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The Coves and Inlets

On the peninsula there are some 52 coves and bays. To the north, on the Aegean side, these include the coves and inlets of Gökçeler Bükü, Küçük Çatı, Çatı, Kızıldağ, Alavara, Çakal, Damlacık, Mersincik and Iskandil. Almost all them are stopping points for the Blue Cruise boats leaving from Gökova.

On the Mediterranean side of the peninsula, apart from the inner port of Knidos, there are the coves and inlets of Palamut Bükü, Akvaryum, Hayıt Bükü, Kızıl Bükü, Kargı, Datça, Port, Karaincir, Sari Port, Karabük, Günlüncek and Lindos all in a row.

The larger port of Bencik on the Gulf of Hisarönü faces Datça on one side and on the other Marmaris.

Here is some information on the bays, inlets and coves that are popular stopping points of the daily boat tours on the peninsula’s Mediterranean side.

The Cove of Kargı:

 It is in three kilometres from the centre of the town. You can also get there by municipal bus. Despite its being close to the town it is not crowded or heavily built over. On the cove you will see some restaurants and a few small pensions. Let us also mention that the calm sea and beach is very suitable for swimming.

Domuzbükü

Domuzbükü (Pig Inlet) is a place you choose for a holiday when you want to get away from it all and forget all about cities, including such things as television. There is no road link to the cove; instead you get there from Datça by boat on a one and a half hour trip. If you want to stay here the only accommodation are some bungalows in keeping with the natural character of the place. Apart from relaxing and swimming at Domuzbükü you can also make some short trips around the area. Nearby there is a cave and interesting stone formations that you can walk to see. At nights you can fill your time by looking at the sky, which here seems to have more stars than anywhere else, and at the light on the island of Sömbeki opposite. Of course, stars and lights on islands apart, there are also fires on the beach and signing to fill an evening.

Kızıl and Hayıt Bükleri (inlets):

These are the coves of the village of Mesudiye. You get to the village by turning left from the Datça-Knidos road and travelling for three kilometres along the dirt forest road. Another two kilometres further on you get to Kızılbük Cove, 20 kilometres from Datça. Do not come there in winter as the roads are bad and the restaurants are shut. In summertime what you find are fish restaurants, a beautiful beach and a clean sea. If you want to stay overnight or longer there are motels and pensions. It is green and in the upper areas there are pine trees.

Palamut Bükü:

This cove, 25 kilometres from Datça, is so beautiful that you cannot leave without dropping by a fish restaurant if you are on a boat or yacht tour. It is a beautiful inlet with barren hills softly sloping down and meeting the sea, forming a very long beach. Along the seaside there are village houses amongst the trees, a line of small pensions and summerhouses and fishing boats and yachts moored together in the port.

You can swim from the beach of sand and gravel stone. The sea is very clean and has a visibility of 25 metres and is suitable for spear fishing.

On the small island in the opening of the cove is there is a boat shelter.

Behind the shelter there is also plenty fish in the restaurants. They are reasonably priced too. We recommend the Merhaba Restaurant run by Hülya and Boran. (Tel: 0252 725 51 47)

Those who want to stay longer have a choice of pensions. Some of the pensions in the Palamutbükü are listed below:
Bük Pension Tel: 0252 725 51 36
Badem PensionTel: 0252 725 51 83
Olgun Pension Tel: 0252 725 51 65