Kaş & Kekova: Small Group Boat Trip with Swim & Local Lunch

4.85

(130 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

Ever wondered what it’s like to float through the Kekova region without bumping elbows with strangers? That’s how our day started—just 35 of us, not jammed in but actually able to stretch out, leaving from Kaş by minibus to Üçağız village. The morning was still a bit cool, and I could smell the sea before I even saw the boat (wooden, creaky in a comforting way). No music thumping—just gulls and the soft slap of water against the hull. Our guide, Ekin, handed out tea and grinned when someone asked about the captain’s wife’s cooking. “Wait till lunch,” he said.

The first swim stop caught me off guard—the water at Aquarium Bay is so clear you can see your toes even if you’re terrible at swimming (like me). At Tersane Bay, we floated above sunken ruins while Ekin told stories about ancient shipyards and earthquakes. I tried to imagine building boats here centuries ago. We drifted past the Sunken City itself—no swimming allowed there, but everyone got quiet anyway, just staring at those half-drowned walls under shifting blue light. There was this funny moment when someone tried to pronounce ‘Kekova’ in Turkish and our guide just burst out laughing—turns out it sounds nothing like how we’d guessed.

Lunch happened at Gökkaya Bay: five kinds of olive oil meze (the smoky eggplant one still lingers in my mind), grilled chicken, bread that tasted like it came from someone’s kitchen rather than a supermarket shelf. It felt like time slowed down for an hour or two. Later we stopped at Burç Bay where cold spring water mixes with the sea—I didn’t last long in that chill but the Turkish tea after helped. Simena village was all stone paths and sleepy cats; there are no roads here, just boats bobbing by old castle walls. Some people climbed up for views but I just wandered around, watching locals wave from their porches.

On the way back toward Üçağız, watermelon slices appeared out of nowhere (I ate three). The sun was lower now and everything felt softer somehow—maybe it was just being tired in that good way after a full day on the water. If you want loud parties or packed decks, this isn’t your tour. But if you want space to breathe and maybe a little silence between swims… well, I still think about that view over Kekova Island sometimes.