Turkey Biking

Day 1

Meet your Backroads Trip Leaders (the folks wearing Backroads T-shirts) at 8:30 a.m. at The Marmara Bodrum in Bodrum, Turkey. Please wear comfortable walking shoes and have your rain gear handy.

Shuttle to Outskirts of Bodrum 30 Minutes
Bodrum Route 25 Miles (3,040-foot elevation gain)
Shorter Option: 15 Miles with Shuttle (2,340-foot elevation gain)

Hosgeldiniz—welcome to Turkey! After meeting we shuttle into the countryside, where your leaders fit your bike and give a brief talk on biking techniques and safety. Your first ride gives you a taste of quintessential Turkey: a tableau of pine-dappled hills, olive groves, craggy outcrops and popular local beaches. Cheerful greetings of merhaba! (hello!) fill the air as you pedal through the occasional village, while the sight of white-domed cisterns, donkeys laden with firewood, and women dressed in traditional head scarves and salvar (baggy trousers) make bustling Bodrum seem worlds away. You’ll get used to the hills in no time, but know that the shuttle is always nearby if you need a boost!

Climb steeply for sweeping views of farmland before leveling off for a breezy finish to the beach. The Aegean Sea may beckon you for a quick dip before lunch. After cooling off, sit down to a picnic spread of traditional Turkish specialties. Then hop back on your bike for the ride to the Marmara, or get a lift in the shuttle. This evening we gather around the pool for a trip orientation and a glass of wine, followed by dinner at Kocadon, one of Turkey’s finest restaurants. If the weather’s nice, we’ll enjoy our meal in the courtyard beneath banana trees.

Lodging: The Marmara Bodrum

Day 2

Ferry to Datça Peninsula 2½ Hours
Datça Peninsula Route 20 Miles (1,620-foot elevation gain)
Shorter Option: 15 Miles with Shuttle (1,170-foot elevation gain)

This morning we leave Bodrum for the peace and slower pace of the Datça countryside. We ferry across the Aegean Sea to the Datça Peninsula, a long rugged promontory facing the Greek island of Kos. After disembarking, bike along the peninsula past fields of tomatoes, melons and other vegetable and fruit farms, as well as olive and almond orchards. Even though Turkey imports food, it doesn’t need to—the nation produces enough food to feed its entire population. Tracing rural roads, make your way to the sea and continue alongside Aegean waters.

After lunch in the village of Eski Datça, return to your bike and pedal to beautiful Mehmet Ali Aga Mansion, our home for the next two nights. You’re welcomed with refreshing lemonade and have the rest of the afternoon to swim, stroll around town or relax under a palm tree. This evening we tour the historic property before heading to the hotel’s restaurant.

Lodging: Mehmet Ali Aga Mansion

Day 3

Ancient Knidos Ride 25 Miles with Shuttle (2,570-foot elevation gain)
Shorter Option: Palamut Bükü 16 Miles with Shuttle (1,800-foot elevation gain)
Longer Option: Extreme Loop 45 Miles (5,350-foot elevation gain)
Ancient Knidos Self-Guided Walk 0.6 Miles

A magnificent landscape offering mountain and sea views awaits on today’s challenging ride up the Datça Peninsula’s rugged spine. Sweeping vistas and rocky hills dotted with almond and olive trees make the tough climb worthwhile, but the ride along the breathtaking rolling coastline to the village of Palamut Bükü is your true reward. Go for a well-deserved swim in the sparkling waters of the Mediterranean before enjoying a feast of barbecued fish at a beachfront café. Afterward, shuttle or bike to the tip of the peninsula and spend time exploring the ruins of Knidos, a prosperous port city and the headquarters of the Dorian Greeks during the 7th century b.c. Knidos is most famous as the former site of the cult statue of Aphrodite, created by the great Athenian sculptor Praxiteles. (The statue, which no longer exists, is thought to have been the first large-scale freestanding sculpture of a nude female.) If you’re in search of extra miles, you’ll find them on the longer option, and we’ll see you at back at the hotel.
Tonight we head to the Datça marina for dinner at one of Backroads’ favorite restaurants, where owner Atilla welcomes us like family!

