Turkey · Carian Coast
Yacht Charter Ekincik
A bay with almost nothing in it, and a river behind it that leads to a city carved into a cliff.
Ekincik is a wide bay of pine and pale rock between Marmaris and Fethiye, and by itself it is a quiet anchorage and a couple of restaurants. What brings boats here is what lies behind it: the Dalyan delta, a maze of reed channels running inland to a lake, with the rock tombs of Kaunos cut into the cliff above the water and a sandbar at the mouth where loggerhead turtles have nested for longer than anyone has been counting.
Up the river to Kaunos
Yachts stay in Ekincik. The river mouth is shallow and protected, so the passage upstream is made in the flat-bottomed boats of the local cooperative, which is not a tourist arrangement but the rule — and it is the better way regardless, because the channels are narrow enough that reeds brush both sides.
Kaunos stands where the river opens out: a Carian city with a Greek theatre cut into the hillside, a Roman bath and an acropolis above it. The tombs are the thing everyone photographs — temple fronts carved into the cliff face in the fourth century BC, unfinished at one end because the work stopped and never resumed.
İztuzu, and the turtles
The beach at the river mouth is four and a half kilometres of sand between fresh water and salt, and it is a protected nesting ground for loggerhead turtles. Between May and September the beach closes at dusk, umbrellas are kept behind a marked line and nothing is built on it. It has been this way since a development was stopped in the 1980s.
Further inland, the hot springs at Sultaniye sit on the edge of Köyceğiz lake: sulphurous, about forty degrees, and used since antiquity. The river boats stop there on the way back if you ask.
Practical notes
- Yachts anchor in Ekincik bay; the river passage is made in the local cooperative's flat-bottomed boats
- Kaunos has a Greek theatre, a Roman bath and the rock tombs cut into the cliff above the water
- İztuzu beach closes at dusk from May to September: it is a loggerhead nesting ground and the rules are enforced
- Marmaris is two hours west and Göcek two hours east, which makes this a stop rather than a base
Reached from: Marmaris, Göcek and Fethiye
Where to dine
A table by the water
My Marina
EkincikOn the bay itself, reached by tender, and about the only thing ashore besides the pines.
Saki
DalyanOn the river bank upstream, with the rock tombs lit on the cliff opposite after dark.
Çınar
DalyanUnder the plane tree it is named after, cooking the lake's own fish a street back from the water.
What to do
Anchorages & excursions
Kaunos
A Carian city with a Greek theatre cut into the hillside, Roman baths, and an acropolis above the river.
The rock tombs
Temple fronts carved into the cliff in the fourth century BC, one of them left unfinished.
İztuzu beach
Four and a half kilometres of sand between river and sea, closed at dusk in the loggerhead nesting season.
The Sultaniye springs
Sulphurous water at about forty degrees on the edge of Köyceğiz lake, used since antiquity.
The fleet
Yachts available for Ekincik
Vessels that operate here, from flagship motor yachts to smaller crewed boats. Every rate is quoted on enquiry.
Good to know
Questions we are asked about Ekincik
- Why can't we take the yacht up the river?
- The mouth is shallow and the delta is a protected reserve. The passage is made in the flat-bottomed boats of the Ekincik cooperative, which the crew arrange. It is not a restriction to work around — it is the reason the delta still looks as it does.
- What are the tombs at Kaunos?
- Carian rock tombs from the fourth century BC, cut into the cliff above the river as temple fronts with columns and pediments. One at the end was left unfinished, which is the detail that tells you most about how they were made.
- What does a yacht charter to Ekincik cost?
- It depends on the yacht, the season and the crew, so we quote on enquiry rather than publish a figure that would be wrong for most weeks.
Destinations
Nearby destinations
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Enquire about a charter at Ekincik
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are, and we will come back with the right yacht and a full quotation.