In this episode of Explore Türkiye, we visit a city whose pace of life is very calm, walk ecological trails and take a look at ancient ruins.
Köyceğiz is a very picturesque small Turkish city located in the Dalyan region. Five years ago, it joined the Cittaslow programme, a network of cities and towns embracing a slow pace of life and working to prevent the impact of globalization on local customs.
Our presenter Cinzia Rizzi has visited the region with the intention of fully immersing herself in nature. She has rented a bicycle to explore some of the 740 kilometers of ecological trails created to promote ecotourism.
From there, you’ve hopped on a boat for a ride along the Dalyan Canal and discovered Kaunos, an ancient city that dates back to the 9th century BC and has been inhabited by Romans, Persians and Rhodians over the years. This is an essential stop for tourists visiting the area, who can find rock-cut tombs in the mountainside, an Acropolis, and a Roman theater.
Following the river again, Cinzia has finally headed to İztuzu beach, one of the most famous stretches of the Aegean Sea. It is also important from an ecological point of view, since it is a key place where loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta Caretta) nest.
Cinzia met an employee of the turtle sanctuary on the beach and discovered everything that is being done to protect this endangered species, which comes to İztuzu beach every summer to breed and nest.
