Sunken City Ruins of Simena
Sunken City Ruins of Simena
Sunken City Ruins of Simena
4.5
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4.5
310 reviews
Excellent
190
Very good
72
Average
37
Poor
8
Terrible
3
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markcworkman
Seattle, WA4 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
Private boat day, not just a tour. Stop and reach out to AVCI 2 Boat with Mehmet Ayranci - WhatsApp # +90 536 331 78 09 for this and his boat tour of this entire area. We booked a half day and then extended into a full day. Absolute highlight of our time in Turkey, incredible. Castles, snorkeling, sunken cities, stopped at his friends restaurant on the water to pick up white wine for us, incredible day.
Written 17 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
evaraiski
St. Petersburg, Russia144 contributions
July 2024 • Solo
Just exceeded all expectations! Stunning color schemes of the sea, and against them traces of an ancient civilization destroyed by the earthquake. And three cities at once. One of which is Kekova. Take the bus, then the yacht from the bay where the turtles lay their eggs.
Automatically translated
Written 6 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Matthijs K
Utrecht, The Netherlands132 contributions
May 2014 • Family
If you have your own car, you can go straight to the harbor of Ucagiz and book a glass boat for your own party. We paid 150 TL for a 2.5 hour trip with a large boat just for the four of us. The very friendly guide/captain took us to Kekova island and the sunken city, we had a stop at Kale Koy (a very interesting traditional village), and another stop near a little bay with a beach where we could swim (straight from the boat to the beach). The sunken city is special although not spectacular, we agree here with the more negative reviews. Nonetheless, the whole scenic setting is what makes this unique. And experiencing this setting by boat is unforgettable. Parking tip: avoid the guys in the beginning of the village who offer you parking, drive straight to the end of the village.
Written 10 May 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dianne M
Melbourne, Australia38 contributions
Sept 2014 • Couples
A full day tour should have been just a couple of hours. With no less than 5 swimming stops, two of them just 5 minutes apart and a stop for the meagre lunch, the tour could be condensed to a couple of hours without lunch and just one swim stop. As for the sunken "city", how a small length of wall falling into the sea can be described as a sunken city beats me. Not that we could really see much through the two tiny one and a half by half metre windows (one covered by algae) with all 40 passengers trying to see the sediment-covered rocks through murky water. Our visit to a lovely little village with the partial ruins of a fortress above was the only saving grace for this mostly wasted day.
Written 24 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gen
London, UK600 contributions
May 2014 • Couples
We drove to Ucagiz and rented a boat for a private 2 hour tour for 150TL.
The tour covered a nearby coastal town with its small crusader castle, plus the highlight - passing over and along the coast where... 2000 years before... a massive earthquake had caused the entire waterfront of a town to fall into the sea.
Empty stairs lead down to where, once, piers stood, ships docked, goods were warehoused and trade flourished. The piers, docks, warehouses - and homes of those who populated them are still visible all along the coast - some along the hillsides, still above the sea - others underneath the waves.
We've visited ruins all around the world - but this was different because of where the ruins were... really evocative... you can see why the place was settled, beautiful, sheltered port - close to major trade routes - yet along a fault line in the earth that brought about its destruction.
The tour covered a nearby coastal town with its small crusader castle, plus the highlight - passing over and along the coast where... 2000 years before... a massive earthquake had caused the entire waterfront of a town to fall into the sea.
Empty stairs lead down to where, once, piers stood, ships docked, goods were warehoused and trade flourished. The piers, docks, warehouses - and homes of those who populated them are still visible all along the coast - some along the hillsides, still above the sea - others underneath the waves.
We've visited ruins all around the world - but this was different because of where the ruins were... really evocative... you can see why the place was settled, beautiful, sheltered port - close to major trade routes - yet along a fault line in the earth that brought about its destruction.
Written 28 May 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TwinkleyAngel
Salford, UK232 contributions
July 2012 • Couples
We made this visit with Define Tours whose office is based at the harbour front in Kalkan. This tour appealed particularly because the boat left from Kas, half an hour along the coast, whereas other tours mean a bus journey of over an hour and a half to reach this picturesque archaeological gem.
