Thyme-smelled Datça

I went to Datça¹ for 5 days and 4 nights. Datça is in south-west of Turkey, and the Datça Peninsula is the junction point of Mediterranean and Aegean seas. Datça is 76 kms. far from Marmaris².

'...Datça Peninsula is a prized location for tourists visiting Turkey, especially by sea, because of the beauty of its many coves and larger bays, which are favored ports of call for those undertaking the celebrated Blue Cruise along Turkey's spectacular southwest coast. Boats (usually gulets) depart either from Bodrum or Marmaris, or from Datça itself for these tours...' ³

'God sends his subjects whom he wants to give long and healthy lives to Datça.' ⁴

Datça, the land of the almond and the honey

Datça not only has wonderful seas. World's best almonds, and a lot of fruits (including olive, grape, pomegranate, fig, mandarin, orange, apple, pear, peach, etc.) and nearly all type of vegetables grows there. And honey... It is very famous the Thyme honey and the Pine honey of Datça.
The osmotic olive-oil of Datça is also great.

Datça has very temperate climate. It is 300 days clear in a year (average), and you can enter the sea nearly 9-10 months in a year! It is not very hot in summer, and also not cold in winter.





I first went to Marmaris from Istanbul (in summer, there are busses to Datça directly from Istanbul, but while we are now in the end of the September, there are not). Then i went to Datça. Marmaris is about 12,5 hours from Istanbul, and Datça is about 1,5 hours from Marmaris. Including the time of waiting bus at Marmaris, it is totally about 14,5-15 hours from Istanbul.

1 st Day - Datça, 09.25.2007
2 nd Day - Kargı Bay, Aquarium Bay, 09.26.2007
3 rd Day - Acorn Bay(Palamutbükü), 09.27.2007
4 th Day - Datça, 09.28.2007
5 th Day - Datça, 09.29.2007

1 st Day - Datça, 09.25.2007

1st day, i stayed in Datça town center and swam at the "Stony Beach". It was about 30 degrees.
There are 2 beaches in the center of Datça. The Sandy Beach, and the Stony Beach. Even though it is called as the "stony beach", it is not stony in fact. It has grits, not stones. And the bottom of the sea is sandy, only the beach is gritty. The sea is unbelievable clear, really wonderful. Datça has the best seas in Turkey, i think.

Click on the pictures to see full size.
Resimleri tam boy görmek için üzerlerine tıklayın.

The peninsula, the harbour and the stony beach



The stony beach


The pond and the stony beach

2 nd Day - Kargı Bay, Aquarium Bay, 09.26.2007

I went to Kargi Bay by bus, then i walked to Aquarium Bay. There is no regular road to Aquarium Bay, you can go there by walking through a pathway (a bit dangerous) or by boat. I have had no boat of course.
It takes about 20-25 minutes walking from Kargı Bay to Aquarium Bay.
I went to Aquarium Bay and swam a lot, then returned to Kargı Bay and also swam in there. In the evening, I returned to Datça by hitchhiking.
The sea is great in both Aquarium Bay and Kargı Bay, like all other bays in Datça.

Kargı Bay - The Gooses


Kargı Bay


Pathway to Aquarium Bay - Views










The Aquarium Bay










Returning to Kargı Bay






Self-shot




Self-shot II


I took my own shadow


Kargı Bay


Evening at Kargı Bay

3 rd Day - Acorn Bay(Palamutbükü), 09.27.2007

I went to Palamutbükü by bus. It is 27 (or 30?) kilometers far from Datça. I was planning to go there by bike, but i didn't like the for rent bikes, they were looking squalid, they have had hi-ten frames and full suspension (downhill), maybe they were 19-20 kgs. And the road has had lots of ramps. So i decided that to go there by bus.
In fact, most of the bicycles i saw in Datça were not good to long trips.
Unfortunately, there were wonderful views through the road, but i couldn't take any picture, because i was in the bus. Next time, i will go there by bike, i promised myself.

Palamutbükü has got an unbelievable beautiful sea. The water temperature is perfect, the water is perfectly clear and everybody feels very good who swim in there.

Palamutbükü

4 th Day - Datça, 09.28.2007

I took some photos, then swam at the Stony Beach.

The Sandy Beach



The Datça Gulf


The peninsula


The harbour street


The harbour


Stony beach from the harbour


The harbour


Sandy beach from the harbour


The harbour and the amphitheater from the Stony Beach


The harbour and the amphitheater

5 th Day - Datça, 09.29.2007

I took some photos, then swam at the Stony Beach.

Datça city center


The marketplace
Compared to its population (8.108 at the city center, 5806 at villages, total 13.914, in summer about 40.000-50.000), Datça has a big marketplace.


Feeding the duck at the Stony Beach


Smile at the camera :)

The Footnotes

¹ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datça
² http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmaris
³ From wiki.
⁴ Strabon. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strabon

External Links

http://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datça,_Muğla
www.datca.com.tr
www.datcainfo.net