ACTIVITIES AND SIGHTS: HOW TO SPEND THE DAY
It would be impossible to feel the mystery and beauty of the area in only a few hours. But if it is all the time you can squeeze into your busy holiday schedule, then even a short visit will take you into a timeless world. However, if you decide to spend a few days, there is no shortage of what you can do. The following are only a few examples:
A LEISURELY STROLL IN THE VILLAGE OF KAPIKIRI AND HERACLEIA : The Agora pension is located in the village among the ruins of the city of Heracleia . A leisurely walk will take you to many places within a few minutes: the temple of Athena , Agora (market place) , Bouleuterion ( assembly building), theatre, Endymion's shrine, ancient harbour, city walls and watch towers. The ancient ruins blend harmoniously with the old village houses. As you stroll, you will see the villagers going on with their daily lives; cows, goats and sheep grazing among the ruins; children playing football on the Agora; women sitting and knitting embroideries on antique marble columns. It is one of the very few sites in all of Turkey where the antique city is still “alive” and not just a lifeless outdoor museum. The villagers you will see may even be the descendants of the ancient peoples. You will also see several olive trees over 1000 years old. They still bear fruit! The olive trees which cover the whole are have always been considered sacred throughout the ages and they still are. Olives and olive oil and not tourism, are still the major source of income in the village. You should sit at the coffee house and savour a cup of tea or Turkish coffee. Do not be shy! Women are very welcome even though you may see only men there. This is true anywhere in Turkey . Also the Kapikiri villagers are very open minded and hospitable. You should mingle with them and not just take photos of the antique sites. In fact, this is the type of cultural tourism we would like to promote in our village. You will then go away with beautiful memories and an understanding of Turks and Turkish culture. Not just a with a bag full of photos. If you stay overnight, do not miss going to the temple of Athena at sunset or when there is moon. An unforgettable experience which will remain with you for years to come! In short, in Kapikiri, you will be walking through the labyrinths of time and hear the echoes of voices from long ago mingled with the sounds of children, cows, mules, roosters and, of course, the sound of prayers from the village mosque. Completely unaware, your daily concerns and stress will melt away into the Latmos mountains.
STROLLING BY THE LAKE : A half hour walk by the lake will take you to the fields cultivated by the villagers. Along the way, you will see numerous two thousand year old sarcaphoci carved into huge boulders with their stone lids half open. Several of them are partially submerged in water. There is only one other place, Kekova, in Turkey where you can see a similar sight. Villagers, dressed in traditional cloths, go to their fields on the lake every morning, riding horses and donkeys. If you wish, you can continue your walk further for several hours along the lake to completely isolated beaches where you can swim and picnic. You will be walking on worn-out antique stone roads and pass through ancient ruins. In the spring you will be walking on a carpet of flowers. If you want some shade or if it rains, simply walk in a cave! You can also do all of this do on the back of a donkey! Children love it. Do not worry! The donkeys are well-behaved.
BOAT TOURS : The Agora pension will organise boat tours with a picnic by the lake if desired. The tour takes two hours. There are five small uninhabited islands which are full of ancient remains, mainly Byzantine monasteries. One of them is also a bird sanctuary where thousands of birds have their nests on the top of olive trees. We make sure that these nests and other birds on the lake are not disturbed by visitors and locals. There are no big or high speed power boats. The smallest island is only 40-50 meters from the beach of Kapikiri and one can walk to it, the water only waist deep for an adult. There are numerous isolated beaches surrounding the lake, excellent for swimming and picnics. As indicated earlier, they are perfect for small children since the water is very shallow 20-30 meters. It very is clean even though there are natural weeds in some spots. The lake and its environment is a bird watchers” paradise throughout the year.
DAILY TREKKING TOURS TO MONASTERIES AND PRE-HISTORIC CAVES RELATIVELY CLOSE-BY: There are several ancient monasteries (e.g. Yediler monastery, Stylos monastery), pre-historic caves and caves used by early Christians. The tours can be done during one day. The caves have pre-historic paintings as well as frescoes based on Biblical stories . The earlier settlement of Latmos (1000 BC) is only an hour's walking distance one way. These tours will generally last between 2 to 8 hours going and coming back. However, you need someone from the village to guide you. They are impossible to locate for a visitor. The tours can be done throughout the year. Anyone in reasonably good health, except very young children, can do these tours with easy.
LONGER TREKKING TOURS: For those seeking some adventure, mountain tours, 2-5 days, can be arranged. These combine overnight camping as well as staying with villagers in the Latmos mountains. The Agora pension will organise the tours, including food and donkeys to carry the necessary material and will provide you with guides. However, our guests are expected to carry their own belongings. These tours combine natural and historic sights as well as the opportunity to experience the traditional ways of living in the villages on the top of Latmos mountains. These villages are still largely cut off from modern life. The roads followed are the same antique roads used for thousands of years, paved with huge stone blocks. Very safe to walk on and no cliffs to fear! Once again, these tours are suitable for all age groups in reasonably good health, except for young children. The ideal time is from September to the end of May. But for those who really want to test their stamina, shorter 1-2 day tours can also be arranged during the summer.
OTHER SITES OF INTEREST CLOSE TO BAFA
Bafa is very close to numerous historic sites and famous holiday spots on the Aegean . To cite a few: Epheuses, Miletos, Prienne, Dydima, Iassos, Bodrum, Kusadasi, the historical town of Milas . All these places can be visited within a few hours.
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