routesTürkiye
ENDERU
Walls of the half-submerged ancient town on Kekova Island in clear turquoise water
Photo: JamesDavidShoots / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, resized

Island · Kaş, Kalkan & Kekova · Antalya

Kekova Island and the "sunken city"

Kekova Adası ve Batık Kent

The largest island of the area, which gives it its name. Along its inner shore are ruined buildings sunk in the sea and the place called "Tersane", thought to have been an ancient boatyard (Ministry of Environment).

All boat trips in Kaş, Kalkan & Kekova

What's there

Kekova, the largest island of the area, runs along the mainland and forms a narrow strait with it; together with the Sıcak peninsula it encloses an inner sea. Iç Ada, Toprak Adası, Aşırlı Ada and Kişnali Ada are the other main islands.

Source: Ministry of Environment, Natural Assets — Kaş–Kekova Special Environmental Protection Area — checked 1 Oct 2026

On the mainland shore opposite are ancient city walls sunk in the sea and castle ruins; on the inner side of Kekova Island, the place called "Tersane" is thought to have been a very old boatyard. The area has many sunken settlements.

Source: Ministry of Environment, Natural Assets — Kaş–Kekova Special Environmental Protection Area — checked 1 Oct 2026

Road access to this coast is limited and boats are the way to reach it. The area has been a Special Environmental Protection Area since 1990.

Source: Ministry of Environment, Natural Assets — Kaş–Kekova Special Environmental Protection Area · Ministry of Environment — Kaş–Kekova Special Environmental Protection Area (protected-areas page) — checked 1 Oct 2026

On these boat trips

Kekova boat trip: the sunken city, Kaleköy (Simena) and Üçağız

Departs from: Üçağız harbour (boats also leave from Kaş harbour)

Typical stops — operators vary

  1. Kekova Island and the "sunken city" (this page)
  2. Tersane Bay (Kekova)
  3. Kaleköy (Simena) and its castle
  4. Üçağız (Teimiussa)

Rules on the water in Kaş, Kalkan & Kekova

Only what the authorities' own texts say — each point links its source, read on 1 Oct 2026. Our wording is a summary; the linked text is what counts.

  1. During the sea-turtle breeding season, May to September, animals and motor vehicles are kept off the listed nesting beaches — among them Ekincik, Dalyan, Dalaman–Sarıgerme, Fethiye–Çalış, Patara, Kale, Kumluca, Olympos–Çıralı, Tekirova, Belek, Kızılot, Demirtaş, Gazipaşa and Anamur.Source: Nature Conservation and National Parks — circular 2009/10 on protecting sea turtles (scanned PDF) (2009) — checked 1 Oct 2026
  2. From 1 April to 30 September, boats in water-sports areas off the nesting beaches may not go faster than 8 knots within one mile of the shore; turtle-watching tours need a permit; light and noise on the nesting beaches are restricted.Source: Nature Conservation and National Parks — circular 2009/10 on protecting sea turtles (scanned PDF) (2009) — checked 1 Oct 2026
  3. Because of archaeological remains, diving is prohibited off the west coast of Cape Gata and in Bohça İskelesi Bay.Source: Ministry of Environment — Kaş–Kekova Special Environmental Protection Area booklet (PDF, 2021) (24 Nov 2021) — checked 1 Oct 2026
  4. Since August 2026 the sea off Fethiye–Kaş and the North Aegean around Gökçeada are marine national parks (Presidential Decisions 11626 and 11627). The decisions set the boundaries; the texts we saved contain no visitor rules yet.Source: Official Gazette, 16 Aug 2026 — contents · Official Gazette 33342 (16 Aug 2026) — Presidential Decision 11626, Fethiye–Kaş Marine National Park (16 Aug 2026) · Official Gazette 33342 (16 Aug 2026) — Presidential Decision 11627, North Aegean Marine National Park (16 Aug 2026) — checked 1 Oct 2026

Not confirmed — check locally

  • Swimming over the Kekova "sunken city": Many tour and news sites say swimming and diving over the sunken ruins of Kekova are banned. We did not find that ban in the Ministry of Environment or Ministry of Culture pages we saved; the only diving bans we found are at Cape Gata and Bohça İskelesi Bay. Ask your boat crew and follow local notices.
  • Turtle beaches at night: News reports say entry to protected nesting beaches is banned from 20:00 to 08:00 between May and September. The annex of the 2009 circular that would set this could not be read in the scanned copy, so we do not state it as a rule — follow the signs on the beach.

Waste (Blue Card), boat certificates and insurance: the rules for every coast →

Where it is

The map loads as you scroll here. Kekova Island and the "sunken city" is at 36.1824, 29.8775 (OpenStreetMap (relation/12807198)).

Kekova Island and the "sunken city"Other bays in Kaş, Kalkan & KekovaApproximate location

Open in OpenStreetMap

Nearby

Straight-line distances.

About this page

Location: OpenStreetMap (relation/12807198), checked to lie in the area and to be a coast or sea feature. Ticket lines are copied from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's museum pages; rules from the texts linked above. Last checked 1 Oct 2026.