Easy days out by jeep including mountain villages etc.

[Judyval]

Hi everyone I am a new member just joined today. My husband and myself are coming to Kalkan in October of this year (this is my second visit this year). Our son & his wife have a villa in Kalkan and we absolutely love the resort. What we are going to do in October is hire a jeep from the airport and then use this for days out exploring the area. Is there a place called Gombi (or something like that) that is supposed to be very nice. We also fancy going up into the hills and maybe visiting any little villages that are there. Does anybody know of any places of this type that are worth a drive out. We have been to Kas and Fetihye and Patara all of these were good but we thought we would try further afield this time. All suggestions would be very welcome.

Linkback: https://www.enjoykalkan.com/forum/index.php?topic=8485.0

[Babs]

We went on an organised jeep safari with Adda tours, not the one that goes to the Gorge but one that went into the mountains. I can't remember the names of the villages but they may be on their website. Another trip we have done in a jeep when we have hired one is Xanthos, then drive through Saklikent to Tlos then on to the Yakapark for lunch.....a bit like Disneyland meets a trout farm! then back to the gorge itself. Driving through the mountains is beautiful just don't be too adventurous....we almost came to grief once when we decided the road was going nowhere and had to do a fifty six point turn on a very narrow rubble road with a sheer drop and in the middle of nowhere....I've never seen my husband so scared! 

[Judyval]

  Thanks for that Babs we will definitely check the Adda Tours website out and Xanthos sounds a good trip. Thanks for the tip about the mountain roads, think I will be shutting my eyes quite a lot!! 

[Blue Lizard]

Babs is right ..we went on a Jeep safari ..right up into the mountains...Eagles were at eye level ,you could almost touch them.....wonderful scenery and company specialised in only small jeeps so you wern't crammed like sardines...now i am a confident experienced driver ...BUT i wouldn't fancy driving to get there on some what i percieved to be uncharted roads no more than tracks with sheer drops either side.... only locals would know and indeed want to drive on ...

[Judyval]

Thanks for your reply - I don't think we would go on any uncharted roads, just wanted to know nice easy rides to places of interest. Have you been to Gombe? Somebody mentioned this last year when we were in Turkey and said they had the best meal they had eaten anywhere. Evidently it was an organised trip but they went on the local bus on their own and it cost them half the price.

[Babs]

just a thought Judyval, you say you are renting a jeep from the airport, there probably won't be much room for luggage and it will probably be open.

[Blue Lizard]

I believe Gombe is the location of the Green lake..not been but heard mixed opinions of it..pictures are in the gallery

[Judyval]

Thanks Blue Lizard I will take a look later. Hi Babs the jeep we are renting has a soft cover so that should be ok and our luggage is just 2 soft bags so they will go on the back seat 

[mark]

The Green Lake is near Gombe and both are great places to visit in my view.  We went in September.  The Green Lake was very cold (altitude and I believe it is fed from further up in the mountains) but a couple of our party ventured in.  There is a great waterfall there too which freezes in the Winter; it has a Wishing Tree next to it.  When we were there the only other people were a group of Istanbul Turks and their tour organiser were amazed that we had heard about the place.

We spent quite a lot of time at the Green Lake so cannot give a lot of feedback about Gombe.  The drive there and back was spectacular.  You have to prepare for the fact that it is a lot cooler at altitude and weather in October can vary.  I will definitely go back.  I want to see the waterfall when it is frozen.

Mark

[Judyval]

  Thank-you for that info Mark. Did you drive up on your own then or did you have a guide? How did you find the roads? It certainly sounds an interesting place to take a ride to. Feel a bit nervous now when I heard about all the sheer drops etc. on the roads. 

[Blue Lizard]

We went some years ago on a mountain jeep safari...they took us eventually to the very top of a mountain where a man had built a log cabin/stone house,he was a recluse who got fed up with the rat race working in the IT industry in Istanbul...this place was perched right on top....he had built log ottoman areas jutting out from the side of the mountain...we were to afraid to get comfy incase we dozed off and rolled off   his dog lay with it's feet hanging over the edge!!During winter for some months he was totally isolated....his sole income was from people being taken to his home for a meal during summer, even so we felt like we were intruding but he made us most welcome and i came away feeling humbled by the simplicity of his life but envious of his lifestyle if that makes sense? although years ago .i have never forgotten him or that day and hope he is still living his dream 

[GARDENIA PAT]

We have a car most holidays and have driven miles and to some mountain villages that are a bit scary to get to,some not too far,try Letoon,its anice drive and has plenty of history,also Tlos is good with lots of tombs and you can have lunch there.We went to Sidyma which had great scenery and when you get there a local Turkish lady will show you round the ruins and offer you chai,she also sells things she makes.Pinara is good too,there is a guide there who will take you round the ruins,its 3 hours if you do the full walk and has a fair bit of climbing but otherwise you can potter about yourselves.The very best place we went was Arykanda,now that is a trek up the mountains and has the most spectacular views it has one of the best ampitheatres ive seen and its so peacefull up there altho it takes around 2 hours to get there.The village of Islamlar is not far at all and has great trout farms and restaurants,the lunches are brilliant and very reasonable,we like Mahmuts.kekova and Simena are also well worth a trip the drive is lovely.Driving out of Kalkan on the Bezergan road is breathtaking and has lots of interesting local houses etc to look at.Hope this helps,i could go on forever!!Were in Kalkan too from the 6th so maybe we will see you in your jeep.

[onelove]

What a great story blue lizard....... I must go have a look   

[Judyval]

 8)Blue Lizard that description was great. It makes me want to go there too. I wonder if he is still there? What a way to live well away from the rat race. wonderful!

Gardenia Pat - thank-you so much for all of that info. I am going to print off all these comments and take them with me. We will certainly try some of your suggestions, all of them sound good. Thank-you for taking the time 

[Judyval]

Gardenia Pat forgot to say we are in Kalkan from 6th October for one week. We are staying at the Villa Zinnia (Behan Villas) opposite the Can Can Minimarket. So you might see us zooming up and down the Kalamar Road, give us a wave if you do. Hope you enjoy your holiday   

[clara 50]

I agree, try Letoon we went there in our jeep two weeks ago, fantastic historical ruins and ampitheatre. We were the only people there it was extremely atmospheric and we will certainly be returning if we're lucky enough to go back to Kalkan. The roads to get there are very easy and it's not too far, you'll pass through some lovely unpoilt typically Turkish small villages and if you think you're lost like we did there you'll pass friendly locals who are more than happy to give you directions even if it is just with hand signals. You can get there via Kinek so if you go on market day you will be able to experience the two places in one trip. Excellent!!