day 2

Island hopping

Kayaking

4-5hrs · 12-15km

Enjoy a delicious early breakfast then head to your host's basecamp for a safety briefing. You’ll then collect your kayak, hop in the van, and head towards the Aegean Sea. Paddle from island to island, crossing Katranci, Tavsan, Sovalye and Kizil Ada, stopping for lunch under a lighthouse. Continue to Aquarium Bay One for a refreshing dip before kayaking to a small secluded beach where you’ll set up your first camp.

Day 3

Paddle the Iblis Peninsula

Kayaking

4-5hrs · 15km

Wake up early and tuck into a delicious Turkish breakfast, then hop into your kayak and paddle along several secluded coves until you reach the imposing cliffs of Iblis Cape. You’ll then visit a concealed cave and stop for lunch and a bit of snorkelling. Paddle on to Iblis Bay for your second night of wild camping and enjoy a sunset swim before settling under the stars.

Day 4

Explore St. Nicholas Bay

Kayaking

4-5hrs · 15km

Kayak south towards Aquarium Bay Two where you will stop for refreshments on the ruins of an ancient harbour, then jump into the crystal blue waters for some swimming and snorkelling. Head for a beer in a nearby remote restaurant before continuing on to Karacaören and St. Nicholas Island. You’ll paddle past secluded coves and the ruins of monasteries dating back to 500 B.C, visit caves and rock hop until you reach your camp spot next to a blue cave.

Day 5

Paradise found

Kayaking

5-6hrs · 22km

Start your penultimate day kayaking along the world famous Lycian Way trail from the sea. The first stop is Butterfly Valley, one of Turkey's most stunning destinations where you'll be lulled by the secluded sandy beach flanked by beautiful rocky mountains. Visit Kabak Cave and continue to Paradise Bay where you will stop to relax on the wide white beach touched by turquoise waters. End with a short paddle to a secluded cove and hike up to the ruins of the ancient Lycian city of Kalabantia. Later, you’ll cross the first of the Seven Capes and reach your last camping spot of the trip.

Day 6

Cross the Seven Capes

Kayaking

5-6hrs · 22km

Wake up early and prepare for the most challenging and exciting day of the trip as you cross the remaining six capes one by one. You’ll paddle along the beautiful shores and mountains dropping steeply down to the sea, stopping in hidden caves and secluded bays all the way to Patara, a stunning 12km long sandy beach. The journey will end in the afternoon on the shores of the Karasu River where you'll transfer back to your guesthouse for a post-adventure celebratory meal.

Day 7

Time to head home

Enjoy a well deserved lazy morning by the pool in the peaceful and serene setting of your guesthouse. If you are still feeling energetic, take a short 2km hike to Cold Water Bay for an early morning swim against the scenic backdrop of Kayaköy ghost village, before your host takes you back to the airport for your flight home.

Included

Guides

Experienced English-speaking kayaking guide

Accommodation

2 nights in a guesthouse, 4 nights wild camping

Meals

Munch on tasty local and international food throughout

Transfers

To and from the airport and everything in-between

Equipment

All sea kayaking and camping equipment except sleeping bags

Not Included

Flights to and from the meeting point

Travel insurance

Personal expenses

Tips for your guides

Some meals as described

Visas where required

Day 1

Guesthouse · Twin share

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Day 2 – Day 5

Wild camping · Twin tent

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Day 6

Guesthouse · Twin share

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Day 7

Departure day

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

What is the food like?

In the morning fuel up with a mixture of Turkish and international breakfast including omelette/boiled eggs, various types of cheese, olives, sausages, salami, marmalades and vegetables. Cornflakes and other cereals will also be available. Lunch is usually a Mediterranean salad or you'll be making your own sandwiches or burritos. In the evening you'll be provided with all the cooking equipment and ingredients to prepare your own hot meal and cook as a group at the beach where you wild camp. Dishes are usually soup, pasta or bulgur/rice with roasted meat, tuna fish or vegetables. Desserts, fruit, snacks, tea and coffee are also offered throughout the trip.

