Another day, when you are tired of the crowds of Marmaris, you can take a trip to the southwest of Marmaris, towards Bozburun.

Your stopping points will be Bayırköy, Çiftlik, Orhaniye, Selimiye, Bozburun and Söğüt.

Except for Bayır, all of them can be reached from the sea by boat. But you should spare at least three days for the sea journey. Orhaniye, Selimiye and Bozburun can also be reached via Datça road and Hisarönü. But we will prefer to go via Bayır.

We leave Marmaris, pass İçmeler and enter the Turunç road. The narrow asphalt road climbs with sharp bends for a while. After a short plain, it leaves the Turunç road and heads towards Bozburun. Passing through small settlements in the coolness of the pine forest, you reach Bayır after about half an hour.

Slope

Bayır Village has become a popular stopping point for “safari” tours with jeeps in recent years. Don’t forget to take a break and drink tea or sparkling ayran at one of the open cafes under the giant-sized historical plane tree in the village square. Its wisdom is unknown, but it is said that taking a tour around an old plane tree prolongs life. The people of Bayır wrote this on the nameplate of the plane tree and hung it.

It is claimed that the village of Bayır was founded on the ancient city of Syrna, and that there was a temple dedicated to Asklepios, the god of health, in the area where the mosque is now located. There is almost no trace left of the temple until today. The acropolis of the city of Syrna is on Yancağız Hill, 2 km northeast of the village. You can reach the Acropolis from Bayır by following the ancient stone road that is still used today. The climb takes about half an hour.

A section of the city walls, grave cover stones and building ruins will be seen in the acropolis.

After Bayır, the road splits into two. One goes down to Turgut Village from the right. The other one is heading towards Bozburun.

We will first take the Bozburun road and after about 1 km we will turn into Çiftlikköy. We leave the descent to Orhaniye and Selimiye via Turgut until later.

farm

Be careful not to miss the Çiftlik junction after approximately 1 km on the asphalt road heading up from Bayır to Söğüt. There is a vague sign.

After the junction, after a short plain, the descent towards Çiftlik Bay begins. At this point, where you will see Çiftlik Bay on one side and Hisarönü Bay when you turn back, rest for a while and fill your lungs with the clean mountain air. Pine forest all around.

The farm is accessed via a slightly winding road. You are on the beach in 15 minutes. The coarse sandy beach of Çiftlik Bay attracts attention. There are very few beaches like this in Marmaris and the surrounding bays. It is worth adding that the sea is always crystal clear. Immerse yourself in cool water. Swim for a long time and then lie down on the sand.

The beach surrounding the bay is not very crowded except for the noon hours when the daily boats coming from Marmaris stay.

But despite everything, the old calm of Çiftlik Cove is no longer there.

There is now a holiday site, two hotels, one of which is large, a business that allows water sports in the bay, a holiday village with only restaurants and entertainment units, and the customer density of the arbor restaurants on the beach.

There is a small island at the entrance of Çiftlik bay. The island is private property and cannot be entered without permission.

Let us note that the rocks on both sides of the bay are suitable for diving, but it is now very difficult to find fish for spearfishing.

For diving, you can also go to Gebekse Bay, right next to the Ciftlik, by boat. You will see historical ruins on the beach at the tip of this bay. It is thought that the Gebekse ruins belong to a church.

Gebekse Bay is among the main stopping places for blue cruise boats. A small number of daily boats also stop by. It has a small beach and a pergola restaurant. You will enjoy diving with swim goggles and watching the many colors of the underwater waterfall.

We are returning to Bayırköy again. This time we head down to Turgut village.

After 5.5 km from Bayır, you will see the “Şelale” sign on the right. It is possible to go to the “waterfall” location, 200 meters from the road, by car using a dirt road. “Waterfall” is not one of those grand waterfalls we know. It was formed by a stream flowing from a height of 3-4 meters, flowing through dense vegetation throughout the valley and whose water decreases significantly in the summer months. The water of the stream is ice cold.

If you have your swimsuit with you, you can swim in the pond created by the waterfall, which is 2-3 meters deep, and get rid of the sweltering heat for a short time. There are pergola restaurants around and next to the waterfall. The pancakes and ayran cooked on the spot by the village women will be good after a cold shower. If you wish, you can also order trout and chicken.

If you can spare time, you can walk along the stream and into the valley. But keep in mind that dense vegetation makes walking difficult at times.

