Kaş is a small, picturistique town in the South-Western Coast of Turkey. The Greek island; Meis (in Turkish); or Kastellorizo (in English) is situated right in front of it. Kaş and Meis are close enough that you see the houses of the other side with your naked eye. Kaş is one of the most beautiful places in Turkey with its scenery, historical monuments and not degenerated atmosphere. Highly recommended to visit at least for a week to see and feel the atmosphere and the beauty as well.
This wonderful location of Kaş is topped by high and sharp West Mediterranean Toros Mountains at the back, which is naturally planted by lemur (scrub). You will absolutely fall in love with Kaş; not only because of its appealing, beautiful view, but because of its lovely, always smiling, and warm-blooded native citizens.
I was born in Kaş and I went to primary and middle
schools here. We had a very beautiful, red-roofed school, done in white
limewashed Mediterranean architecture. I then went to Ankara (the capital
city of Turkey) for high school and then university. I remember that I
always waited in excitement for my winter and summer breaks so that I
could get on the bus departing from Ankara to Antalya (the province that
the county of Kaş belongs to). Then from Antalya I would take another
bus to Kaş. This trip took a total of at least 15 hours. Now, there are
direct buses that go to Kaş from Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara.
Ankara is in the center of Turkey, in other words, it’s not near the coast,
and so as soon as I arrived to Kaş, I would rush to the sea to swim after
giving a big big hug to my mother and father, who are native citizens
of Kaş. My family, my relatives, and my schoolmates still live in Kaş.
In recent years many foreigners bought houses in Kaş; especially English and Dutch people. They love this lovely Mediterranean coast town with a hot climate; which makes the people here warm-blooded, even the ones coming from the very North (!)
What can you do in Kaş? You can
swim in the crystal clear, deep blue Mediterranean Sea, visit local villages;
taste the healthy regional cuisine, go scuba diving… There is the option
of paragliding if you are in search for adrenaline. You can also enjoy
sea kayaking, explore canyons, go mountain climbing, walking and trekking,
as well as mountain biking and jeep safari. You may also go to Meis (Greece)
by taking daily boat trips from the Kaş harbour.
In Kaş, you may find very beautiful hotels, guest houses, family-operated
pensions, and camping places. It’s a good thing that there is no "everything
inclusive” concept, so that you can enjoy the outdoor sports and dine
wherever you would like. You can also rent a car or a bike...
Some places to see in centrum and in walking
distance: the ancient theatre, sarcophagus (from Lycians: Kral
mezarı), monolthic grave (Akdam), rock tombs (kaya mezarları), Bucak Denizi
(the bay through Kaş-Fethiye road, Ada (the peninsula; Çukurbağ), small
shops in the center (you can find many interesting souvenirs)...
- taking a daily boat trip from Kaş harbour: Liman ağzı, Kale, Kekova,
Meis,..
- by dolmuş (mini buses): Akçegerme (a very nice beach on the Kaş-Fethiye
road), Kalkan (another very lovely town, 30 min from Kaş, on the Kaş-Fethiye
road), Demre (a town famous for its Lycian rock tombs, St Nicholas (Noel
Baba) Church (on the Kaş-Antalya road), and Patara (a very long, sandy
beach, on the Kaş-Fethiye road),..
Ask for more information to the Bureau of Ministry of Tourism, which is
situated right in the center of Kaş (Cumhuriyet Meydanı).
Mediterranean cuisine: in Kaş the tradition is to eat fish and greens instead of red meat. It is unthinkable for a native citizen to eat a meal without bread. The bread here is fantastic! It’s great that you can take the freshly baked bread from the local bakery (fırın), bring it to the house by folding with an old newspaper to prevent your fingers from being burnt and then you dip it into a mixture of “extra virgine olive oil+ thyme+lemon juice” in a bowl!!! It is a superb taste that makes you feel alive!
Meals are cooked with extra virgine olive oil in Kaş: aubergines, green beans, zucchini, leeks tomatoes... all fresh vegetables are extremely delicious, coupled by fresh herbs like parsley, thyme, dill, basil, mint, scallion,.. In the mountains of Kaş, a delicate kind of thyme is grown (completely organic); it is harvested by the villagers, dried, crumbled into small granules and then packed in jars. Thyme is used in many dishes, including famous potato salad, pita bread, fish and meat dishes.
Do not miss the FRIDAY MARKET in Kaş!!! Here you can find all the fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs, spices and also whatever is necessary for you and for your house. Meis citizens also come here to do their shopping. Most of them speak Turkish and Kaş citizens are fond of having good relationships with them.
How to get to Kaş: You can either fly to Dalaman (in the West of Kaş) or Antalya (in the East of Kaş) Airports. Then, you can rent a car or rent a taxi to Kaş which is about a 3 hour drive from Dalaman and 3.5 hour drive from Antalya. There are also scheduled buses from Antalya, İzmir, Fethiye, Ankara and Istanbul.
(Teslime Mahmutoglu)
The pictures followed are from Kaş and nearby villages and towns:
Kalkan, Kaputaş Beach, Kaş, views from the mountain through Kaş and the islands in front, and villages: Seyret (Gökçeören), Asaz
☺ Eat Mediterranean, heathy food in Kaş
☺Take boat tours to nearby islands and historical places
☺ Speak to local people; see how beautiful they are; mostly green or blue eyes with sun-burned skins
