Nearby Kalkan you can visit other interesting places, which can be reached by Dolmus or taxi:
Kas
Kas or Antiphellus as it was then called, was known to the ancients as
the 'sponge capital of the world' and, in fact, the discovery of the oldest
shipwreck known to man, lying deeply off a cape east of Kas, is attributed
to a local sponge diver. Kas today still has an active diving school. The
town itself extends out onto a peninsula stretching toward the Greek islands,
and like Kalkan, has a marina and many seafront restaurants. Stolling inside
the town, you'll be delighted to discover an ancient sarcophagus at the top
of a street of small shops. Kas is 25 km east of Kalkan and is reached by a spectacularly beautiful seaside road.
The Sunken City
Kekova holds some remains of the Lycian civilisation, much of which disappeared
beneath the sea as a result of a devastating earthquake. Today, parts of the
city are sunken while other parts protrude from the sea to form tiny islands.
The battlements of a magnificent Crusader fortress stand dramatically over
the hamlet of Kale and though the walk up to the castle is steep, the view
from the top is magnificent.
A true perspective of the sunken city can be perceived from this vantage point. The sunken quay that the restaurants are built on can be clearly seen, and a lonely sarcophagus still stands, half-submerged, on the western side of the bay.
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The ancient Lycian capital of Xanthos dates back to 1200 BC and boasts a grisly history of siege and death. Later you can follow the Xanthos River up the astonishing deep gorge known as the Hidden Canyon where you walk on an 'Indiana Jones' style bridge above the rushing waters.
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A small village of whitewashed houses, Patara was once one of ancient Lycia's six major cities. In Greek times, the oracle of Apollo was situated here, while St. Paul and St. Luke called by during their travels among the early Christian communities. Testimony to Patara's past importance are the astonishing number of antiquities that litter the countryside.
Among this impressive but surprisingly neglected collection of ruins is the famous Roman triumphal arch from the first century A.D., a roman bath in a remarkable state of preservation, an amphitheatre and distinctive Lycian tombs with their odd shaped tops.
Many of these priceless monuments are scattered in the fields where rows of women tend to their crops, their bright headscarves contrasting with the brilliant poppies.
To those sites above we can add Pinara. Here you will see some particularly well-preserved burial chambers, honeycombing the cliff face, as well as a superbly preserved Hellenistic theatre.
Also nearly are Letoon, with its eerie sunken Temple of Leto, and
Tlos with its imposing Crusader castle, Roman city and magnificent
views. From here, it is a short drive to Yakapark, where you can have lunch
above the rushing waterfalls.
Marina