Vegetarians, vegans and other dietary requirements and allergies can be catered for - please just request on your passenger info form.

What is the accommodation like?

Kayaköy

Spend the first and final night of the trip at the comfortable and secluded Kayaköy Pansiyon, only 300m away from the famous ghost village. The accommodation is set in a lush garden, adorned with beautiful flowers and trees. Enjoy the view of the surrounding valley and village from the guesthouse terraces or just relax by the amazing outdoor pool.

Wild Camping

You'll set up camp on remote beaches and sleep in twin-share tents provided by your host. As this is really wild camping there are no facilities available - we advise bringing biodegradable soap to wash in the sea and to be comfortable enough with finding wild toilet spots.

Upgrades

For solo travellers looking for their own space, an optional private room and tent can be booked for an extra charge. See Optional Extras for the price. Please request this at the time of booking (this is subject to availability).

The Area

map

Logistics

Starts

Dalaman Airport

15:00 on Day 1

Ends

Dalaman Airport

12:00 on Day 7

Transfers

Your host will pick you up on arrival and drop you off in time for your departure. Group airport transfers are usually arranged at a set time (see above) but if you arrive or depart at different times and would like a private transfer to/from Kayaköy, this can be arranged with your host. Please see Optional Extras for prices. Book any departing flight that leaves after 14:00.

Travel options

There are regular direct flights to Dalaman Airport from major airports across the UK and Europe.

Enjoy 12.5% Off Outdoor Gear

In need of a few more items? All bookings receive a 12.5% discount to use at Cotswold Outdoor, Snow + Rock and Runner's Need.

What's included?

  • Single or double sea kayak with or without rudder (Wilderness Systems -Tsunami, Tempest or Polaris)
  • Personal floating device
  • Spray skirt
  • Paddle (Harmony 2 pcs Drifter or 1 pcs Seapassage)
  • 1 x 10 litre and 1 x 15 litre dry bag
  • All Camping gear except sleeping bag: 2 person tent, foam mat, gas burner, cooking set

What can I hire?

Sleeping bag (please request with your host in advance of travel due to a limited supply)

What do I need to bring?

CLOTHES FOR KAYAKING

  • Long sleeve quick dry shirt/s
  • Short sleeve quick dry shirt (optional)
  • Sun hat and sunglasses
  • Water shoes/thin neoprene boots to wear in the kayak and during breaks
  • Swimwear including swimming shorts (bikinis and slim swimwear are not recommended while paddling)

OTHER CLOTHES

  • 2 x T-shirts
  • 1 x long sleeve lightweight shirt
  • 1 pair of lightweight trousers
  • Underwear and socks
  • Lightweight fleece jacket
  • Trainers for exploring
  • Clothes for sleeping in

SLEEPING

  • Lightweight packable sleeping bag (1-2 season)
  • Inflatable pillow (optional)

OTHER

  • Snorkel (optional)
  • Universal travel plug adapter
  • Power bank or solar charger
  • Passports (and visas)
  • Travel Insurance documents
  • Ear plugs
  • Insect repellant
  • Suncream
  • Personal first-aid kit (inc. blister treatment)
  • Personal items (biodegradable toiletries, sanitary wear etc)
  • Quick-dry towel
  • Reusable water bottle (min. 1 litre)
  • Biodegradable wet-wipes
  • Energy bars and snacks - read our article on Best Hiking Snacks

Sleeping Bag (4 nights)

Payable Before Departure

Sleeping Bag (4 nights)

Additional Night in Kayaköy Twin/Double Room

Payable Before Departure

Additional Night in Kayaköy Twin/Double Room

Additional Night in Kayaköy Single Room

Payable Before Departure

Additional Night in Kayaköy Single Room

Optional Private Room and Tent Upgrade

Payable Before Departure

Optional Private Room and Tent Upgrade

Private Arrival Transfer Dalaman Airport to Kayaköy (1-6 pax)

Payable Before Departure

Private Arrival Transfer Dalaman Airport to Kayaköy (1-6 pax)

Private Arrival Transfer Dalaman Airport to Kayaköy (1-6 pax)

