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Kalkan:ABI Travel - Marmaris: Firatli Travel - Fethiye/Hisaronu/Oludeniz: Activities Unlimited

This is probably the easiest area of Turkey to get excited about. From Marmaris to Antalya the coastline is gorgeous, the weather is reliably excellent and there are heaps of things to see and do. The Turquoise coast at its finest has become the destination of first choice for many first time and repeat visitors to Turkey. It is also, of course, the area that shows the highest level of tourist development and there's some sort of race going on here. The rugged nature of the country slows the developers down but more and more of the coastline is being opened up. Datca for example, on the tip of the Marmaris peninsula and for years only accessible by narrow and twisty mountain road, will benefit from a new highway being carved through the mountains this year. Whether or not this is good or bad is way to complex a question for this correspondent.

This region corresponds to ancient Lycia and the Lycians knew a thing or two about designing cities that would degrade gracefully. Between Fethiye and Antalya there are a score of sites worth seeing, Lycian , Dorian, Roman, whatever. Highlights include Myra, Simena, and just about everything in the Xanthos valley, not forgetting the magical site at Olympos. Your best bases for these excursions are probably Hisaronu or Kalkan, any further East and the Xanthos stuff starts to become a little hard to get to.

The coastline from Marmaris to Fethiye is green and spectacular, the beaches are pretty good and it is here, usually via Dalaman or Antalya airports, that the charter planes bring the bulk of Turkey's summer visitors. Don't let this put you off. There are still plenty of places that not everyone gets to and you'll probably have a great time. The key to enjoying all the delights that this area offers is mobility and if you can hire a car or just get on the myriad of small buses running up and down the coast, the effort and expense will be repaid.

The nature of the landscape lends itself to activity and a growing number of companies are offering tours and whole holidays based on getting out and doing things. Investigating the options before you travel will probably pay off in the long run but you'll find somebody willing to help you spend your money everywhere you go. Our recommended tour operators for this area are Activities Unlimited, based in the Hisaronu area, and ABI Travel in Kalkan.

DO consider visiting out of season if you can. Anytime from April to October is fine and the spring in particular is lovely down here. In the autumn the water is still warm and you should find everything easier and cheaper outside of the July/August rush.