A Dalyan boat trip: a river, rock tombs and an empty beach.
The classic Dalyan boat trip: mud baths, tombs cut into the cliff in the 4th century BC, and four hours on İztuzu. One day, one boat — a Dalyan boat tour booked with a local agency, not a call centre.
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- Stop 01Reed channels
- Stop 02Sultaniye mud baths
- Stop 03Kaunos rock tombs
- Stop 04İztuzu Beach
Dalyan is small. That is the whole point.
One street of restaurants along a green river, a cliff of 2,400-year-old tombs staring back at them, and a sandbar at the river mouth that has been left alone since 1988 because turtles nest on it. There is no marina full of superyachts, no strip, and no hotel high enough to block anyone’s view.
Nearly everything worth doing here starts at the jetty at the bottom of the town. That is why this site is mostly about boats — and why the rest of it is about the days in between: the villa you come back to, the jeep track into the hills, the table by the water on your last night.
Dalyan boat trips all start at the jetty.
Shared boats leave the town quay every morning in season. Private boats leave whenever you are ready.
Dalyan Boat Trip — Mud Baths, Kaunos & Turtle Beach
This is the trip people come to Dalyan for.
Message us for today’s priceFull detailsPrivate Boat Charter in Dalyan
The shared boat leaves at half past nine whether your toddler is ready or not.
Message us for today’s priceFull detailsDalyan Sunset Cruise
The rock tombs face west. For about forty minutes before sunset they go from grey to honey to orange, and the only place to watch that properly is…
Message us for today’s priceFull detailsAnd the days you are not on the water
Dalyan is a good base. Half of Muğla is within two hours of the jetty.
Dalyan Jeep Safari
Everything about Dalyan that is not on the water.
Message us for today’s priceFull detailsSaklıkent Gorge & Tlos Day Trip
A crack in the Taurus mountains eighteen kilometres long and in places only a couple of metres wide, with snowmelt running through it all summer.
Message us for today’s priceFull detailsThe rest of your week
A boat trip is one day. We do the other six too.
Villa Rental in Dalyan
A villa in Dalyan is not a resort room. It is a house with a pool, a gate, a barbecue and a street you learn the name of. Most of ours are ten to…
Full detailsDalaman Airport Transfers
Dalaman Airport is the closest airport to Dalyan — roughly 25 kilometres, about 25 to 30 minutes by road.
Full detailsWhere to Eat in Dalyan
Dalyan eats out of its own water. The lagoon between the lake and the sea produces grey mullet, sea bass, prawns and — since it arrived and refused…
Full detailsWhy book your Dalyan boat tour through us
Dalyan boat trips: the questions we answer every day
What does a Dalyan boat trip actually include?
The classic full-day trip leaves the town jetty at 09:30 and calls at the reed channels, the Sultaniye hot springs and mud baths on Köyceğiz Lake, the Kaunos rock tombs and İztuzu (Turtle) Beach, returning to Dalyan at around 17:30.
How long does a Dalyan boat trip take?
The classic river trip is a full day, about eight hours. The sunset cruise is about two hours in the evening. A private charter is half a day, roughly four hours, or a full day — you decide.
When do Dalyan boat trips run?
The river trip runs daily from April to October. The sunset cruise and the 12 Islands day run from May to October. From November to March Dalyan is a Turkish town in winter and most tourist businesses are shut.
How do we get to Dalyan?
Dalaman Airport (DLM) is the arrival point — around 25 km, 25 to 30 minutes by road. There is no direct public bus from the airport: a pre-booked transfer, a taxi from the rank outside arrivals, or a bus to Ortaca and then a dolmuş.
Which months are best for a Dalyan boat trip?
May, June, September and early October are the best weeks: warm sea, bearable air, everything open, and boats that are not full. July and August are regularly over 35°C and busier.
What should we bring on the boat?
An old swimsuit — the sulphur mud stains and does not wash out — a towel and a change of clothes, high-factor sun cream, a hat and sunglasses, and cash in lira for entrance fees and lunch.