Kekova Sunken City and Simena Castle Boat Tour with Lunch Kaş

The Sunken City of Kekova

Along the northern shore of Kekova Island lie the remains of an ancient Lycian settlement that slid partly into the sea after powerful earthquakes in the 2nd century AD. Today you can see house foundations, walls, stairways cut into the rock and the outline of a harbour running from the hillside straight down under the water, all perfectly visible through the clear turquoise sea. It is the image that made the Kekova boat tour famous.

Because the site is a protected archaeological area, swimming, snorkelling and anchoring directly over the ruins are not allowed, so boats pass slowly along the shore and the guide explains what you are seeing. The Sunken City stop takes about 30 minutes; keep your camera ready on the side of the boat facing the island, and the best light is usually in the late morning, when the sun shines straight into the water.

Simena Castle and the village of Kaleköy

Facing Kekova Island across a narrow channel, the village of Kaleköy climbs a rocky hill topped by Simena Castle, a medieval fortress with crenellated walls built on the site of the ancient city of Simena. Inside the castle walls is a tiny theatre cut into the rock, and from the top you look out over the whole Kekova coast. Below the village a Lycian sarcophagus stands in the shallow water of the harbour, one of the most photographed sights of the region.

Kaleköy has no road, so it can only be reached by boat or on foot, which keeps it peaceful. The boat moors here for about an hour of free time: climb up through the narrow lanes to the castle (the entrance fee is paid at the gate), swim from the jetty or sit at a waterside café. Ask any local how to get to Simena Castle and they will tell you this boat trip is the easiest way.

Tersane Bay and Kekova Island

Tersane Bay, whose name means "shipyard bay", is a sheltered cove on Kekova Island where boats were once built and repaired. On its pebble beach stand the walls and apse of a Byzantine church, half buried in sand, rising behind the turquoise water. Kekova Island itself is long, rocky and almost uninhabited, protected for its archaeology and its nature.

The boat anchors here for about 45 minutes. You can swim to the shore to look at the ruins from the beach, snorkel along the rocks where small fish gather or simply float in the calm water. The contrast of ancient stones, white pebbles and clear sea is the reason many travellers rank Tersane Bay as the best swim stop of a Kekova day trip from Kaş.

Swim stops at İnönü Bay, the Karakol Islands and Üzüm İskelesi

The first stop of the day is İnönü Bay, a quiet inlet framed by pine-covered slopes where the water is deep, calm and very clear, ideal for a first swim and some snorkelling. After about 50 minutes the boat continues to the Karakol Islands, a group of small rocky islets where it pauses for about an hour while lunch is served on board, with views of the untouched coast.

Later in the afternoon the boat stops for about 50 minutes at Üzüm İskelesi, a calm cove for a last swim before the return to Kaş. The order and length of the stops can change with the wind and the sea, and the captain chooses the most sheltered water on the day. Snorkelling gear is not listed among the inclusions, so bring your own mask if you want to look at the marine life.

Kaş, the starting point

Kaş is a small harbour town on the Lycian coast of Antalya province, known for its white houses, bougainvillea-filled lanes, rock-cut Lycian tombs and the ancient theatre of Antiphellos looking out to sea. It is one of the best bases for diving and boat trips on the Turkish Mediterranean, and Kekova is the most popular day trip from Kaş.

The tour starts at a tour office close to the harbour, opposite the mosque, in the centre of town, so most hotels in Kaş are within walking distance. Please be there by 9:15 AM; the boat leaves soon after and returns to the same harbour in the late afternoon, after about 8 hours at sea. Bring a passport or ID card, which is required for the boat's passenger list.