You can see blue, green, in short, all colors in Orhaniye…

The two most important stops for Jeep safari enthusiasts… Orhaniye and Kızkumu… Holidaymakers will be able to find answers to all they want here…

Do you want to relax and enjoy as much as you want? Maybe your longing is to photograph the insatiable beauties and share your memories with others! So don’t stop. This time, you will also visit historical places. You will go trekking and enjoy nature. We are going to a region whose nature has not yet been spoiled, where there is a lot of environmental richness and where you can find peace as a family.

“Orhaniye”, a cute town in Marmaris district of Muğla; It consists of Keçibükü and Merkez Mahallesi. The previous name of the old Greek village, which has typical Mediterranean features, was “Kırvasil”, meaning “Vasil of the Wild”. B.C. Dating back to the 3rd century, the village attracts attention with its clean sea, surrounding pine forests, mountains and historical riches.

The symbol of the village is the red sand that extends 600 meters towards the sea like a tongue and appears and disappears with the tides. The interesting story of this place will definitely impress you.

There are various alternatives for those traveling from Istanbul. The shortest way to travel is to land at Dalaman airport by plane and reach Marmaris and Orhaniye by taxi or minibus. Those traveling by bus can go to Hisarönü by taking the minibuses departing from opposite the Shell fuel station at the Marmaris entrance, with services available every two hours. The flights last until 24:00 at night and pass in front of motels in Orhaniye.

SPECIAL VEHICLE…

Those who set out with their private vehicles will use the highway from Çamlıca toll booths to the Bayramoğlu turnout. The journey continues with the car ferry that departs from Eskihisar when full and starts in Topcular after 40 minutes. If you fill the tank completely in Topçular, it meets the widened and completed Yalova – Bursa road. Bursa ring road feels like medicine. This road, which takes you to the city exit, is one-way for up to 30 kilometers.

Road works between Bursa and Balıkesir continue, but you are not much affected by it. Those who set off from Istanbul at 07.30 in the morning arrive in Susurluk around 11.00. There are many buttermilk houses, cafes and gardens on the road. After Susurluk, you enter a road that can be considered perfect. Even planes land on this road. When you turn left with Balıkesir on your right, you turn towards Izmir.

You see that road works continue all the way to Manisa. The road between Manisa and Izmir is in good condition. At the entrance of Izmir, you take the highway built within the city from Bornova and go out of the city, among the smells, watching the bay. Then you can use the highway until Aydın. This road also gives you the pleasure of driving.

After Aydın, Çine, you come to Muğla and the Sakar Pass at an altitude of 670 meters, and at the end you see the magnificent Gökova Bay. Wait a moment. And take in the view. All your travel fatigue will pass. Below, the Marmaris road surrounded by eucalyptus trees is like poetry…

At the entrance, you have two ways to go to Orhaniye. You can take the Datça turnoff or take your choice via İçmeler. On the Datça road, transportation is sometimes provided on a stabilized road due to shortening and cornering efforts.

NOTE TO BOATS COMING FROM THE SEA

At the entrance of Hisarönü Bay, between Dışlice Island and Robinson Clup, the water level is 50 cm. The rocks underneath and the Atabol cliff have critical features.

There are no big hotels in Orhaniye. Motel and hostel type accommodation facilities have suitable places for holidays. Dogan Motel by the sea, with a private beach, 31 rooms. The rooms are large and all have bathrooms, balconies and views. There are units such as open and closed restaurants, bars and open disco. You can also choose hostels such as Palmiye Motel, Erol, Ceren, Özen and Aves in Orhaniye. There are also houses for rent in the village.

In the same region, there is Magic Life Knidos Holiday Village, which offers a magical life. While the facility, which is in the category of ultra hotels, attracts attention with its ceiling dome, underground mirrored tunnels that resemble a space base, animations in congress and recreation halls and indoor and outdoor pools, its polite, friendly and experienced staff works with all their strength to please the guests.

In Hisarönü Bay, where fish come to both take shelter and multiply, fish species include sea bream, red mullet, leer, sea bream, grouper and whiting. Shrimp, octopus and squid are also among the delicious options of the region.

If you choose to eat at Doğan Motel’s restaurant, you can enjoy open buffet breakfast, appetizers, casseroles, grilled meat, chicken and fish under the shade of palm and pine trees. Kızkumu Motel welcomes its guests with a table d’hôte service.

