KUSADASI

 

 


Kusadasi is a very popular and prestigious seaside resort. It has much of what you would expect from a thriving tourist town: 5 star hotels, good nightlife, restaurants, shops, huge colourful markets, a large yacht marina and endless beaches suitable for bathing and water sports. There is a brand new 18 hole golf course, 10 minutes from the recently built Tesco supermarket towards Söke. Kusadasi takes its name, meaning ‘Bird Island’, from a small island connected to the mainland.
Within striking distance of Kusadasi there are two famous historical sites and one big national park.
 

Historical approach:

Ephesus, known as the best-preserved classical city in the Eastern Mediterranean, is a major tourist destination and one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Historically the centre for the cults of Artemis under the Ionians, and Diana under the Romans, it boasts a magnificent theatre which in modern times has hosted top international performers as part of the Ephesus Festival and the International Izmir Festival. For more info and details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus. Or if you are interested in a guided tour try:
http://www.sailturkey.com/panoramas/ephesus/

In Selçuk the house of Virgin Mary enjoys a marvelous atmosphere hidden in the green. It is the place where Mary may have spent her last days. Indeed, she may have come in the area together with Saint John, who spent several years in the area to spread Christianity. Mary preferred this remote place rather than living in crowded place. The cottage is a typical Roman architectural example, entirely made of stones. In the 4th century AD, a church, combining her house and grave, has been built. The original two-stored house, which consisted of an anteroom (where today candles are proposed), bedroom and praying room (Christian church area) and a room with fireplace (chapel for Muslims). A front kitchen fell into ruins and has been restored in 1940's. Today, only the central part and a room on the right of the altar are open to visitors. From there one can understand that this building looks more like a church than a house. Another interesting place is the "Water of Mary", a source to be found at the exit of the church area and where a rather salt water, with curative properties, can be drunk by all. Paul VI was the first pope to visit this place in the 1960's. Later, in the 1980's, during his visit, Pope John-Paul II declared the Shrine of Virgin Mary has a pilgrimage place for Christians. It is also visited by Muslims who recognize Mary as the mother of one of their prophets. Every year, on August 15th a ceremony is organized to commemorate Mary's Assumption.


National Park:

DILEK NATIONAL PARK


30km South of Kusadasi you will find Dilek National Park also called Milli Park, is a break from the bustle. Here you can swim in peaceful coves and enjoy anything from a brief stroll to an afternoon’s trekking through the park’s splendid pine forest.
 

The national park near Kusadasi is a place where you can enjoy walking, water sports and picnics for eight months of the year from April to December, and go swimming throughout the summer months. The park offers many alternatives for visitors to choose from. You can swim from beaches where the forest trees come right up to the water, go for a walk amongst the linden and chestnut trees, cycle through pine woods, go rock climbing or fishing for example. Among the many rare and endangered bird species which can be seen in the park are the Dalmatian pelikan and pygmy cormorant, and if you are lucky you may catch a glimpse of wild horses.

It is absolutely forbidden to light fires in the park, so either bring a picnic of cold food or eat in a restaurant in one of the bays. The park is open between 09.00 and 20.00 daily. There is nowhere to stay overnight and camping is also prohibited. Apart from the gendarme station and four restaurants there are no concrete buildings, but there are public lavatories, showers, drinking water fountains, and wooden picnic tables and chairs in the woods.

You can drive by car to Davutlar National Park, or take the minibuses which leave every ten minutes during the summer from Kusadasi and Söke, 27 km and 34 km away respectively. The north shores are best for swimming, and here there are four main beaches. Içmeler, the park’s largest bay and the nearest to the entrance, has the only sand beach, and since the sea is shallow here, it is favoured by families with children and non-swimmers.

