Daily Tours

We’ve only visited Gündoğan a couple of times, and it’s one of the quieter destinations on the Peninsula.  We’ve been on the lookout for places that offer daily boat trips far from the maddening crowd, and Gündoğan looks like a great option.

All of the tours include a couple of local islands in their route:

Local Island

• Lighthouse Island: this is the only lighthouse island in this region. It has a sandy beach, clean water, and it’s a safe habitat for rabbits and gulls.
• Little Rabbit Island (aka Apostol Island): next to Lighthouse island, there’s ruins of an old monestary, which is how the island gets its name.  It’s a 15-minute journey by sea, and is part of a joint conservation project between Italy and Turkey.

Most of Gündoğan’s boat tours head out of the bay for a stop at the islands at the mouth of the bay. Apostle Island is home to the Byzantine Saint Apostle Church that’s located on the south-facing slope on the highest point of the island (read—big climb to get up here).

This ruins and finds have been dated to numerous eras, and is thought to have been inhabited since the 2nd Century BCE. The roof and exterior walls are in surprising good condition, and archeologists have associated the materials and basilica design is similar to the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul. The three naves are separated by rectangular pillars, and all three have arched apses (a large semicircular recess with a domed roof). The extensive floor mosaics have been revealed, and there’s evidence of cisterns and houses in this area.

Boat Trip providers

Anka Regency Boutique Hotel organizes daily boat trips from Gündoğan.  It’s situated just before Baia Otel in the western part of the bay.

I also got a recommendation for the Barbarisko daily boat trip.

Apparently they run a good size boat with plenty of sun bathing areas, as well as fixed tables and benches to sit and eat at.  It’s run by a nice family, who serve great food.  You can book at the harbour with Ahmet, who is usually sitting as a desk nearby.

Boat Schedule

• Get to the boats for 10am, for a 10.30am departure.
• Boats returns around 6pm.

If you have photo’s of your boat trip from Gündoğan, please send me an email so I can feature them here.

Gündoğan Boat Harbour Photo Gallery Photo Album 

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© Photo Anka Regency Boat