The glory of booking with a local company rather than your expensive tour rep (if you have one) is that the prices are cheaper and as the company has to fight for your custom, they are more amenable to reducing prices still further and to going the extra mile to make your day special. This trip cost 55tl each - the equivalent of about £20 which included transfers, eight hours on the boat, lunch and a light afternoon tea.
Define Tours picked us up from our resort in an air conditioned mini bus and drove us to the harbour at Kas. This journey is worth doing just for the spectacular costal views between Kalkan and Kas, crossing the Kaputas gorge and glimpsing the Greek island of Mais.
We then boarded a boat with the uninspiring name of 'Dennis'. Apparently the maximum number of trippers the boat can take is 35. At this level it would have been packed and probably rather unpleasant. Fortunately for us, we had 21 people on board from a variety of nations, all of whom were ready to relax and enjoy the day without being loud or irritating (I have a low threshold of tolerance for obnoxious characters and badly behaved children!)
There was plenty of lounging about space, either shaded or in the open sun. A friendly crew and miles of open sea to enjoy. We left Kas in a melee of cruise and dive boats which then dispersed in all directions. After around an hour of cruising, we stopped in a small bay for a cooling swim - this formed the pattern for much of the day - cruise, stop, swim, cruise etc. A delicious lunch of chicken, salads and vegetables and was taken just outside the sunken city where we were joined by locals selling ice cream and handmade jewellery from small boats with tiny puttering engines.
From then the boat sailed along the outer edge of the sunken city, and here would be my only criticism of this trip - essentially the crew spoke little English, German, Japanese or French, so only the Turkish guests got the gist of what we were seeing. We had been given a guidebook to read on route, but I find it really helps to have someone pointing things out and explaining the background to an area or event.
The boat turned and travelled over the sunken city to the small village of Simena which is apparently one of the most authentic coastal villages in Turkey. No point in bringing pushchairs here - or even trying to look around if you can't manage steps. Just sit on the jetty and admire the view with a long cool drink instead! It's incredibly uneven, rustic and you seem to be wandering through people's homes to get from one 'street' to the next. We walked through someone's vegetable patch to reach the end of the village where a waterlogged sarcophagus sits in knee deep clear water between the village and a small island with the remnants of dwellings tempting you in for a closer look. The villagers have created 'pathways' through the water, but you'll want to wear water shoes as the rocks are uncomfortable and slippery to walk on.
I loved it here. The local children skip from tourist to tourist with examples of their pretty handmade bracelets (cost 1tl or about 40p). You can buy locally grown and dried herbs as well as the regular tourist tat and some quite beautiful lace made in the village by the rather fierce local ladies who sit outside their doors dressed in black from head to foot. I came away with an intricately created cuff bracelet for the princely sum of £7. I paid over £30 at home for something similar for Christmas last year!
From Simena we sailed out through the sunken city and back towards Kas. Pleasantly full of Turkish tea and biscuits the boat was full of snoozing tourists and I found myself a lovely spot at the bow of the boat, dangling my legs over the water as we cruised at quite a speed along the coast. Our last swim spot was about an hour from Kas with warm deep waters and enough nooks and crannies to keep the most determined snorkeler happy for a while.
We had fifteen minutes in Kas before our transfer bus arrived - just enough time to pick up some glass tea light holders for less than I could have purchased them in slightly more upmarket Kalkan, and some freshly squeezed melon juice to cool us down before the journey home.
This was a smashing day out - great value and very relaxed. I would strongly recommend checking with your chosen tour company exactly how many people can squeeze onto the boat, and which days are the quietest for bookings and choose one of those. I would also check whether they play loud music on board as that would have really spoiled the mellow atmosphere for us.
We returned to Define tours after our trip - firstly to give a large tip to the person who had booked the day for us, and secondly to say that we would have preferred that the driver on the return transfer had kept both hands on the wheel rather than talking on his mobile phone whilst steering one-handed along the precarious two lane coast road!
The glory of booking with a local company rather than your expensive tour rep (if you have one) is that the prices are cheaper and as the company has to fight for your custom, they are more amenable to reducing prices still further and to going the extra mile to make your day special. This trip cost 55tl each - the equivalent of about £20 which included transfers, eight hours on the boat, lunch and a light afternoon tea.