Payable Before Departure

Private Arrival Transfer Dalaman Airport to Kayaköy (1-6 pax)

- Jana(May 2023)

If blue is your favourite colour then this is your trip. You will not get bored looking at the beautiful shades of blues above and under the sea…”darling it’s better (bet I made you hum the Ariel tune for a second) with all those rays and turtles, you’ll encounter on this adventure…even Ursula, the octopus joined us for a moment and made us lose our voices just for a second as we admired her colour changing abilities. Our guides, Murat and Cosçun were absolute gems, patient, knowledgeable, friendly and great cooks (as is the team behind the scenes). You will not go hungry and will feel safe and more confident each day you spend in your kayak (for you new paddlers). Let the sea and its waves take you on a cracking trip in this mesmerising part of Turkey…with your new friends. Ahoy!

- Joseph(May 2023)

Great trip. Murat and team are very knowledgeable and accommodating guides

- Dominic(May 2023)

Do this trip! You won't regret it. You'll get to paddle through stunningly beautiful calm sunrise mornings, fun wild choppy afternoons exploring in and out sea caves and evenings wildlife spotting. If you're lucky some turtles will paddle along with you. You'll stop to explore ancient ruins and idyllic secluded beaches. All this is led by the best team and guides you could hope for. Very knowledgeable, safe, adaptable, and a lot of fun.

There is a comprehensive kit list but the sea kayak will load you up with everything else you need for lovely vegetarian (optional) friendly meals and reasonably comfortable camping. If you pack well you could even squeeze in an inflatable ball or some waterproof speakers.

- Michael(May 2023)

Murat, Coskun and the entire team planned and executed a trip that will always be remembered. The sites, the company, the camping, the equipment were all top notch. I would not hesitate to book a similar trip in the future! 5 Stars!

- Nevin(May 2023)

Our local guide Murat was an excellent guide with a lot of experience! The places we visited were great and extremely beautiful! We had plenty of food and supplies and of course our host was cooking amazing dishes for us! I enjoyed my trip very much and definitely would like to do it again but on a different route. The distances for paddling were very precisely calculated and good for the length of 5 days. We were stopping a few times a day for tea and snacks on extremely beautiful beaches. Overall I would say that my experience was excellent thanks to Murat and his crew!

We've crunched the numbers to work out the total carbon footprint of this trip, and plant enough trees to suck 2x as much back out the atmosphere.

What's the number?
It works out on average at 135kg of CO2 emissions per person, including all local transport, accommodation, food, activities, guides, staff and office operations.

The only thing it doesn’t include right now is flights and travel to the destination. We do make an overall estimate across all our customers separately, but as we don’t book flights, have customers from all corners of the world, and no way of reliably knowing their travel plans, we simply can’t include an individual number in the figure on display here. We’ve got a goal for 2023 to fix that, so that when you book, there is a way to measure and mitigate the carbon emitted by your flight too.

But what does the number mean?
Yep, hard to picture eh? To give you an idea:

  • Driving 1000miles/1609km would be approx. 281kg of CO2 in an average car (or 140.5kg per person if there was 2 of you in it).
  • A return economy class flight London - New York would be approx. 1,619kg (1.66 tonnes) per person.
  • 10 trees in a temperate forest are estimated to remove approx. 250kg of CO2 from the air in a period of 5-10 years.

What are we doing about it?
Our trips are relatively low-carbon by design, and we're working with all our hosts to develop long term carbon reduction plans. For every person booked with us since 2016 we’re planting enough trees to suck at least 2x more carbon out the atmosphere than is emitted by their trips. All native trees, as part of amazing projects that are re-foresting degraded land, tackling the biodiversity crisis and supporting local communities at the same time. We go further than that too, also funding re-wilding projects worldwide to help protect important keystone species from extinction. See the reforestation and re-wilding schemes we support. See our carbon action plan.

Want to know more?
Amazingly, no international travel company has ever publicly published their carbon measurements before, as far as we know. We believe that must change, quickly. So we’re openly sharing the method we used in the hope that other companies will be able to more easily follow suit and build on what we've done so far. You'll find it all here.

