Sailing into Antiquity on the Deep Turquoise Sea
Chartering a boat for a sailing holiday along the Lycian Coast offers a constant reminder of why the Mediterranean has always been best explored from the sea. In fact, these days, a tour by boat is often the only way to truly experience its wonders. Escape to enjoy the region’s natural beauty, immerse yourself in its rich history and culture, and reflect at day’s end in the comfort of your own floating hotel—taking as much time as you need.
Typically setting sail from Gocek or Fethiye, your journey eastward takes you past a rugged landscape dotted with small coastal towns and fringed by pristine white sandy beaches, offering plenty of opportunities to explore local attractions along the way. A leisurely seven-day sail will take you as far as Kas and back, while more treasures lie further east if time permits. Sail away from the crowds and the routines of modern life, and discover this beautiful, unspoiled corner of the Mediterranean aboard your chartered boat. It’s all yours to explore.
Lycia: Ancient Place of Mystery in a Stunning Scenic Setting
Lycia boasts numerous coastal attractions, best experienced when traveling by boat—a tradition that has persisted through the ages. It wasn’t until the 1970s that a proper road was established along the Lycian Coast. More recently, the growing tourism industry has opened the region to long-distance walking tours, notably along the Lycian Way. However, it is by sailboat that this ancient land is most easily navigated and fully appreciated. The waters here are a stunning hue, and it’s in this very region that the Turquoise Coast earned its name.
Eastwards along the Rugged Lycian Shore
Eastward from the large bay that encompasses Gocek and Fethiye, Ölüdeniz stands out as a convenient stopover. Just 14km from Fethiye by road, this well-established holiday destination is nestled within a national park, offering several anchorage options in the large bay to the west of the settlement. Continuing along the coast, the next ideal stop is Kalkan, a fishing village that has grown alongside tourism and provides all necessary facilities. However, as Kalkan features a small harbour, the anchorage 2 km to the west at Yesilköy might be preferred.
Kalkan serves as the perfect port to explore the ancient sites of Xanthos, Patara, and Saklikent National Park—all significant regional attractions. Just beyond, the picturesque Kaputas Beach offers a great spot for an early lunch before setting sail for Kas.
Nature and Artifacts that Development has left Unspoiled.
Kas is one of the larger settlements along the Lycian Coast, yet its population remains under 10,000, swelling only during the tourist season. The benefits of development here include convenient provisioning, excellent marina facilities, and a charming setting for dining ashore. Nearby, more ancient ruins await exploration, and Kas is also a top destination for scuba diving enthusiasts along the Lycian Coast.
A short sail further east brings you to the island of Kekova, renowned for its sunken city, which was destroyed by an earthquake around 2,000 years ago. The bay created by the island’s proximity to the mainland offers plenty of anchorage options, making it an ideal stop for exploration and relaxation.
Sailing Beyond Kekova
The Lycian Coast extends further east to the major city of Antalya, making it an ideal destination for a two-week charter if you're eager to explore this captivating part of Turkey. Antalya itself offers several charter boat options and can serve as an alternative base to those in the west, providing a convenient starting point for further adventures along the coast.
Our client reviews about charter sailing in Turkey
Rating: 5 / 5We really enjoyed Turkey as a destination. The people are fantastic and very rewarding to get to know, particularly when you can get off the main tourist locations. Plenty of variety in options to stay overnight, whether it is small local towns, restaurants in bays, or finding a beautiful bay with a reasonable chance of having it all to yourself - probably dependant on the time of year.
Time of year was a very pleasant surprise. The weather was good the whole time we were there. We expected it maybe a little on the cold side on the water given it was October/November. But in truth it felt like the PERFECT time to be there based on the weather we had for the 2 weeks. Any hotter would have been hotter than ideal, and any colder and swimming etc would not have been nice. It was still pretty busy, but I think there were signs of things winding down for the season. I think the week we went out, the operator said it was their busiest week of the season with all boats out. Though some places were winding down with restaurants in the final week / weeks before the end of the season etc.
The operator went the extra mile to help with recommendation for itinerary given it was our first time. When we had minor breakdowns (ie the auto pilot stopped working), that I would have thought would be fixed after our return, they were VERY keen to come out and meet us for repair, which they did. Matthew, Australia, Jan 3rd, 2025
Rating: 5 / 5The 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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