Turgut

Turgut, 9 km away from Bayır, is a village that started to develop thanks to tourism. The largest carpet sales stores around Marmaris are at the entrance of Turgut. The carpet and souvenir shops, where tourists come in groups and shop, have created a great liveliness in the village. There are many decent restaurants at the entrance of Turgut.

Ancient ruins stand out in the bay of Turgut village. The ruins can be viewed on a garden wall on the shore, and a little inland on the temenos wall, which is thought to surround the Ygeia sanctuary. And these ruins are thought to belong to the ancient city of Hygassos.

Orhaniye, Kızkumu

Orhaniye is only 2.5 km away from Turgut. After Turgut, the road divides into two. You need to keep right for Orhaniye and left for Selimiye.

One of the most important tourism centers on the coast of Hisarönü Gulf is Orhaniye. Yachts coming to Hisarönü Bay always spend the night in Orhaniye.

The sea is always smooth in Orhaniye. The color of the surrounding pine forest hit the water, giving the sea a color unique to this place. The environment is so calm that when you immerse yourself in the water, you hear nothing but the sound you make while swimming.

Meanwhile, people walking in the middle of the sea will attract your attention. You will be surprised. As a result of dune movements, a shallow was formed starting from the land and dividing the bay into two. The approximately 600-meter strip is called Kızkumu. There is also a legend. “The girl, who wanted to reach her lover, put sand in her skirt and filled the sea. But the sand was not enough and the girl drowned.”

There is an island in the middle of the bay and castle ruins on top of the island. It is thought that the castle belongs to the ancient city of Baybassos located in the region. You can go to the island by boat and follow the path to the castle ruins on the hill. The view is wonderful. It will be worth your tiredness.

The people of Baybasos brought water to the castle from the waterfall in Turgut village through arches and underwater pipes. They took advantage of the combined containers rule.

A boat tour is also organized from Orhaniye to Hisarönü Bay. There is a break in bays such as Selimiye, Hisarönü and İnbükü and the island of Dışlice. The tour, including lunch, lasts until the evening. Located on a hill overlooking the Gulf of Hisarönü, the island of Dışlice, just across from the Robinson Club Maris hotel, attracts attention with its small canyons and rock structure.

There are monastery ruins next to Martı Marina and Hotel facilities, located at the entrance of Orhaniye Bay, Keçi Bükü location, where yachts stay and are maintained in summer and winter. The mosaics in the garden are worth seeing.

It is also possible to go from Orhaniye to Hisarönü and the Marmaris-Datça road. The distance between Orhaniye and Hisarönü is only 3.5 km. The road is wide and asphalt.

Where to stay? There are also motels and hostels where you can stay in Orhaniye. Kızkumu Motel, (252) 487 10 23

Selimiye

From Orhaniye, we head towards Bozburun by following the asphalt road along the coast. The road is wide and asphalt. We are in Selimiye, 10 km after Orhaniye and 7 km after the Turgut junction. Selimiye is one of the stopping points of blue cruise boats sailing between Bodrum and Marmaris.

The village is surrounded by greenery. The sea water is clean and generally calm, but it does not have a beautiful beach. Small restaurants gathered by the pier usually serve the boats. An endless tranquility dominates the surroundings. It is announced to those who want to have a holiday away from the crowds.

There are also historical ruins around Selimiye. There are three castle ruins around Selimiye, whose ancient name was Hydas. One is on the highest hill of Selimiye, the other is on Sarıkaya hill, and the last one is Aşarkale in Kızılköy neighborhood. The Hellenistic period city wall ruins on the southeastern hills of the bay are visited.

The watchtower built 100 meters off the coast to guide boats approaching Selimiye, the lighthouse, the monastery and the theater are other ruins of the city worth seeing. The remains unearthed from the shipwrecks in the region are exhibited in the Bodrum Underwater Museum.

If you are looking for a beach in Selimiye Bay, which is a natural harbor where boats take shelter in stormy weather, you can go to the “shallow harbor” with sparkling sand two kilometers away.

Where to stay:Hotels to stay:Emre Motel, 446 40 10White Güvercin Motel,446 42 74Emin Motel, 446 40 87Begovina Motel, 446 42 02

What to eat? There are many restaurants around the pier where yachts anchor in Selimiye. There is plenty of fish. Depending on the type, it can be either grilled or steamed. Special olive oil and bay leaves add a different taste to the stew. Stuffed zucchini flowers are a specialty of the Southern Aegean.