Sailing TUrkey

After what was probably the worst overnight bus experience I have ever had, we arrived aggravated (Ebbs) but excited (me) in the beautiful, secluded valley of  Olympos. Olympos was the starting point for our 4 day 'sail' along the Aegean coast to Fethiye and was a magical place worth seeing even if you aren't going on a sail. I've written about it below (: 

 The overnight bus was $25 each and left Cappdoccia at around 7pm. It arrived at Antalya at around 5am and then we had to wait an hour for our transfer bus to Olympos. Make sure you book the Cappadoccia-Antalya bus at least a day in advance because they sell out and get more expensive!! 

We booked our sail through an online company called 'GO SAIL TURKEY' and the trip is typically referenced to as a 'BLUE CRUISE'. Our's cost around $350 each which included all accommodation (a room on the boat), food and sailing costs. The rival company called V GO seemed a little more popular and also a little more tacky but the prices are the same for both and pretty much offer the same package so go with whomever you like (: The food was awesome (especially for Ebbs and I who had been living off fruit and bread for a long time) They caught fresh fish off the back of the boat and cooked it on an open fire combined with lots of salads and pasta. Breakfast everyday was traditional Turkish, so lots of tomato, cucumber, bread, feta and eggs (no complaints from me).

There are roughly 10-15 people on each boat plus 4-5 crew members. We were extremely lucky and made some amazing friends which really added to the experience but its all down to luck as you cant choose who else if going to be on the boat with you. 

I couldn't recommend this experience enough, I had such an amazing time waking up every morning after sleeping under the stars on the deck to the hum of the engine and the crashing of waves over the hull of the boat as we sailed to our new breakfast/swimming location. The Turkish coastline is stunning as well with bright green hills and cliffs and turquoise water.

Olympos

Olympos is a mystical, hidden town about 2 hours out of Antalya. There is only one small dirt road in and out of the valley and for this reason you'll have to get a mini bus there (can all be organised at Antalya bus station).  Olympos is incredibly isolated and sits at the bottom of a lush green valley, surrounded by towering cliffs and a magnificent black stoned beach. The water is ridiculously clear (and warm) and there are heaps of hikes up into the mountains that pass by ancient ruins dating back to the 2nd centuary AD and fresh running creeks. There is also an emerald lagoon that skirts the each of the beach. We stayed at Bayram's Treehouse hostel from $12 each a night including breakfast and dinner (and our very own tree-house). Almost all the accommodation in Olympos are tree-house hostels, fit with common areas with fire-pits and hammocks and delicious, hearty Turkish buffets. From our hostel the beach was a 5 minute walk away and cost $4 to enter because of the up-keeping of the ancient ruins (we didn't pay because we went at sunset and there was no guard). We only stayed here one night and the next morning we were picked up by our sail company and transferred to our boat (: