Family Active Turkey - Private Tour

Arrive in Kas, a laid back fishing town on the Turkish Lycian coast with a host of adventurous activities on offer.

You will be met on arrival at Dalaman International Airport (airport code DLM) by a transfer driver, and set off on the approximately three hour journey to your hotel in Kas. There are no activities planned today, so feel free to arrive in Dalaman at any time. For those booking their own flights, you will just need to let us know your flight details no later than three weeks prior to departure, in order to be met on arrival.

There are a large number of evening flights into Dalaman Airport, so depending on your arrival time a local representative in Kas will come and meet you at the hotel either tonight or tomorrow morning, to go through your itinerary in detail and answer any questions you may have. If you arrive in the evening to your hotel, a message will be left for you with information and a meeting time for the next morning.

If your flight arrives earlier in the day, perhaps you might choose to take a dip in the hotel pool or head into Kas to sample the wide choice of restaurants. Be sure to sample the hearty Turkish food on offer such as slow cooked lamb, a barbecued meat selection or pide - it's similar to a pizza. Kas is a great place to relax, with cafes and restaurants spilling out onto cobbled streets and a network of tiny backalleys to explore.

Your first day here is free to settle in, explore at your own pace and just enjoy the sunshine. For your first day in Turkey, you might simply want to enjoy the pool, or the hotel can organise taxis to nearby beaches.

For those with a hankering for culture, Kas is built around the remains of ancient Antiphellos and there are ruins of a Hellenistic theatre, the monumental Lion Tomb and some hillside rock tombs scattered in and around the town. For something more active there are options to try horse riding, or take to the water as the sea around Kas is home to excellent diving locations that cater to all levels of experience.

After a leisurely start this morning, walk down to the harbour to board a wooden gulet boat for a ride along Turkey's Turquoise Coast. Cruising through the calm bays around Kas, stop to swim in the clear, warm waters of the pleasant bays and rocky coves. You may wish to bring some snorkelling gear to look for ancient amphora (vases) lying on the seabed, as well as marine life. In the early afternoon the crew cook up a delicious barbecue lunch before cruising back to Kas.

This boat trip is shared with other passengers, usually between 20-30 people in total.

It's important to note that this itinerary is flexible and can change for operational reasons and weather conditions. For example, if, at the time of your booking, this boat trip on Day 2 has no availability, we will simply make reservations for a different day and shuffle the itinerary around a little. The beauty of staying centrally in Kas for the whole week means that we can make these changes with very little impact to the trip. Our local representative in Kas will go through any of these changes with you upon arrival.

Get picked up this morning from your hotel and drive around 1.5hrs to the Xanthos Riverbank. You'll be canoeing with a group of other travellers today, all taking to the water for a four hour canoeing trip down the Xanthos River to Patara beach. The kayaking is suitable for beginners and no previous experience is needed.

Passing through the tranquil and unspoilt rural backwaters, those with keen eyes can spot colourful kingfishers, egrets, grey and squacco herons and terrapins on the riverbanks. Your guides will find a spot on the river bank for a barbeque lunch before continuing on to the beach at Patara, where there is time to relax and swim. The 18 kilometres of golden sand is one of the longest beaches in Turkey and is a protected nesting area for giant loggerhead turtles.

Head for the hills with a guide today, exploring cedar forests, streams, shady glades and tiny charming villages where the pattern of life has remained almost untouched for centuries. The plan is to take a leisurely walk between these mountain villages, and enjoying a light lunch of pastries, traditional Ayran (a yoghurt drink) and Turkish tea, before driving back to Kas via the spectacular canyon-mouth beach of Kapitas. Located just west of Kas, Kapitas is an idyllic spot for a swim at the end of a day in the mountains, so don't forget to bring swimming gear today.

Today is another restful day to enjoy what Kas has to offer. You might want to visit the Church of St Nicholas at Demre (Myra) which is where the 4th century Bishop Nicholas is said to have anonymously given money to the poor thus spawning the legend of Father Christmas. Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of two countries; Greece and Russia, and is also the protector of children, merchants, scholars and sailors - a busy man! The origin of Saint Nicholas's gift giving is believed to have arisen from a legend in which a shopkeeper was too poor to supply his daughters with dowries. When Saint Nicholas heard of their plight, he threw three bags of coins into the shopkeeper's yard, saving the daughters from a life of hardship.

The Church of Saint Nicholas was built after his death and Noel Baba's remains were placed in a rock sarcophagus. A modern statue of Saint Nicholas, complete with beard, bag of toys, and children has been placed outside the church. But Myra isn't just the home of Santa. A mile north of the church is the impressive ruins of the ancient town, where dozens of Lycian tombs are carved out of the cliff above a Roman amphitheatre.

Alternatively, join an excursion to the Greek island of Meis. The island is just 2.5 kilometres from the Turkish coast and yet more than 100 kilometres from Rhodes, its nearest Greek neighbour. Kastellorizo is an idyllic seafront town with colourful buildings lining the harbour where yachts and fishing boats dock. The surrounding hills are home to typical Greek whitewashed building with terracotta coloured roofs.

Rise early today to enjoy a day of sea kayaking in the tranquil and protected bay of Kekova. It's one of the most scenic areas in Lycia; a set of picturesque islands, bays and small ancient cities. With a guide and a support boat, kayak out on to the calm water, passing over the sunken city of Kekova. Shifting land caused by earthquakes have partly submerged the streets and buildings, which are now visible in the crystal clear waters and there are even steps leading down into the depths of the bay.

The pace is relaxed and no previous experience is necessary - simply enjoy the scenery as you kayak to the picture-postcard village of Simena, whose harbour is dotted with ancient sarcophagi (tombs) and Roman baths and houses that cling to a hillside beneath a medieval castle. It's possible to leave the kayak for a short walk up to the castle where there's a tiny ancient theatre within its walls. Carved from the solid rock, it is a wonderful place to sit and soak up the serene surroundings.

There's the opportunity to have a tasty lunch of meze and grills at a waterside restaurant, before taking to the waters again, paddling through a labyrinth of rocks, passing the shoreline necropolis of Teimiusa to reach Ucagiz. From here, drive back to Kas where the rest of the afternoon is free to relax.

The kayak trip takes around three hours in the water, with additional time for lunch, and will cover approximately eight kilometres.

Your trip ends today, and you will set off on the three hour drive to the airport for your international flight. There are no activities planned today, so you are free to depart from Dalaman Airport (DLM) at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day, luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel.