The Local Area

Turkey is renowned for its great natural beauty and friendly people. There are a great many things to see and do in Turkey, especially in this area. The following places are all easily accessible from Mountain Valley either by foot, or dolmus, the local bus service, which is both cheap and frequent.

See also: Trips and tours in the locality

Hisarönü Village
Hisarönü is just a 5 minute walk from Mountain Valley. Set round the base of a once fortified hill, Hisaronu means 'in front of the fortress'. It has a centrally orientated main-street area, with a plethora of boutiques, restaurants and bars. There is also an open air market held here every Monday.

Ölüdeniz
Just a 10 minute journey from Mountain Valley, Oludeniz is a national conservation area and has one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, certainly the most photographed in Turkey. It's 'Blue Lagoon' has crystal clear waters and a clean, uncluttered beach. It is a popular tourist destination and has many restaurants, shops and bars. The main beach has shower, toilet and changing areas. The beach is free but the lagoon charges a very small entrance fee, but it is worth a day out. Both the beach and Blue Lagoon charge an inexpensive daily fee for use of the sunbeds and umbrellas.

Fethiye
Fethiye is a lively bustling town with shops, restaurants and plenty of nightlife and is only a 15 minute journey from Mountain Valley. Turkey is renowned for its gold and carpets and you will find plenty of shops selling these in Fethiye! Fethiye harbour has spectacular views of this part of the peninsular and the many harbourside bars and restaurants offer good value for money.
There is a large open air market held in Fethiye every Tuesday. There is a wide selection of clothes, leather goods, local souvenirs and silver. Not to be missed by those who love a good bargain.
The Lycian rock tombs date back to 4th century B.C. from the Lycian period. These tombs are excavated into natural rock, which became a symbol of the city. Fethiye has its own tombs - Amyntas is considered by many as the most beautiful and most magnificent tomb and can be reached from Fethiye by a stairway off the harbour. There are many more tombs at Dalyan. These can be seen on the boat ride down the river towards Turtle Beach (see Trips and tours in the locality). Not to be missed.

Çalis Beach
The beach is located 5 Km north of Fethiye and can be reached either by dolmus or water taxi from Fethiye harbour. The beach is very flat and stretches for many miles and offers perfect conditions for windsurfing - there is a small windsurfing school and an Aqua Park situated nearby which is a great family day out.

Kaya Village
This deserted Greek settlement was built in the 14th century on the ancient site of Karmillassos which was destroyed by earthquake. The village was abandoned after the Turkish and Greek governments signed a 'population exchange' agreement in 1922. The Greek population was exchanged with the Turkish population residing in Western Thrace. Many of the Greek houses remain and there is a church high up on the Mountains overlooking Oludeniz. The area has many traditional Turkish 'mangal' (barbeque) restaurants where the barbeque is brought to your table and you can either cook your meal yourself or have someone cook for you. Either way all the produce served is grown/bred locally.

Trips and tours in the locality