Kekova Island – Details and How to Get to Kekova Island

One of the most visited places in Demre is the island of Kekova. In addition to seeing historical buildings, you can swim in Tersane Bay, which is famous for its clear waters and scenery. Kekova island has a length of 7.4 km and a width of approximately 500 meters. The island, which has a thin and long structure, has the feature of being the largest island of the Mediterranean Region.

There is no settlement on the island and there is Tersane Bay at the entrance of the island. Boats visiting the island anchor in Tersane Bay. It is forbidden to swim around this island, which was declared a protected area in 1990, except for Tersane Bay. If you want to swim, you can swim in Tersane Bay.

Kekova Island Historical Buildings

There are many historical buildings you can see on Kekova Island. Since no archaeological excavations have been carried out on the island, there is not much information about these historical ruins and the history of the island. There is a tower, two chapels, three large churches and a port on the island, which date back to the Hellenistic period.

There are historical buildings dated to the Ancient Age, Roman and Byzantine Periods, which are positioned parallel to the land on an area of 700 meters on the island. In addition to the historical buildings on the surface of the island, you can also see the sunken city that was submerged in the past. When you look at the ancient stairs on the island, you can see that these stairs descend towards the sea. Some of the ruins on the island remained under water due to an earthquake in the past. For this reason, the underwater ruins are called Sunken City.

How to go to Kekova Island?

If you are on holiday in Kekova and want to do something different, you can rent a canoe and go to the island. Canoe tours are usually done in groups. Apart from this, boat tours are organized from Kas, Kalekoy and Ucagiz. If you are on holiday in Kas or Demre, you can book a boat tour in many places.