Day 1:

Our boat is about 30 minutes from Dalaman airport at Göçek, a pretty harbour on the Bay of Fethiye. Welcome dinner on board.

Day 2:

We cruise to the pretty inlet of Ağlımanı and walk up an ancient track to the city of Lydae, set in a forgotten valley filled with the tinkle of goat bells. We break bread and have tea with a local goatherd.

Day 3:

Heading west we take a boat up the reed-lined Dalyan River to see the city of Kaunos. Its monumental public buildings, surrounding a silted up harbour, speak of its once great wealth and fame. Serdar has been excavating here for many seasons. As well as exploring the site, we’ll cook and eat with one of the village ladies who prepares food each summer for the archaeologists.

Day 4:

To Loryma, a magnificent Rhodian fortress guarding a strategic bay. We’ll swim and eat warm delicious bread freshly baked in a traditional oven.

Day 5:

To beautiful Bozburun, a picturesque village surrounded by hills. We’ll go to the home of one of the most longstanding restaurant owners and cook food with his family.

Day 6:

West to spectacular Knidos, where decades of digging, still ongoing, have revealed a splendid and well planned ancient city, one of the most beautiful in Turkey. Set at the very tip of a sinuous peninsula, this was a city built for maritime trade, and once housed the fabled first statue of a nude goddess: Praxiteles’ Aphrodite.

Day 7:

We cruise north from the Datça pensinula, and prepare local dishes and delicacies in a family run restaurant. A last chance to swim then on to Bodrum, ancient Halicarnassus, for our final farewell dinner.

Day 8:

Transfer to Bodrum airport.