Define Tours picked us up from our resort in an air conditioned mini bus and drove us to the harbour at Kas. This journey is worth doing just for the spectacular costal views between Kalkan and Kas, crossing the Kaputas gorge and glimpsing the Greek island of Mais.
We then boarded a boat with the uninspiring name of 'Dennis'. Apparently the maximum number of trippers the boat can take is 35. At this level it would have been packed and probably rather unpleasant. Fortunately for us, we had 21 people on board from a variety of nations, all of whom were ready to relax and enjoy the day without being loud or irritating (I have a low threshold of tolerance for obnoxious characters and badly behaved children!)
There was plenty of lounging about space, either shaded or in the open sun. A friendly crew and miles of open sea to enjoy. We left Kas in a melee of cruise and dive boats which then dispersed in all directions. After around an hour of cruising, we stopped in a small bay for a cooling swim - this formed the pattern for much of the day - cruise, stop, swim, cruise etc. A delicious lunch of chicken, salads and vegetables and was taken just outside the sunken city where we were joined by locals selling ice cream and handmade jewellery from small boats with tiny puttering engines.
From then the boat sailed along the outer edge of the sunken city, and here would be my only criticism of this trip - essentially the crew spoke little English, German, Japanese or French, so only the Turkish guests got the gist of what we were seeing. We had been given a guidebook to read on route, but I find it really helps to have someone pointing things out and explaining the background to an area or event.
The boat turned and travelled over the sunken city to the small village of Simena which is apparently one of the most authentic coastal villages in Turkey. No point in bringing pushchairs here - or even trying to look around if you can't manage steps. Just sit on the jetty and admire the view with a long cool drink instead! It's incredibly uneven, rustic and you seem to be wandering through people's homes to get from one 'street' to the next. We walked through someone's vegetable patch to reach the end of the village where a waterlogged sarcophagus sits in knee deep clear water between the village and a small island with the remnants of dwellings tempting you in for a closer look. The villagers have created 'pathways' through the water, but you'll want to wear water shoes as the rocks are uncomfortable and slippery to walk on.
I loved it here. The local children skip from tourist to tourist with examples of their pretty handmade bracelets (cost 1tl or about 40p). You can buy locally grown and dried herbs as well as the regular tourist tat and some quite beautiful lace made in the village by the rather fierce local ladies who sit outside their doors dressed in black from head to foot. I came away with an intricately created cuff bracelet for the princely sum of £7. I paid over £30 at home for something similar for Christmas last year!
From Simena we sailed out through the sunken city and back towards Kas. Pleasantly full of Turkish tea and biscuits the boat was full of snoozing tourists and I found myself a lovely spot at the bow of the boat, dangling my legs over the water as we cruised at quite a speed along the coast. Our last swim spot was about an hour from Kas with warm deep waters and enough nooks and crannies to keep the most determined snorkeler happy for a while.
We had fifteen minutes in Kas before our transfer bus arrived - just enough time to pick up some glass tea light holders for less than I could have purchased them in slightly more upmarket Kalkan, and some freshly squeezed melon juice to cool us down before the journey home.
This was a smashing day out - great value and very relaxed. I would strongly recommend checking with your chosen tour company exactly how many people can squeeze onto the boat, and which days are the quietest for bookings and choose one of those. I would also check whether they play loud music on board as that would have really spoiled the mellow atmosphere for us.
We returned to Define tours after our trip - firstly to give a large tip to the person who had booked the day for us, and secondly to say that we would have preferred that the driver on the return transfer had kept both hands on the wheel rather than talking on his mobile phone whilst steering one-handed along the precarious two lane coast road!
Written 17 July 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
clemich33
Marseille, France6 contributions
May 2019 • Couples
If you go to Kekova you must pre-book your tour with Mehmet. He is a really kind person that will make you spend an amazing moment on Kekova. He has a typical boat (not too big, not too small), he will always adjust the tour according to your wishes and tourism too avoid the crowd and doesn’t count his time as long as you have a nice time.
You can arrange full-day with lunch or 2h tour with him, in fact, everything is up to you.
