Kas (KaÅŸ in Turkish. Pronounced ‘Kash’ in British English, where ‘a’ is as in ‘car’) is located about 170 kilometers (105 miles) to the west of the city of Antalya, in the south Mediterranean region. Kas was a simple fishing village, but over the years has developed into a main tourist attraction and has become the region’s one of the main and special resorts. Flying to Dalaman -rather than Antalya- is the best and the easiest way to get to Kas. From the airport, you can either take HavaÅŸ (coach) or a taxi. By taxi, you can travel directly to Kas, or to Fethiye bus terminal for a bus to Kas.
What makes Kas so special is that it offers a variety of water sports. Kas is Turkey’s best diving location and one of the best possible places to start diving. You can choose diving sites according to your taste from shipwrecks to caves, drop-offs, underwater canyons, unusual underwater landscapes and ancient amphorae. Crystal-clear water and warm sea-temperature make diving a beautiful experience. There are over 20 sites close to Kas for divers all around the world. Canoeing and Paragliding are the other water sports activities that you would like to do.
Located not too far from Kas, you can see one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites, Xanthos, and ancient Lycia. Although most of the findings had been carried away to the British Museum, many interesting monuments and structures remain, including the Neried Monument, the Lion tomb and the Tomb of Payava. Other structures in Xanthos include the Xanthian Obelisk, the Amphitheater, and a recently excavated Roman Byzantium street.
From Kas, it is easy to take one of the daily trips to see ruins belong to Sunken City, the island of Kekova. During the second century, an earthquake struck the island and left many of the buildings underwater. If you prefer to sail with glass-bottom boats, you can easily see the ruins at the bottom of the sea. Daily boat trips start from the village of Üçağız, visit Kekova, and stop several times for swimming and cave visits till the evening.
Just 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) off-shore from Kas, there stands the Greek island, Meis. It just takes 20 minutes to get there by boat. From the harbor, you can easily find a daily boat trip.
Another amazing place you should definitely visit near Kas is Saklıkent, which literally means “Hidden City”. It is located 60 kilometers from Kas and can be reached by hourly mini-buses to Saklıkent. This is also a great place for canoeing and rafting. Later you can walk through the canyon and try your hand at rock climbing.
Kaputas Beach is a long, sandy beach between Kas and Kalkan. It is situated at a distance of 20 kilometers from Kas and 7 kilometers from Kalkan, at a point where an extremely narrow valley towered by steep cliffs, and forests join the sea shore in the cove of the same name as the beach (Kaputas). The beach is quite popular among visitors and photographers due to its untouched natural beauty commanded by a view from the heights traversed by Kas-Kalkan road. Especially the color of the sea (turquoise-blue) is just amazing.
Patara Beach is also not to be missed. It is 18 kilometers long, white-sand beach. You can get there in half an hour by taking mini-buses from Kas. Patara Beach is part of a national park; it is a key biodiversity area, rich in bird life and the breeding ground of the endangered loggerhead turtle (caretta caretta). The beach is closed after sunset from May to October, to give turtles space to lay their eggs as it is the second most important turtle nesting beach in Turkey.
If you want to stay at the center of the town, you can either prefer Kucuk Cakil (Küçük Çakıl – Small Pebble) or Buyuk Cakil (Büyük Çakıl – Big Pebble) Beaches. Kucuk Cakil is a very comfortable base for a day of sunbathing and swimming. It is arranged in the form of a sea park. It has small beach and cafe/restaurants, situated on well-maintained paved terracing. Comfortable sun beds, umbrellas, music and service for drinks and snacks, etc. are provided. The sun beds and umbrellas are free of charge, provided that you buy something to eat or drink. On the other hand, Buyuk Cakil is a public beach located in a calm and modest cove. It is just 1.3 kilometers from the town center. Although it is largely pebble-based, there are a few meters of sand at one end and offers free use of umbrellas and sun beds, as well as a shaded café. Both beaches are delightful to spend an evening, eating seafood in the restaurants, which is located on the beach, under the stars.
For accommodation, you can stay either at the center of the town or Cukurbag (Çukurbağ) Peninsula. Varieties of boutique hotels are situated in Cukurbag area. It takes only 15-20 minutes by mini buses from center to the furthest corner of the peninsula. At the center, many reasonable small hotels and pensions will be waiting to take your attention.
Baklava is the Turks’ most important contribution to the world of desserts. It is made with flaky phyllo dough, layered with a pistachio or cinnamon-spiced walnut filling, and bathed in sweet syrup. It is crunchy, rich and very sweet. Well made baklava practically melts in your mouth and finishes with a crave for another one.
Turkish Cuisine is best known with kebabs abroad, but one of my favorite dishes is manti. I strongly recommend you to taste it during your visit.
