Destinations
Welcome to Kemer
What makes this place so special, is the combination of sun, deep blue see, mountains covered with pine trees and also historical riches.
Kekova
Kekova is a very popular place among sailors. They often anchor here for several weeks. The sea is crystal clear. You can see foundations of buildings of the sunken ancient Lycian city of Simena below the sea. The city was destroyed by terrible earthquakes in the 2nd century AD.
The city is now called Kaleköy or just Kale. You can only reach it by boat. The castle of Kale is on top of a hill from where you have a spectacular view you shouldn't miss.
Kemer, Antalya
Kemer is a seaside resort and district of Antalya on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, about 40 km ( 25 mi ) west of Antalya.
Kemer has a 320 capacity yacht marina which offers several restaurants and is an important wintering-over marina for liveaboard sailors from the USA, England and most of Europe.
lt has also a natural harbour which is called Moonlight Park, spreading behind the yachting marina. lt is a pleasent rest and recreational area and a nice place to swim.
The natural environment of Kemer was preserved. For this reason Kemer doesn't have any water pollution problems.
20 years ago, Kemer was a charming Mediterranean village with only a couple of houses among orange groves, facing the pine forrests of the Toros Mountains.
Because of it's beauty, it developed to an important tourism center with hotels, shops, coffeehouses, bars and nightclubs
Phaselis
Phaselis about 12 km from Kemer, is one of the most impressive ancient cities in the region.
Founded by the Rhodians in 700 BC, it became the most important harbour city of the western Lycia, because of its location on an isthmus seperating two natural harbours.
Phaselis, like Olympos, was under constant threat from pirates in the 1st century BC, and the city was even taken over by pirates for a period until his defeat by the Romans.
Among the main sights of the city are its walls, which were built along the waterfront to protect Phaselis from the pirates.
Also of interest is a 24m wide ancient street with the Hadrian Waterway Gate and the amphitheater on a hill.
Olympos
Olympos is an ancient city about 28 km from Kemer, located on both sides of the Akçay River. You may swim in this river to get rid of the salt of the sea. You'll see a tomb while swimming, which is the tomb of a certain sea captain, his name was Eudomos. At this tomb there is the entrance to the city. The path going through the pines, reaches the Roman Temple. To reach the amphitheatre, bathhouse and basilica on the other side of the city, you have to wade through the water.
Tourists and also locals are not only attracted by its historical past, also by a beautiful beach with clear water.
While sailing along the beach of Olympos, the pebbles you can see on the ground seem to be very close to the surface, but they are actually 7-8 meters deep. You might also see one of the famous giant Loggerhead Turtles ( Caretta Caretta ) , which are travelling from as far as North West Africa in June and July to lay their eggs in the sand. The beach is protected by WWF due to the turtles which are under the threat of extinction.
Near Olympos you can see the famous eternal flames of Chimera ( Yanartaş ) . According to Homer, the Chimera was a fire snorting monster with a lion's head, a goat's body and a serpent's tail that terrorized the coastal area.
The flames are caused by natural gas, which is escaping through cracks in the ground. They have been burning for thousands of years. They are spectacular at night and the best time to visit them is in the evening.