You'll be paddling 15–20 km each day for approx. 5–6 hours so you’ll need good physical fitness, stamina and must be able to swim. In addition, your mental resilience, a good attitude towards flexibility, and outdoor skills are just as important for setting up camp and facing potential choppy or windy conditions. The trip is ideal for those who have tried sea kayaking before and want to push their limits but this is not essential.

You'll be kayaking in a single or double sea kayak with or without rudder (Wilderness Systems Tsunami, Tempest or Polaris). The type of kayak that you use will be advised by your guide based on your experience level and forecasted weather/sea conditions. Sea Kayaks are outfitted well with multiple hatches and deck layouts to maximise storage space and access.

Sure can! Over 50% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.

Tips are not included in the trip cost. These are entirely at your discretion and the amount should be reflective of your perception of service and quality - a tip is not compulsory and should only be given when you receive excellent service.

Unfortunately, there are very few fresh water sources on the route, and they may be dry at any time. Therefore, the group will be carrying drinking water in kayak hatches, using 5L containers which will be refilled at the host's base camp before the tour.

Your host will alter the itinerary according to weather and sea conditions to ensure that you have the best possible experience. Turkey has a typically Mediterranean climate and is usually lovely and warm during the summer season. Average maximum temperatures for May–June are 22–26°C (71–79°F), while July and August tend to be hotter (although we don't run trips during this period). Even though Turkey tends to be dry during the summer, some stormy rains can be expected at the end of summer, and in spring and autumn. Sea temperatures in Turkey are perfect for kayaking, swimming and snorkelling. The sea warms up from May–June reaching 19–20°C, rising to 24°C by the hottest months.

Absolutely. Anything you don't need on the kayaking journey can be left at your host's basecamp and will be kept safe until the end of your trip. You won't have access to your luggage during the camping nights - kayaks will be filled with your personal stuff, camping gear and food/water so we recommend packing light and bringing only essential items. You'll be provided with a 1 x 10 litre and 1 x 15 litre dry bags to pack your clothes.

We recommend checking out the country specific information here and also talking to a travel nurse.

Yes, ability to swim is a compulsory safety requirement to participate on this tour.

You may either set up tents provided by our host or sleep under the stars on the remote beaches accessible only fro the sea. You will be assisted by your guide to set up the camp if you don’t have previous experience. Because the campsites are usually in pristine or wild areas, there are no bathroom or shower facilities (although, every once in a while the expedition group may find facilities in more urban beaches). Expect to go to the toilet outdoors and wash in the sea without soap. Sometimes, weather conditions (rain or wind) make camping at the designated spots challenging. In this case, plans may be changed to find shelter, in order to guarantee the safety and enjoyment of the group. It’s all part of the adventure! Due to a ban by local authorities there won't be a campfire during the wild camping nights. You'll be expected to cook as a group at night, assisted by the guides, and you'll be provided with all the ingredients, equipment and instructions you need. You'll then eat open-air as a group.

Our recommended travel insurance provider is Campbell Irvine.

Travel insurance is compulsory on all of our adventures. Your insurance should include adequate protection for overseas medical treatment, evacuation/repatriation, your baggage and equipment and the specific activities involved on your adventure.

Your insurance policy should also include specific Covid-19 cover, including cancellation and curtailment cover if you, your travel companion or a close relative are diagnosed with Covid-19.

We fully endorse Campbell Irvine as their insurance offers all of the above, so get in touch with them or call on 020 7938 1734 to get your insurance sorted. We suggest that you book travel insurance as soon as you book your adventure, just to cover you for any last minute life changes. We know you’re an active lot and injuries do happen!

We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.

If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.

All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy (18+) as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. Children can be accommodated on some private departures.

You're in good company. Our adventures are typically made up of a mix of solo travellers and small groups of two or three friends who simply love adventure, pushing themselves and meeting awesome like-minded people. See here for more info about our lovely bunch of Much Better Adventurers.

Want to book a private trip? Just tap ‘Private Group’ in the dates and prices tab.

Your trip is led by carefully curated local hosts and expert guides. See here for more info about the guides we work with.

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