At the Grand Restaurant, run by Hüseyin Dinç, in the inner part of Orhaniye Bay, pizza varieties, fish on bricks and steamed seafood are among the preferred menus. While this place also serves campers and caravanners, it can also provide water skiing and car rental.

Magic Life Knidos Hotel’s restaurant offers unlimited food and beverage options, including open buffet and à la carte…

The main place to shop when leaving the region is, of course, Marmaris Bazaar. It is possible to find any product you can think of here. Be prepared that they may try to sell you a leather coat in the middle of summer in 40 degree heat. Because sellers are trying every way to sell to tourists from all over the world. Among the things you can buy locally, seafood comes first. Of course, if your vehicle has an icebox.

Otherwise, you need to consume the seafood you buy within a few hours. You can also take thyme herb, thyme juice, and thyme honey. You can also buy sage, myrtle leaves, fig and bay leaves in bags. Or, if you are confident, you can collect it from the mountains and gain fitness…

THE STORY OF KIZKUMUM

One of the most interesting places in Orhaniye is “Kızkumu”… This place has a very interesting story. According to this legend, which is still believed and told today, during one of the pirate raids that once frequently visited the region, the beautiful daughter of the family in question started running in the same direction, scattering red sand on her skirt while running away from the pirates.

Finally, the sand decreases and where it ends, the girl as beautiful as a fairy disappears! From those days until today, the region is known as Kızkumu. Local residents and tourists make wishes while walking on the deep sand bar that extends strangely into the sea. He believes that their wishes will come true.

Kızkumu, which is also one of the stops for jeep safari passengers with its beach and cafe, offers visual delights by integrating with the yachts entering the bay by gliding like swans at sunset.

Since Orhaniye is a lake-like bay surrounded by mountains, all kinds of sports can be done in the still water. The coasts are suitable for diving. Moreover. You can do rowing and angling from the pier or by renting a boat. It is possible to find a boat for rent in front of Doğan Motel. With the 13-meter tour boat that leaves in front of the motel in the morning.

Depending on your desire, you can visit bays such as İnbükü, Kamelya, Dışlice Island, Artur Bay, Bencik and Selimiye all day long. Lunch is served either in the villages visited or on the boat. The menu consists of salad, boiled potatoes, eggs, meatballs or chicken and fruit, and the choice of drinks is up to you.

You can climb the castle used by the Knights of Rhodes, which was built in the middle of the bay as a lookout against pirates. For those who are interested in taking photographs, Orhaniye offers a wide range of opportunities. Places such as the waterfall, which is 6 kilometers away, the ancient city of Knidos, which can be reached in 1.5 hours, or Bozburun and Baybossos, which can be reached in 1 hour, bring unique images to the camera.

After long meals in the silence of the night, Doğan Motel’s bar and open disco are frequented by music and dance lovers. For those who like more entertainment, shopping, markets and marina life, Marmaris is right next to you. You can find more than what you are looking for here. Those who are interested in environmental trips, trekking, climbing and discovering new places can join the tours by contacting the tour guide İsmail Aydın from Kızkumu Motel.

Baybossos ancient site, castles, Çiftlikköy, Bayırköy monumental trees, carpets or islands in Turgut village.

Hisarönü Bay, which looks like a closed bay surrounded by mountains, is a haven for tourists as well as delicious fish. Located among the lace-like bays of the gulf, famous for its uniquely beautiful sunsets, and attracting attention with its mythological story and geographical structure, Orhaniye and Kızkumu are important stops for 4×4 safaris in the region.

Orhaniye village consists of two neighborhoods built on two bays: Keçibükü and Central neighborhood. Keçibükü, which you come across when coming from Hisarönü, is a small bay with the “Bay Marina”, which largely meets the needs of yachts in the region, and the ruins of an ancient church and some buildings. Right at the end is Orhaniye Bay, with its island and the castle used by the Knights of Rhodes, and Kızkumu, with its interesting geographical structure.

Orhaniye, which displays completely different beauties from every angle and height, has a sea as flat as a sheet in the early hours of the day.

The bay, which sees sunrise later due to the height of the mountains, is bathed in Mediterranean dark blue during the day and with a riot of red, orange, pink and purple colors at sunset.

In the evening hours, the sun’s farewell ceremony for the day is watched in a poetically beautiful view. The reflections of the sleeping beauties of Keçibükü marina yachts, which look like beautiful white swans, hitting the water, this time take on shades of red at sunset.