One of our best moment during our trip in Turkey.
Simply call him or WhatsApp in advance to book : +905363317809
You can arrange full-day with lunch or 2h tour with him, in fact, everything is up to you.
One of our best moment during our trip in Turkey.
Simply call him or WhatsApp in advance to book : +905363317809
Written 20 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John_Nayler
Airlie Beach47 contributions
Aug 2014 • Couples
In line with the other reviews. I drove all the way to the dock, ignoring the waving guy at the top of town.
I paid 150 TL for a couple to go on a small private boat ( I did not really negotiate)... The boat and captain were very authentic (aging), but a picnic lunch and a couple of beers made it sublime.
Our captain was a bit short on for english and pointed at things and said what they were in basic English. I will have to check Wiki for some better history of the place :)
The highlight was the small cove where everyone stops in for a swim. We only had one mask and snorkel set, so I had my doubts when skipper disappeared below for a spare set he had.... i thought it would be a dodgy cheap mask ... but it was new, clean and quality - no leaking in the mask and an expensive blocking snorkel. Very cool to have a swim around in the 28 degree water and explore some old building blocks, a couple of small fish and just one or two bits of rubbish. Our skipper seemed quite content to hang about until we had enough and then lazily motor us home.
I paid 150 TL for a couple to go on a small private boat ( I did not really negotiate)... The boat and captain were very authentic (aging), but a picnic lunch and a couple of beers made it sublime.
Our captain was a bit short on for english and pointed at things and said what they were in basic English. I will have to check Wiki for some better history of the place :)
The highlight was the small cove where everyone stops in for a swim. We only had one mask and snorkel set, so I had my doubts when skipper disappeared below for a spare set he had.... i thought it would be a dodgy cheap mask ... but it was new, clean and quality - no leaking in the mask and an expensive blocking snorkel. Very cool to have a swim around in the 28 degree water and explore some old building blocks, a couple of small fish and just one or two bits of rubbish. Our skipper seemed quite content to hang about until we had enough and then lazily motor us home.
Written 11 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Liz J
Ilkley, UK38 contributions
Aug 2013 • Friends
Avci 2 Boat - Mehmet Ayranci 00 90 536 331 78 09
What a fantastic boat trip.for the ten of us
Sunken city a bit of a disappointment as snorkelling isn't allowed- but the rest of the boat trip was absolutely superb!
Fantastic snorkelling with as many stop offs as we wanted
wonderful lunch at Mehmet's house (the only one on the island) prepared by him - bbq fish and salads
Saw loads of turtles
visited cave
coffee/tea and biscuits on board followed by fresh fruit.
Mehmet was fabulous. It was our best day trip out
No load music on boat!
What a fantastic boat trip.for the ten of us
Sunken city a bit of a disappointment as snorkelling isn't allowed- but the rest of the boat trip was absolutely superb!
Fantastic snorkelling with as many stop offs as we wanted
wonderful lunch at Mehmet's house (the only one on the island) prepared by him - bbq fish and salads
Saw loads of turtles
visited cave
coffee/tea and biscuits on board followed by fresh fruit.
Mehmet was fabulous. It was our best day trip out
No load music on boat!
Written 9 September 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Eric J
Johannesburg, South Africa441 contributions
Aug 2019 • Couples
The boat trip includes a lunch barbecue which was really nice
There is no place to swim in Ucagiz so the day out on the boat was fun
The tour stopped lots of times to let you swim and the water is beautiful and clear
Oh and warm in August
The sunken city isn’t really visible from the boat it’s mostly on land but still impressive no less
Good day out and good value 👍
There is no place to swim in Ucagiz so the day out on the boat was fun
The tour stopped lots of times to let you swim and the water is beautiful and clear
Oh and warm in August
The sunken city isn’t really visible from the boat it’s mostly on land but still impressive no less
Good day out and good value 👍
Written 11 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi, how many hrs on raod drive is it from Antalya to where you get on bard a boat to visit the sunken city
Written 19 April 2016
If you are coming trough Antalya the closest harbor to get in boat is Demre. You can check Kekova turu or kekova tekne turu they might can help
Written 30 August 2019
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