KEFKEN Kefken, 20 km away from Kandıra and 8 km away from Kerpe, is the most developed among the coastal settlements. The sea, beaches and pine forests are its most important features. Beyoğlu Municipality currently runs the place, which was previously used as a forest camp, and students stay there during the summer months.

Kefken is the most developed settlement area of ​​Kandıra. Kefken is a typical fishing town due to its port. Depending on the season, you can get all kinds of fresh and abundant fish from the port. You can buy it by the case or by the kilo. During the summer months, the population triples and acts as a locomotive between Kumcağız and Kovanağzı. There is a Military Forest Camp in Kovanağzı.

PINK ROCKS

The Pink Rocks area is one of the must-see places due to its interesting geological structure. Rocks that are soft in water harden after they are removed. Due to these features, it was used in the construction of many mosques, including the Sultanahmet Mosque, during the Ottoman period, when it was cut into rectangles by human power and brought to Istanbul by sea.

Due to its proximity to Kefken, fishing in the region is quite developed and advanced and large fish production stations have been established.

It also offers various opportunities for amateur underwater hunters. You can go to Pink Rocks, which is 6 km away from Kerpe and on the Kefken road, and see Kefken Island, located opposite Pink Rocks, full of interesting places where you can have a picnic, fish and sunbathe, albeit from afar. It is ideal for a picnic, relaxing and swimming in the sea.

CEBECİ

27 km from Kandıra. Cebeci is a holiday paradise with its clean sea, sandy beach and pine forests. It is also rich in wild ducks, woodcock and pheasants in September and October.  Watching the sunset in Cebeci is one of the factors that increase the attractiveness of the region. Sand mussels called “cik cik” are very famous in Cebeci. There are many sites and summer houses in Cebeci, it is the largest and most crowded place.

KEFKEN ISLAND

Opposite Cebeci is the island of Kefken. Kefken Island is the only inhabited island in the Black Sea. It also has a harbor where ships can shelter. Recently, many attempts have been made to open it to tourism. And it has a ship rescue station. It is open to the public.

SARISU

Sarısu is 8 km from Kandıra. It was established where Sarısu Stream meets the Black Sea within the borders of Babaköy. Carp, perch and various freshwater fish are produced in the Sarısu stream, which flows through the trees. Sarısu is a village suitable for both daily tourism, tent tourism and camping, with its 1 km long beach and deep blue sea. To swim in the sea, you must cross the stream on a raft.

BAĞRGANLI

Bağırganlı can be reached after 13 km via the Ağva – Kandıra road, at the Safalı junction. There are countryside casinos and cafes on the coastline of the village. It is also a frequent destination for large fishing boats with its port that is still under construction.

AGVA

Ağva is a natural wonder located in the northeast of Istanbul, with its lush green nature, Göksu and Yeşilçay rivers flowing on both sides, the deep blue waters of the Black Sea on its front, and delicious fish. Perhaps the most attractive thing about this charming town, which was founded on the delta formed over time, where the Göksu and Yeşilçay streams, originating from İzmit’s Çal Hill, flow into the Black Sea, is the lush green shores of these streams.

Hotels and restaurants are established here, and all the activities of the region are carried out on these shores. You can reach Ağva either from Istanbul or from Kerpe Kandıra after Akçova village, and after Ağva you will be in Şile and Istanbul.

ŞİLE

It has been determined that Şile, which is still used on the coasts of Istanbul, whose natural beauties have remained untouched until today, dates back to prehistoric times. Since Şile is in a big city like Istanbul, this big city is considered an inevitable escape destination, especially for weekend holidaymakers. Şile is flocked by local and foreign tourists with its historical texture as well as its natural beauties.

BABA HILL AND AKÇAKOCA MONUMENTAL GRAVE On Babadağ, which is four km away from Kerpe, you can visit the Akçakoca Mausoleum and have the opportunity to watch the whole of Kerpe from the foothills of Babadağ. And it offers the opportunity to watch and take photos of most of the beaches from the top. There are also recreation areas that offer the opportunity to have a picnic with your family in the summer months.

There is a mausoleum of Akçakoca Bey, the conqueror of Kocaeli, in Babadağ near the Kefken road in Kocaeli Kandıra district. Akçakoca was one of the commanders of Osman Gazi and raided Sakarya and Izmit and captured the Byzantine castles there. He also taught Osman Gazi’s son Orhan Bey during his princedom. Akçakoca died near Kandıra in 1328. Akçakoca’s grave monument was built in 1974.

The monument has a pyramidal body open to the outside, and a tomb sarcophagus is placed on a high podium.

KANDIRA

It is on the Black Sea coast in the north of Izmit Bay. While the district leans on the vast waters of the Black Sea in the north, it is bordered by Kaynarca district of Sakarya province in the east. The southern border of Kandıra, which is adjacent to the Ağva town of Istanbul’s Şile district on its western border, is formed by the villages connected to the city center. It is 45 km away from Izmit. The population of the district is 50,214. The Byzantines named the district “Kentri”, meaning power plant.

After the Kingdom of Bithynia, Karpathos became a stopover for Roman, Byzantine and Genoese ships. During the Ottoman period, Istanbul’s needs such as charcoal and logs were supplied from Kerpe. During the reign of Orhan Bey, Kandıra was annexed to the Ottoman lands by Akçakoca Bey, known as the Conqueror of Kocaeli.

Before 1868, Kandıra was a township within the Üsküdar district, but when it became a district, it was annexed to the independent Izmit Sanjak. Kandıra is a district where tourism activities are concentrated in the summer months due to its clean beaches. There is the mausoleum of Akçakoca, the Conqueror of Kocaeli, on the top of Babadağı. Kandıra cloth, unique to the region, is woven on looms in village houses and embroidered with old Turkish motifs and presented to your liking.

Kandıra, which has gained a deserved reputation for its turkey and yoghurt, is also very well known for its famous ornamental stones.