• Phaselis

  • Göynük Canyon

  • Tekirova

KEMER

Situated in the outskirts of West Taurus Mountains, 43 km away from Antalya, the town is one of the most important tourism spots in Turkey with its 52 km coastline. In 1910s, Kemer was called Eski Köy (Old Village) that was flooded from the mountain streams and as a result, it was full of lagoons and swamps.

Clean sea, green forests, pine trees and waves reaching beaches under the shade of pine trees seem very attractive.

The inhabitants of Eski Köy built a 23 km long stone wall to protect the town from flooding and the name Kemer refers to those walls. Until the 1960s, there was no road connection and the district was accessible only by boat. Then a road was built and from the 1980s onwards, the town was developed and turned into a large tourism center.

One of the major attractions of Kemer is its natural beauty; sea, mountains and pine forest combine in harmony. Phaselis Ancient City, Cıralı Yanartas/Chimaera (Burning Rock), Hunting Lodge dated back to the Seljuq Empire and Idyros Ancient City are located here.

Clean sea, green forests waves reaching the pine trees and beaches under the shade of pine trees seem very attractive. The shore from Beldibi to Tekirova consists of non-spoilt beaches in bays of various sizes. It is possible to swim at Municipality Beach, Moonlight Beach next to marina and Phaselis Beach. Also, visitors can enjoy themselves at the pools and beaches of the hotels nearby by paying some fee. Olympos and Phaselis ancient cities can be reached from Kemer easily. In recent years, safari tours to Söğüt Cuması and Dere Köy has greatly attracted people.

Furthermore, another attraction in the region is the caves. Beldibi cave is located along the shore in 27 km South West of Antalya. There are prehistoric ruins. Another cave is Molla Deliği (Mullah Hole Cave) which is located eastern slope of Tahtalı Mountain in the West of Kemer. It is possible to reach this cave only on foot from Aşağı Kuzdere Village and Tekirova Village situated along Kemer-Kumluca highway. You have to walk 3 or 4 hours to reach the cave.

Sports facilities are still under construction in Kemer. There are multi-purpose sports complexes within the scope of the Southern Antalya Development Project. Kemer also has sports and diving facilities. The area from Antalya Trade Port to Çavuş (Adrasan) district is reserved as “Olympos Beydağları National Park”. There are one-day excursion, recreation and picnic places such as Topçam, Çaltıcak, Beldibi, Göynük, Kındıl Çeşme, Alacasu, Phaselis and Olympos. The residents in Kemer usually spend the summer at high altitudes like Gödene Highland (Altınyaka), Yeşil Highland (Söğüt Cuması), Üçoluk Highland and Belen Highland. The highland of Söğüt Cuması is situated in Taurus mountains and traditionally, it is the home of Oil Wrestling. Kemer is also an important place in terms of yacht tourism. The yachts arriving here may stay for one day or more. Park Marina was put into use in April 1986 with all facilities with a capacity of 300 yachts; 100 on shore and 200 offshore and it provides services for 24 hours.

Kemer Marina was awarded with Blue Flag in 1993 by meeting the required criteria under the Blue Flag campaign organized by the Foundation for Environment Education in Europe (FEEK). Moreover, the beaches in Kemer (downtown), Tekirova, Göynük, Beldibi, Çamyuva and Kiriş were awarded Blue Flags.

Generally, the first place visited in Lycia region is Phaselis, the second is Olympos. Visitors can enjoy Blue Cruise both starting from Kemer and Antalya. Small boats engage in angling in an amateur way.