Muğla: A magical but overlooked corner of the Mediterranean. Report by CNN News
(CNN)_Tree-covered peaks soaring from sparkling azure seas. Hiking trails that stretch for miles over rugged, beautiful and underexplored terrain. And enough food on offer to feed an army. This is Turkey’s Muğla Province.
Situated in the destination’s stunning southwest, it’s a region that, beyond a few hot spot destinations like Bodrum, is sometimes overlooked by international visitors.
Nonetheless, Muğla Province is filled with all the charms that make Turkey such a popular place to visit: arresting vistas; ample opportunities for some proper rest and relaxation; and adventure and excitement if you crave it. Plus, it’s served by Bodrum’s international airport, which means its easier than ever to visit.
Muğla: A magical but overlooked corner of the Mediterranean. Report by CNN News
An artist’s view
The best place to start is the sunny seaside town of Göcek, located between Fethiye and Dalyan. Culture is front and center in Göcek, thanks in no small part to renowned sculptor Dilara Akay.
Her gallery, set in a gorgeous garden, is a showcase for varied works charting the progress of her work throughout her life.
“Many people know me for my large garden sculptures, but I also make installations.
“You can see my evolution,” Akay says of her art. “I started, first finding out about existence and then being a woman. It turns out that I’m now more into nature, so it is a journey.”
Muğla: A magical but overlooked corner of the Mediterranean. Report by CNN News
That journey continues at sea, with Akay steering ahead to a small vessel, all the better to see the striking coastline, which is what Muğla Province is all about.
“We are in the bay of Göcek and Dalaman and Fethiye,” says Akay, excitedly waving her arms. This is the jewel, the mixing point of the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas.
According to some, including one insistent local man on the jetty, the eponymous Queen of Egypt is buried at the submerged Cleopatra’s Baths, or Hammam Bay.
The jury is still out on that one, but there’s no denying the fact that this is one of the most special corners of the Mediterranean. Being on a boat here allows you to dream. You can enter a fantasy world in which you spend your time serenely sailing the waters looked over by a sun filled sky.
Muğla: A magical but overlooked corner of the Mediterranean. Report by CNN News
Back on dry land, there are other wonders to explore.
“No excuses,” exclaims The Lycian Way creator Kate Clow, leading the way along the iconic long distance footpath. Covering 760 kilometers and running from Fethiye to Antalya, the path takes 35 days to complete and follows the coastline of what was once known as Lycia, now a part of southern Turkey. It follows many of the routes the Lycians would have taken over thousands of years, during the times of the Persians, Alexander the Great and the Romans.
Mapping and marking the route was a colossal task, taking in Roman roads and old mule trails, and one which Clow did not shirk at.
“Turkey at that time, this is 35 years ago, didn’t have any walking routes at all. And I had been walking in the Pyrenees and in various other places in France and Spain,” says Clow, originally from the UK. “And I thought ‘Turkey deserves one too.’”
Heading high into the mountains, Clow’s route delivers absolutely remarkable views out to sea and across the high hills, which seem to roll on forever in the distance. It is truly one of the finest long-distance walking routes in the world and a testament to her ability and skill to create something fresh, yet deeply historic.
hat it allows you to see the spectacular views, but from angles that you wouldn’t see from the road.