Rides in Antalya

Rides in the Antalya region mean first of all the D400, the road running west along the coast towards Kaş. It is cut into the slopes of the Taurus mountains directly above the water: cliffs on one side, a drop and the sea on the other, and the hairpins barely straighten out across two hundred kilometres. Driving it yourself is tiring, which is why these trips are taken with a driver who knows where to stop.

The main stop is Kaputaş. It is a narrow beach between two sheer canyon walls; the water there is turquoise not because of filters but because of the white pebbles on the bottom and an underwater freshwater spring. A staircase of nearly two hundred steps leads down, taking a few minutes to descend and noticeably longer to climb. Along the way there are usually further halts at viewpoints above the bays and in fishing villages, where lunch costs half what it does in the resort strip.

Practical notes. A full day runs eight to ten hours with the road both ways, and works out longer from Alanya than from Kemer or Kalkan. Kaputaş has no shade and almost no facilities: water, a towel and shoes for pebbles come with you. Anyone prone to motion sickness on switchbacks should sit in front. Autumn and spring make the trip easier: the same views without the summer heat inside the vehicle.