Drive around Bozburun peninsula

Journey to the interior of Bozburun peninsula begins the same way as a trip along the coastal road to Kumlubük. So if you're short on time and want to see „everything“, you can set off from Marmaris early and you might even combine these two trips together.

After passing Icmeler and rising to the upland plain we turn to the direction of Bayir (unlike a trip along the coastal road), where we then descend in a few curves. We shall be here in an hour from Marmaris, including stops for admiring and photographing. The center is situated around the ancient plane tree and time seems to have stopped here. Although there are souvenir shops, but it is quite difficult to meet a single tourist.

Social life in Bayır takes place in a teahouse lying around amazing plane tree, which is claimed to be more than 2000 years old. You will see here always sitting a lot of local men chattering over a cup of tea. Just opposite is a huge fountain with drinking water. The whole town is situated in a broad valley between mountains.

From Bayir leads dead end road to Çiftlik (about 7km), which is visited by most tourists during a boat trip. But if you want to stay there longer than half an hour during the boat trip, you must go there along this winding road.

However, we continue west to the town of Sogut. In a moment we will see the whole Bayir panoramically below us. We can see clearly the broad pass, across which leads a small road to Ciflik. Here and there you can meet along the way hikers undertaking a walking around the peninsula, which is quite a challenge in the local heat.

Now comes the wildest part of the whole trip. The road winds 17 km though barren mountainous peninsula to the town Sogut. The traffic is luckily (the road is very narrow with deep ravines around) very sparse. Views of the surrounding mountains are wonderful.

The entire south-eastern part of the peninsula is uninhabited – only sparsely vegetated mountains and canyons descending to the sea.

Suddenly opens wonderful panorama of Sogut – sea cove bordered with islands and peninsula. If you'd like to take some nice pictures, you have to be here early in the morning. Otherwise there is backlight most of the day.

Center of Sogut is more than 120 meters above sea level and it is only a few houses around the mosque. The remaining buildings are scattered across the surrounding hills.

Minor route from Sogut goes down near to the sea. But do not expect here a lovely bay. It's rather the kingdom of sailors, fishermen and ship repairers.

In Sogut you have to decide whether you extend the trip to the very southern end of the peninsula – along asphalt road another 5km to Taşlıci and from here another 9km along the gravel road to a narrow cove very popular with yachtsmen, or continue with the circuit to the town of Bozburun. There are a lot of coves on this south-westernmost headland, but they are accessible only by sea.

If you continue a direct way, a short way behind Sogut you will come across a narrow cove looking like a small fjord.

Local goats have the most beautiful view of the bay.

Just 7km from Sogut is Bozburun, the biggest town on the peninsula of the same name and another base for boaters. The bay is beautiful, but there is again no suitable place for swimming.

A nice new road leads from Bozburun up to Marmaris, but if you go round the whole bay and go through the village Avlana, you will experience the original narrow road.

After a while you will get to the best outlook point on this trip, which offer a broad view of the bay in Selimiye.

A great place to swim is just a few kilometers behind Selimiye – a small cove Turgut.

Just behind Turgut bay there is a crossroads where you can turn to Bayır (where you practically started the circuit around the peninsula) or continue along the coast to Orhaniye and Hisaronu, where you can join D400 road cruising the adjacent Datça Peninsula.

It is about 20 kilometers from Hisaronu to Marmaris. View of the town from the last pass at about 250m asl is great. You can read more about this pass within the trip around Datça Peninsula.