Day Trips from Kalkan: Kaş, Kekova, Myra, Saklıkent, Meis and Butterfly Valley

Kalkan sits in the middle of the old Lycian coast, which makes it one of the best bases in Turkey for days out. Within an hour or so you can be walking through an icy canyon, floating over a sunken city, standing in the church of the original Santa Claus, or eating lunch on a Greek island.

Here are the six trips most worth your time, with honest notes on how long they take and how to make them work.

At a glance

A car gives you the most freedom, but every trip here is also available as an organised tour from Kalkan with transport included. For the shorter trips closer to home, such as Patara, Kaputaş and Xanthos, see Things to do in Kalkan.

1. Kaş

25 minutes east along the coast road

Kaş is Kalkan's livelier, more bohemian neighbour: bigger, busier and more of a working town, with a lovely harbour, good shopping and a buzzing evening scene. Wander the old streets above the harbour, find the Lycian tomb standing in the middle of one of the main shopping streets, and walk up to the small Hellenistic theatre on the edge of town for sunset over the sea and the Greek island of Meis.

Kaş is also Turkey's best-known diving centre, and the starting point for Meis and many Kekova trips. It works well as an afternoon and evening: drive over after lunch, browse, have dinner, drive back. Or take the dolmuş and get a taxi home.

2. Meis (Kastellorizo): a day in Greece

25 minutes to Kaş, then a short ferry

From Kaş harbour you can see Meis, the Greek island of Kastellorizo, just a couple of kilometres offshore. A day trip there is one of the easiest ways to visit a second country on holiday. The island is tiny and quiet, with a pastel-coloured harbour village, a castle, a Lycian rock tomb, waterfront tavernas, and the Blue Cave, a sea cave you visit by small boat from the harbour.

How it works

• Ferries run daily from Kaş in season (roughly May to October) and a few days a week in winter. Several companies operate the route from offices around the old harbour in Kaş. The crossing takes 7 to 25 minutes depending on the boat.
• Times: a typical day trip leaves Kaş around 9:30am and returns from Meis around 4pm.
• Booking: book a day ahead if you can, as the ferry companies need your passport details for border control. Arrive at Kaş harbour at least an hour before departure.
• Price: expect roughly €35 to €50 return per adult, plus port tax. On Meis you'll be paying in euros.

Passports and entry rules

You're leaving Turkey and entering Greece, so this is a full border crossing on both sides. Bring your passport, not a copy. UK citizens don't need a visa for a short visit to Greece, but Schengen passport-validity rules apply, and the EU's new Entry/Exit System now registers non-EU travellers' fingerprints and photos at the border, which can slow things down. Rules change, so check the UK government's travel advice for Greece before you book. If you hold a different passport, check whether you need a Schengen visa.

Remember you'll be re-entering Turkey on the way back, so make sure your Turkish entry conditions still apply.

3. Saklıkent Gorge

45 minutes to an hour inland

Saklıkent is a narrow canyon cut deep into the mountains, with walls hundreds of metres high and a river of freezing snowmelt rushing out of it. You walk in along a boardwalk fixed to the rock, then wade upstream through the water, knee-deep or more, between towering grey cliffs. On a hot August day it's the best natural air conditioning on the coast, and children and teenagers love it.

Practical tips

• Entry: 250 TL for adults in 2026, half price for students. It usually opens from about 8.45am to late afternoon.
• Shoes: you need water shoes with good grip. The riverbed is slippery. You can rent them at the entrance.
• What to wear: swimwear under light clothes, and bring a change. You will get wet.
• The water is shockingly cold for the first few metres. That's normal.
• Season: from roughly November to March the water is often too high to walk the gorge, though the entrance area is still worth seeing.
• Lunch: the restaurants at the entrance have seating platforms right over the river and serve fresh trout. It's a lovely place to warm up.

Combine it with: the ancient city of Tlos, about 15 km before Saklıkent on the same road, or Xanthos on the way back towards Kalkan. River tubing and rafting are also on offer nearby.

4. Kekova: the sunken city

About 1 hour 15 minutes to Üçağız, then by boat

Kekova is a sheltered maze of islands and inlets east of Kaş, where an earthquake in ancient times dropped part of a Lycian town into the sea. From a boat you glide over foundations, staircases and walls just under the surface of incredibly clear water. It's one of the most memorable boat trips in Turkey.

How to do it

• Drive to Üçağız (about 60 km from Kalkan, beyond Kaş) and take a boat from the harbour there. Shared trips typically leave mid-morning and last most of the day, with swim stops. Private boats are available for families and groups.
• Or book a tour from Kalkan or Kaş that includes the transfer, which is easier if you don't want to drive.