When the night turns dark blue, the dance of the lights on the water begins. At this point, those wandering around the shores of Doğan Motel, or even those who come by car, are on the wide land surface, only four fingers above the sea. Being almost at the same level as the sea makes you feel different than being on the beach sand.

Breakfast after a forest walk in the morning with plenty of oxygen and the smell of nature, and after the hot rain in winter, has a completely different taste.

Kizkumu

A set of red and coarse sand in Orhaniye Bay extends like a tongue from the shore towards the open sea.

This sand bar, which appears and disappears with the tides, allows tourists visiting the region to walk in the water even when the water rises. Those who walk to the end of the 650 m sand bar, which is also popular as a beach, are amazed by the interesting structure of Kızkum, which has not disappeared for years due to the effect of wind and waves.

Sand also has a mythological story… “Long ago, while the people were running away in panic during a pirate attack, the girl, as beautiful as a princess, of a prominent family in the region, started running towards the sea, scattering the red sand she filled with her skirt, in order to escape from the pirates who were after her. However, when the sand on her skirt ran out, she was left stranded in the middle of the sea and disappeared.

The embankment, which has been known as Kızkumu since then, still maintains its sandy feature, even though 4×4 vehicles drive on it. Another feature of the sand is that it is believed that the wishes of those who walk on it come true.”

What to do

There are many activities you can do while visiting the historical village, whose first name was “Kırvasil” but later became known as Orhaniye, dating back to the 3rd century BC. The calm bay allows for all kinds of water sports. Waking up early and boating amidst the sound of oars is another way of enjoying and relaxing. Especially if you are interested in angling, it is almost impossible to leave here empty-handed.

The shores suitable for water skiing and surfing and the pirate island in the middle of the bay meet the expectations of those who have passions for adventure, climbing, diving, underwater hunting, and those who want to capture interesting images with photography and video cameras.

Places to visit in the surrounding area

If you leave the village and the bay aside and go on an environmental tour, you can attend the carpet shows given to tourists by the village women who weave carpets in Turgut Village, 10 minutes away from Orhaniye. After selling carpets to tourists, groups visit Selimiye Village, Bybassos Ancient City, Pınarcık Ruins, the Şelale area reminiscent of the Amazon Forests, or touristic centers such as Çiflik and Bayır.

Although the tomb (pyramid-shaped mausoleum) near Orhaniye Turgut Village does not attract the attention of passers-by, it is worth seeing. The story of the mausoleum located in front of the necropolis of the ancient city, which is determined to belong to a respected family, is also interesting…

Those who dream of living happily, having a good marriage, those who have no children, those who are going to join the military, buy a pinch of soil from here and keep it until their wishes come true. Those whose wishes are fulfilled leave the land they bought in the same place. This is the common belief in the region…

Another close travel destination that can be reached from Orhaniye is Bayırköy.

Monumental trees welcome tourists who come to Bayırköy square with open arms. Two of them are plane trees and the third is a black cypress tree. The wide trunk diameter of the plane tree, which is the most magnificent of all trees, exceeds 9 meters. The entire tree, which is estimated to be two thousand years old, is a symbol of a long and happy life. This tradition is also presented to tourists with signs written in English and German.

The sign says that those who make a full circle around the tree will live a happy and long life. That’s why tourists who come to see the trees, read and believe the signs, tour around the trees, trying not to be visible, pretending to be walking around, and in this way they become part of the symbol. Those sitting in the shadows of the plane trees are watching the event and wishing they could live a long and happy life so easily.

Despite everything, the tourists who make their wishes leave Bayırköy hopeful and happy.

In the tree-lined square, there are stalls selling tea gardens, coffee, local products, thyme juice, thyme herb, bay leaves and souvenirs.

Right behind the grand plane trees that Tema Foundation President Hayrettin Karaca examined to determine their age, there is another interesting tree. The fig tree sprouting from the hole opened in its trunk is an example of the symbiosis of two trees on the same trunk!

The two important stops for those who want to explore the surroundings from the sea are “Dişlice Island”, which looks like prosthetic teeth, located in Hisarönü Gulf, and “Camellia Island”, where the famous church with its floor mosaic made of sea stones is located. In boat tours departing from Orhaniye Bay, the route is drawn according to the wishes of the groups, cold sandwiches and soft drinks are offered on the boat, fish is eaten, picnics are made, breaks are made for sea baths in all bays, and they return at sunset.

You can also go on moonlight tours in the bay, where the waters shine like a silver tray during the full moon.

Orhaniye Hotels and Pensions Contact Information

Orhaniye Kızkumu Travel Guide