Aydinlik Bay about 5 km from the park entrance can be reached by private car and minibus. But if you prefer to walk through the woods, there is a pleasant path leading there. Since the trees come right down to the water here, there is no need for beach umbrellas.Kavakli Burnu is another lovely cove on the peninsula, but there is no public transport, so unless you have your own car, you must walk the 2 km there. Karasu is the last beach open to the public on the peninsula, and the quietest and most unspoilt. The sapphire blue sea here is calm in the mornings, gradually beginning to get wavy towards the late afternoon. As the sun starts to sink over the island of Samos, the water changes colour, taking on an orange tinge.

The Cave of Zeus at the park entrance contains a pool of fresh water, and many visitors to the park stop here to shower on their way home. Legends about the cave are diverse. Some say, on account of the name, that Zeus bathed here, and others that the Virgin Mary did so. As the house where she is supposed to have lived the last days of her life is near Ephesus, not far away from here, this is not as fantastic as it seems.

The south shores of the Dilek Peninsula are another world, with the wetland of the delta where flamingos and 208 others species of bird are to be seen at different times of year, including the Dalmatian pelikan and pygmy cormorant already mentioned. Of these, 76 species breed here. Wild boar are to be seen, some so used to human beings that they venture right down to the shore to beg for pickings like water melon peel which they will eat from your hands. Some visitors are also lucky enough to catch a glimpse of wild horses in the hills behind. The legendary Anatolian leopard was last seen in the flesh here, but for the past 30 years there has not been a sighting.

The vegetation of the peninsula is as varied and interesting as its fauna. Dilek Dagi mountain rises to 1237 m, creating significant temperature differences between the south and north sides of the peninsula. This means that plants belonging to no less than four different regions are to be found in close proximity here. As well as typical Aegean vegetation there are many plants normally more at home in the Mediterranean, Marmara and Black Sea regions. Red pine (Pinus brutia), Phoenician juniper, sumach, a variety of wild pear (Pyrus elaeagnifolia), myrtle, cornelian cherry, oak, chestnut, linden, ash, and many more species coexist here.

The delta of the Büyük Menderes river - the ancient Meander - south of the peninsula is a vast wetland of international importance for wildlife. With its marshes and lagoons, the Menderes Delta is said to have taken 23 million years to form. It lies west of the asphalt road linking Akköy to the south with Tuzburgazi to the north.The delta’s Karine, Kocagöl and Kabahayit lagoons are divided from the sea by narrow sand banks. Fresh and salt water mingle in the lagoons, which therefore exhibit extraordinary biological diversity. The salt marshes east of the lagoons have a seasonal cycle of drying up and flooding.

As in Turkey’s other national parks hunting is forbidden. Fishing, however, is allowed. So visitors to this part of the park who are not satisfied with just watching and photographing nature can bring their rods along and try their luck. They may catch grey mullet, sea bass, or eel, who knows ?

Public transport:

Kusadasi is a one-hour-drive from Izmir international airport, which is served by scheduled flights from the UK and various major European airports. A bus or taxis from the airport take you directly to Kusadasi. Frequent minibuses (dolmus) allow visitors to explore the town and its surrounding areas for very little money.
There is also a possibility to use the ferry for crossings to the Greek island of Samos which can be seen from Kusadasi town and which is within a short distance.


 Facilities/Amenities/Climate:

Kusadasi has many excellent hotels, lots of restaurants, 2 fully equipped private hospitals, three large aquaparks, a thriving marina, markets, pubs and clubs, a busy harbour receiving many cruise liners during the season and a bustling promenade with lots of palm trees. It also offers an 18th century caravanserai  which is now a hotel. Kusadasi attracts people from all over the world with its rich shopping facilities, great night life opportunities and near by historical sites.
The arrival of major cruise liners every day resulted in a rapid evolution from a once sleepy fishing village into a first-class sought after holiday resort with a full infrastructure of hotels, restaurants, clubs and shops. Kusadasi has a typical Mediterranean climate with hot summers and mild winters, providing a long tourism season which runs from April to October. The city is bathed in sunshine for 300 days of the year. During the peak season the resident population of 50.000 people swells easily to 500.000 people.