Two towns on one water system
Lake Köyceğiz is a large lake ringed by mountains. Its only outlet to the sea is the Dalyan river, which winds south through reed beds, past the town of Dalyan and the ruins of Kaunos, and reaches the Mediterranean at İztuzu Beach.
Köyceğiz town sits on the lake’s northern shore, looking south across the water. That means everything people travel to Dalyan to see is, in a sense, downstream of you: the hot springs on the lake shore, the river, the tombs and the beach.
It also means Köyceğiz has a different character from Dalyan. It is a lake town rather than a river town, quieter in the evenings and further from the sea. Many visitors like that combination: a calm base, with the busier sights a boat ride away.
Two ways to do it
There are two realistic ways to spend a boat day on the Dalyan delta if you are based in Köyceğiz.
- Start on the lake. Boats from the Köyceğiz side cross the lake, usually stop at the Sultaniye hot springs, and continue down the river towards Dalyan and the beach. You see the whole system from top to bottom.
- Start at the Dalyan quay. You travel by road to Dalyan and join a trip from the town, which runs the classic river route: reed channels, mud baths, Kaunos and İztuzu.
The first option gives you a longer lake crossing and an unusual sense of the whole landscape. The second gives you the most choice of trips and boats, including the widest range of departures from the Dalyan quay. Neither is wrong; they suit different people.
Crossing Lake Köyceğiz
The lake crossing is the part of the day that surprises people most. After the enclosed reed channels of the river, the lake opens out wide, with mountains rising steeply behind it and very little development on the far shores.
The water is usually calm, especially in the morning. In the afternoon the breeze tends to pick up across open water, which is pleasant in summer heat but can make the crossing a little livelier. It is still very different from open sea.
If you are starting from Köyceğiz, this is where you get the most of it. If you are starting from Dalyan, you cross only the southern part of the lake on the way to the springs. For the lake at its most peaceful, the evening cruise on Lake Köyceğiz is hard to beat.
Sultaniye: the hot springs on the lake shore
The Sultaniye thermal springs sit on the southwestern shore of the lake. For most boat routes, whether they start in Köyceğiz or Dalyan, they are the first major stop: a mud bath, a warm sulphurous thermal pool and a rinse.
From Köyceğiz, Sultaniye is on the natural line of the trip across the lake. From Dalyan, boats reach it by heading upriver and into the lake. Either way it is a highlight, and a good place to spend an unhurried hour.
We cover what to expect, what to wear and who might want to skip the hot pool in our guide to the Dalyan mud baths.
Down the river: reeds, Kaunos and the weirs
Leaving the lake, the boat enters the Dalyan river. The channel narrows and the reed beds close in, turning into a maze of green corridors that most people find the most memorable part of the whole journey.
Further down, the river passes Dalyan town on one bank and the cliffs of Kaunos on the other, with the famous rock tombs cut high into the rock. Below the town, boats pass through the fishing weirs that gave Dalyan its name.
If you want to know what you are looking at along this stretch, our Kaunos rock tombs guide and the story of Dalyan’s fishing weirs are worth reading beforehand.
İztuzu at the end of the line
The river ends at İztuzu, a long sandbar with the delta on one side and the Mediterranean on the other. It is the loggerhead turtle nesting beach, and it is protected, which is why there is nothing built on it.
On a full-day trip you usually get several hours here: time to swim in the sea, float in the calmer river-side water and walk away from the busier entrance area. It is the end of the journey and, for many people, the reward for it.
The beach has a remarkable history, which we tell in how İztuzu was saved.
Starting from the Dalyan quay instead
Köyceğiz and Dalyan are connected by road around the lake, via Ortaca, and the drive is roughly thirty-five kilometres. For many visitors, driving or taking a transfer to Dalyan and boarding a boat there is the simplest option.
Starting in Dalyan gives you the widest choice: the classic full-day trip, a direct boat to İztuzu, a sunset cruise or a private boat on your own schedule. Morning departures are the most pleasant, so plan to arrive in good time.
If you are staying in Köyceğiz and want us to arrange the day, tell us where you are staying when you message. Pick-up arrangements depend on the trip and the date, so it is better to ask than to assume.
Which option suits you
As a rough guide:
- If you want the full sweep of the landscape and do not mind a longer day on the water, start from the lake side.
- If you want the most choice of trips, the classic route and an easy morning, start from the Dalyan quay.
- If you are a family or a group with particular needs, a private boat lets you shape the route and the timing around you.
People arriving from further away face similar choices. If you know others staying on the coast, we have written the same kind of guide for visitors coming from Sarıgerme, Marmaris and Fethiye and Göcek.