Lodging: Mehmet Ali Aga Mansion

Day 4

Shuttle to Bozburun Peninsula 2 Hours Round-Trip
Bozburun Peninsula Route 22 Miles (1,280-foot elevation gain)
Longer Option: Selimiye 30 Miles (1,850-foot elevation gain)

Leaving the Datça Peninsula, we shuttle up and over an impressive pass with stunning snapshots of the Aegean and Mediterranean. At the base, grab your bike and spin along the many inlets marking the rocky shoreline of the Bozburun Peninsula. As you veer away from the beach, you’ll enter a forest cloaking the hilly coastal range. Enjoy the shaded route to Turgutkoy, a center for carpet weaving. If you’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to purchase a rug, you’ll get your chance after lunch, when we’re invited into the Turkish Carpet Cooperative for a carpet-weaving demonstration. The selection and quality here is exceptional!

After our visit, we shuttle to Marmaris, where we board a boat and begin the seafaring portion of our trip. With cozy private cabins, spacious sundecks, al fresco dining, and a friendly and experienced Turkish crew, the gulet will no doubt be a highlight of your trip. During the next three days, you’ll have opportunities to read, reflect, relax and attend afternoon tea on the deck, or you can choose more active pursuits, such as kayaking or snorkeling.
We cruise to secluded Ekincek Bay, arriving for our first evening under the stars.

Lodging: Turkish Gulet

Day 5

Cruising on the Mediterranean
Boat Shuttle to Dalyan 2½ Hours Round-Trip
Dalyan Loop 24 Miles (1,080-foot elevation gain)
Shorter Option: Dalyan Countryside 15 Miles with Shuttle (740-foot elevation gain)
Longer Option: Tortoise Road 34 Miles (1,310-foot elevation gain)
Kaunos Ruins Visit 1½ Hours

Trading the gulet for smaller boats, we motor to Dalyan, a town with shallow reed-lined river channels. Spend the day on the boat, meandering around Dalyan, or on a final bike ride through the scenic countryside. Be ready with a high-five for the schoolchildren you’ll encounter along the way! As you pass fields of cotton, sesame and tomatoes, and groves of fig and olive trees, keep an eye out for Lycian tombs scattered on the hillsides.
You’re on your own for lunch in Dalyan and there are several riverside cafés offering pide (Turkish pizza), gozleme (Turkish crepe), fish, calamari and eggplant. You’re welcome to take a shuttle boat back to the gulet after lunch.

In the afternoon we visit Kaunos, which dates back to the 10th century b.c. The ancient city ruins come into view as we approach from the water, navigating the narrow estuaries in fishing boats. Notice the tombs, extraordinary examples of Lycian funerary architecture, remarkable in their beauty and the quality of the stonemasonry. We walk around the site, which includes an impressive Greek theater, well-preserved Roman bath and a Byzantine church. From here we hop aboard a shuttle boat, settling in for the hour-long trip back to the gulet. Upon our return, enjoy afternoon tea or perhaps a swim.

Later we dine al fresco on dishes whipped up from fresh local ingredients, including lots of veggies and olive oil. (Did you know that Turkey’s the world’s fifth largest producer of olive oil?)

Lodging: Turkish Gulet

Day 6

Optional Cleopatra’s Bay Hike 3.1 Miles (660-foot elevation gain)
Cruising on the Mediterranean

Resuming our leisurely exploration of the coast, we anchor and head out on a hike to Cleopatra’s Bay, where the alleged ruins of Cleopatra’s bath are submerged. We then walk to the home of a nomadic family that has inhabited these lands for hundreds of years. Our visit with the family provides a unique opportunity for an insider’s view of life in Turkey’s remote high valleys. Returning to Cleopatra Bay for lunch, we cruise toward Goçek Bay, arriving in time for afternoon tea.

At this evening’s farewell dinner, we raise a glass to new friends and an unforgettable experience along the Turquoise Coast.

Lodging: Turkish Gulet

Day 7

Shuttle to Dalaman International Airport 30 Minutes

If you’re departing on the Turkish Airlines flight from Dalaman to Istanbul this morning, Backroads provides a morning shuttle to the airport. If you’re booked on a later flight or extending your stay, your Backroads leaders can help arrange transportation to your next destination.