Kalkan by day is fun. The town center of Kalkan becomes surprisingly empty during the day as guests set off for daytime activities.  Popular activities include beach-going, relaxing at beach clubs or swimming pools, water sports, exploring the ancient lands around Kalkan and boat and gullet trips.  Don't forget to stop by Kalkan's Thursday Market to pick up some great bargains and see local life.

Kalkan Water Activities

The Kalkan area has several beautiful beaches.  A very pleasant pebbly public beach with crystal-clear water is located just to the east of Kalkan's harbour; it (and the surrounding water) has earned a Blue Flag award for cleanliness. The water depth drops off close to the shore, so you don't have to walk over the pebbles for long. Many cafés are nearby and sun beds with umbrellas are available for rent.

Otherwise, hop on a "dolmuş" (a Turkish minibus - cheap, frequent and very convenient) and head for one of the two beaches near Kalkan.

Gorgeous Kaputaş Beach is a lovely sandy swimming cove nestled at the foot of a striking mountain gorge, about 10 minutes from Kalkan.  This is the beach often pictured in travel brochures for Turkey, although it doesn't get crowded as one would expect. The water is always a brilliant colour of turquoise.  Umbrellas can be hired here and a few enterprising locals sell snacks and cold drinks.  Dolmuşes (shared minibuses) make frequent runs to this beach daily from the centre of Kalkan.  Quite a few steps lead down to the beach, so take this into consideration if you have a walking problem.

Another option, Patara Beach, part of a national park, is a beautiful 12 kilometre stretch of sand backed by dunes with only a small snack shop/tea house built upon it (it also rents out umbrellas and sunbeds).  It was voted one of the top beaches in the world by Times Online - Best of 2005

Some very nice Lycian ruins are a short stroll away, part of the national park. Patara was once an important port city of ancient Lycia and the ruins there are quite extensive.  The beach is closed after sunset as it is one of the few places in the world where the endangered Loggerhead turtles come to lay their eggs.

This year (2006) entry tickets to the national park are for a single day, rather than for a week.  The cost is 2 TL (approximately .85 GBP) per person.  Dolmuşes (minibuses) make frequent runs to this beach daily from the centre of Kalkan.

More more information and pictures of Patara Beach,
visit our Lycian Turkey site here.

Kalkan's Beach Clubs and Swimming Pools

Kalkan has six popular beach clubs (several of which are reached by shuttle from the harbour), making it easy to enjoy the sea. These are wonderful paved platform terraces and gardens cut into the bottom of the mountainside, with ladders going into the sea. They offer everything from swimming and sunbathing to water sports and restaurant/bar facilities, with sunbed and umbrellas for hire.  The beach clubs across the bay have free water taxi service that you can pick up in the harbour.

The Kalamar Beach Club (located in a quiet turquoise cove of Kalamar Bay) will provide you with free transportation.  They will pay for your taxi upon arrival and give you shuttle service back to your accommodation.  Snorkelling is pretty good here - you can see some beautiful fish, starfish and other creatures (snorkles for rent).

If you'd rather spend your day relaxing by the pool but your hotel or pension hasn’t got one, there are several hotels in Kalkan with excellent pools open to the public.

Water Sports

You can find water sports such as jet skiing, water skiing, parasailing, Ringo and Banana near Kalkan's beach clubs.  Snorkles are also often available for rent (2 TL per day at the Kalamar Beach Club, you can see a lot of fish there).

Scuba Diving

Kalkan is an popular place for scuba diving due to its crystal clear waters and the fact that the area is known as one of the top locations for scuba diving along Turkey's coast.  It has several dive sites including islands, reefs and wall with a huge variety of marine life (including groupers, sardines, moray eels, turtles, stingrays, barracudas, sea bream, rainbow wrasse, damsel fish, bonita, sea mullet, starfish, octopus, dolphins, nurse sharks, squid, mackerel, etc.)  Lessons for beginners through advanced.  

River Canoeing

You can enjoy a fun day river canoeing on the nearby Xanthos River.  Experienced river guides take you on a journey across ancient Lycian lands of tranquil, lush nature. The ride is downstream, so it isn't hard going!  The journey ends at Patara Beach, with a swim. A fun family day with a BBQ picnic lunch along the way, as well as a very enjoyable mud bath!  Enquire at a local tour agent.

River Tubing

Have easy and great fun river tubing through beautiful nature on the Saklikent River with your tube and paddle.  The water is actually quite shallow and very refreshing in the summer heat.  Rides last from 45 minutes to two hours, depending on which you choose.  Enquire at a local tour agent or you can join a tour just outside of Saklikent Gorge.