Kayakoy
Transfers
The ruined town of Kayakoy sits on a steep valley slope between the seaside town of Fethiye and the stunning resort town of Oludeniz. Once known as Levissi to the Greek settlers and as Kayakoy to the Turks, the town was built and occupied by Greeks until the population exchange was made in 1923 when most of the town's population was deported. Greek Macedonian Muslims took their place but the quaint town was not to the liking of the new inhabitants who chose to build their own homes on the flat fertile soil of the valley and the once-prosperous town quickly fell to ruin. Kayakoy is now appropriately known as The Ghost Town.
Today you can walk through the cobbles stone streets which stretch across the width of the valley framed by thick forest. Wander through abandoned houses, schools and churches. Many of the old stone walls are crumbling and some places are heavily overgrown, a solemn air hangs over the site. The Ghost Town is particularly eerie at sunset when the trees cast long shadows over the derelict buildings.
Below the ruins are the modern Kayakoy, a small village which offers visitors a handful of traditional restaurants, souvenir shops, camel rides and accommodation in independent Guesthouses,
Local buses run frequently between Fethiye and Kayakoy, it is just a 15-minute drive from the town centre to the village or you could take the well-marked hiking trail which follows an old stone road through the forest. From Kayakoy you could hike through the ruins to the Blue Lagoon at Oludeniz, Cold Spring Bay or Gelimer Bay.