Kabak or Kabak Koyu
Kabak Koyu - Kabak
Let's start with the name. Kabak can be translated from Turkish as pumpkin or zucchini. Title this is carried by several objects:
This is a bay or gulf that has a rare geological structure and geographical structure for Turkey. the location is almost strictly “west-east”. The purest water with high transparency, turquoise hue, and a small pebble-sand beach. Very photogenic, especially when looking from above.
This is a valley, in some places more like a canyon because it is surrounded by high walls up to 800 meters.
And Kabak is a village located on the slope of this gorge.
We will continue just call it all Kabak. And to understand the reasons for the popularity of this place, its atmosphere, it is important to know its location.
Where is Kabak?
- Türkiye, Mugla mule, Fethiye district, part of Faralya village
- GPS coordinates 36.46163115° 29.12499289°
- Tavern on Google map
How to get to Kabak
Transport: You can come to Kabak by regular dolmuş directly from Fethiye. The distance is small - about 35 km, but the drive will take at least 1.5 hours! Don't forget that this is a mountain serpentine and along the dolmush route will definitely stop at the Olu-Deniz beach and in general will stop. You can, of course, take a taxi, but then the journey will also take at least hours. By the way, cars don’t go further than Kabak, there is a picturesque asphalt road here ends, and if you look at the mountain ridge to the south you'll immediately see why!
By sea. In Oludeniz you can hire a “sea taxi” boat, but for the whole day! The truth is not It's cheap, but it won't work any other way. Be sure to consider the weather factor! In case of strong excitement this option is not suitable.
On foot. It's easier and cheaper. The famous route “Lycian Way” passes through Kabak. The path from Faralya through the mountains is the shortest, in about 2 - 3 hours you can get there. It takes a couple of days to go from Oludeniz to Kabak.
Another trekking trail passes through Kabak, let’s call it “alternative”, with Faralya side, across Ak-Tash beach. It is relatively simple and picturesque, it takes time half a day...
By the way, having met in Kabak, then these paths diverge again, and then their path is already quite complex. For example, a tourist in Lycia will have to climb a pass with a height of 750 meters.
Nature
So, it turns out that Kabak is quite remote, one might say “deaf corner”. This region has been developing separately from others for many years! The bustle and noise of the stars did not reach him. hotels with all-inclusive, moreover, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced Kabak protected area and now the construction of multi-story buildings made of glass and concrete. The village, the center of which is located at an altitude of 300 meters above sea level, always was purely agricultural (remember the translation of the name!) Despite its proximity to the sea - There was practically no fishing or port. Residents grazed livestock, grew olives and vegetables, raised bees. What many of them are doing now. Goats and sheep roam freely around the village. You can buy homemade bread and honey. In a valley surrounded by 800-meter mountain ranges Nature, as expected, remains untouched longer. There are many endemics, there is even the famous tiger the butterfly that gave the name “valley of the Butterflies”. Turtles nest on the beach...
All this leads to the fact that Kabak is now one of the most visited (in the region) a place for camping lovers. People tired of the city and wanting to relax in nature go exactly to Kabak. Here you can meet tourists of any social level. In due time The pub was chosen by hippies and yogis, and since then the mood of unity with nature and nirvana has been in the air. air of Kabak.
Housing
You need to come to Kabak for more than one day, so the question of accommodation, if you don’t have a tent, relevant. There is enough housing, one might even say in abundance, and for every taste. I wonder what The higher you go on the slope and the farther from the sea, the more expensive it is! Expensive boutique hotels are located above the center villages. Mid-level motels and guesthouses - in the village itself and on the road to the beach. Lower, closer to the sea - campsites, bungalows and tree houses. And finally, behind the beach in the valley there are wild tents camps. The locals did a good job of solving the problem of delivering tourists from the upper level to the beach and back. During the season, a local dolmus runs between the final stop of the minibus from Oludeniz (at the top of Kabak) and the beach (at the bottom).
Where to stay with a tent?
Camping. They definitely won't let you pitch a tent on the beach (due to turtles and local regulations). Theoretically, you can try to quietly stand in the forest behind the village, but there is a high probability that sooner or later a local man will come there and claim his rights to the piece of land you have occupied. Therefore, if you want to live in a tent in Kabaka and not far from the sea, then it is better to immediately go to one of the paid campsites. We stayed at Secret Garden most often because... it is inexpensive and close to the sea. But there are many others, more stylish and atmospheric. In addition, it is often possible to negotiate for a fee the installation of tents on the territory of even those guesthouses that do not advertise the presence of a camping option.
Forest If you just need free parking, then it makes sense not to get attached to Kabak, but to move further along the route. If you follow the “classic” route (on horseback, through Alinja), then several small sites for tents can be found in the upper reaches of the canyon. However, be aware that ALL springs above Kabak have the potential to be dry. If you plan to go down, along the sea, then you can immediately aim for Paradise Bay. And there, too, with water, not everything is so simple))
Fresh water - if you stock up on it in the Tavern, keep in mind that some accessible taps (for example, in the beach toilet) may have brackish water. It is suitable for washing hands and you can even cook porridge from it. But you won’t be able to drink it in any form. So before you draw water, taste it. If it is salty, just look for another tap, go to some guesthouse and ask for water - they will not refuse you.
Canyon and waterfall
If you're tired of the sun and the beach, take a walk through the valley, you won't regret it! The gorge is enough deep and extended. The Lycian Way runs along the sides of the valley at some elevation; in some places, sections of paving and retaining walls that are at least 2 thousand years old have been preserved. The trail offers stunning views of the canyon walls, grotto caves, the sea, the bay and the village.
There is a path and a stream along the bottom, in the spring there is a stream with water and they even talk to fish. Upstream there is a small and pretty waterfall. This waterfall can be reached along a path starting at the southern corner of the beach. It gradually gains altitude and somewhere at 130 meters above sea level there is a fork with a bunch of signs and inscriptions.
Be careful - if you follow the left branch of the trail (along the stream), it will be interesting, but difficult. You will have to climb rocks, wade through waist-deep water, and make your way through thickets. No need to come here with large backpacks! The right branch of the trail is more suitable for this. It is much simpler and more trampled. Both paths converge after about one and a half kilometers, just above the waterfall (at an altitude of 320 m).
Tours including a visit to Kabak
Konstantin Klinov, 01/13/2022