What you'll see

• The sunken city: you pass slowly alongside the ruins. Swimming and diving over them is strictly forbidden to protect the site, but boats usually stop at a nearby bay where you can swim.
• Kaleköy (Simena): a tiny village with no road access, crowned by a castle with sweeping views over the islands. There's a small entry fee for the castle, and a few Lycian tombs stand in the water below.
• Swim stops in bays with names like Aquarium Bay, which you'll understand when you jump in.

Go on a calm, bright day when the ruins are easiest to see, and bring some cash for the castle and an ice cream in Kaleköy.

5. Myra and the Church of St Nicholas

About 1 hour 15 minutes, to Demre

The modern town of Demre stands on ancient Myra, one of the great cities of Lycia. Two things bring people here.

Myra has some of the most striking Lycian rock tombs anywhere: house-like façades carved high into a cliff face, beside a large and well-preserved Roman theatre.

The Church of St Nicholas, a short drive away in the town, is where Nicholas served as bishop in the 4th century. He was born in Patara, just along the coast from Kalkan, and is the saint behind the legend of Santa Claus. The church is a Byzantine basilica with frescoes and mosaic floors, and an important pilgrimage site for Orthodox Christians.

Tickets: the two sites are ticketed separately. Recent prices for foreign visitors were around €13 for Myra and €17 for the church. Both get very hot in summer, so go early.

Combine it with Kekova. Boats also leave from Andriake (Çayağzı), the old harbour of Myra a few minutes from Demre, which makes Myra in the morning and the sunken city in the afternoon a very good, if long, day.

Save on tickets: if you're planning Myra, the St Nicholas church, Patara and Xanthos during your stay, look at the Museum Pass Akdeniz. It covers museums and sites across Antalya province for seven days, and is priced at €100 for foreign visitors from April 2027. Add up the single tickets you'd buy and see if it pays off.

6. Butterfly Valley

About 1 hour 30 minutes to Ölüdeniz, then by boat

Butterfly Valley is a narrow, steep-sided valley opening onto a pebble beach a few kilometres south of Ölüdeniz, enclosed by cliffs hundreds of metres high, with a waterfall at the back. It's named for the Jersey tiger moths that gather there in midsummer. There's no road down to it.

How to get there

• By boat from Ölüdeniz: the safe and simple way. Shuttle boats leave from Belcekız beach in Ölüdeniz during the season. A return ticket cost 500 TL per person in May 2026. The trip takes around 20 to 30 minutes each way.
• On foot: there's a trail down the cliff from the village of Faralya above. It's very steep and loose, and only for experienced, sure-footed walkers. Most people should take the boat.

Is it worth it from Kalkan?

Honestly, it's a long day: about three hours of driving there and back, plus the boat. It works best combined with the rest of the Ölüdeniz area: the famous Blue Lagoon, the cable car up Babadağ for the view, or the clifftop viewpoint at Faralya. If you're also visiting Fethiye or have an early or late flight from Dalaman, building it into that journey makes a lot of sense.

Tips for day trips from Kalkan

• Start early. Ancient sites have little shade, and the first boats and gorges are quieter.
• Take water and cash. Small villages and boats don't always take cards.
• Drive carefully. The D400 east of Kaş is narrow and winding in places. Give yourself more time than the map says.
• Check the wind. Boat trips to Kekova and Meis are better on calm days.
• Don't overdo it. One big trip every couple of days, with a pool or beach day in between, makes for a better holiday.

Come back to a villa

After a long day out, there's nothing better than getting back to your own pool and a quiet terrace. Browse our villas in Kalkan, or start with the Kalkan travel guide. If you'd rather not drive, see getting to Kalkan for car hire and transport options.

Day trips from Kalkan FAQs

What is the best day trip from Kalkan? For most people, a Kekova boat trip to the sunken city. For families on a hot day, Saklıkent Gorge.

Can you visit Greece from Kalkan? Yes. Drive or take the dolmuş to Kaş, then a short ferry to the Greek island of Meis (Kastellorizo). Bring your passport and check entry rules before you go.

How far is Kekova from Kalkan? About 60 km to Üçağız, where most boats leave, or roughly 1 hour 15 minutes by car.

How much is Saklıkent Gorge? 250 TL for adults in 2026, half price for students. Water shoes can be rented at the entrance.

Is Butterfly Valley too far from Kalkan? It's about 1 hour 30 minutes to Ölüdeniz, then a boat. It's doable as a long day, and best combined with Ölüdeniz itself.